History
Campion High School was founded in 1880 as the College of the Sacred Heart. Established on property donated by Prairie du Chien philanthropist John Lawler, the school was originally operated as a college by Jesuits from the Buffalo, New York, mission of the German Province of the Society of Jesus. Its first president was Rev. William Becker, S.J. The school continued as a college until 1888, when it was closed to lay students and became a house of formation for Jesuit priests. Ten years later, in 1898, the school was reopened to the public, as both a high school and college.
In 1907, the Buffalo Mission of the German Province of the Society of Jesus was disbanded, and the College of the Sacred Heart was reorganized into the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus. Shortly afterward, in 1913, the school was renamed the Campion College of the Sacred Heart. As the name change took place, the school underwent an early expansion phase that saw the construction of several buildings for academic and housing purposes. Then, in 1925, the school's college division was phased out and the institution became known simply as Campion Jesuit High School and was operated as a boy's boarding school. The high school quickly gained a reputation in both academics and athletics, and attracted students from across the nation. The school continued its growth until the mid-1960s, when the enrollment peaked at just below 600 students.
On Saturday, December 14, 1968, a large fire destroyed Campion's Kostka Hall, a building which housed the school's administration center as well as a theater, coffee house, dance hall, student radio station and other student recreational spaces. The fire, which began on the fourth floor, spread slowly and allowed for the building to be safely evacuated without any personal injuries. School records and other important documents were also removed before the fire became uncontrollable, and although the building was a complete loss, the school remained open and recovered quickly. Still, the fire was only one of several problems that the school had to face as it moved towards the 1970s. Not only was the school's enrollment declining dramatically, but the number of Jesuit priests available to operate the school was falling. In addition, ideological differences at the school led to conflicts between liberal and conservative staff members about the school's academic direction as well as its disciplinary and enrollment policies. Meanwhile, students began to rebel in various ways and racial tensions between white and African American students flared after the publication of a poem in a 1969 school newspaper that contained remarks many found to be obscene, racist, and offensive. Matters grew worse in 1972, when a Wisconsin law went into effect that allowed anyone above the age of 18 to purchase and consume alcohol, aggravating a drug problem on the campus. Parents upset at the situation at Campion began to consider alternative schools for their children, and discontented staff members began to resign. Financial difficulties only made matters worse, and in 1975 the school announced that it was closing. [1] [2]
Following Campion's closure, the 108-acre (0.44 km2) campus was sold to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod for $2,800,000 and became home to the new Martin Luther Preparatory School, another boarding school for training boys and girls for the Ministry. This institution opened in 1979 and continued until 1995, when it was moved to Watertown, Wisconsin and consolidated with Northwestern Preparatory School to become Luther Preparatory School. [3] In 1995, the Prairie du Chien campus was sold to the state of Wisconsin and transformed into a juvenile prison. Today the prison, called the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution, serves as a medium security adult penitentiary. [4] One building that was formerly part of the Campion High School campus, the sports complex at Hoffman Hall, remains outside of the prison and is operated as a public recreational facility by the city of Prairie du Chien. [5]
John Carroll University is a private Jesuit university in University Heights, Ohio. It is primarily an undergraduate, liberal arts institution accompanied by the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business. John Carroll has an enrollment of 3,650 students. The university offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and business, and in selected areas at the master's level. John Carroll offers 70 academic programs of study for undergraduate students.
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,605 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821.
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Sacred Heart College, later renamed Campion College, was a Jesuit-operated college in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin founded in 1880. It was established by German Jesuits and trained people to serve in various capacities within the Roman Catholic Church. In 1888, the college closed to lay students. In 1898, it reopened to the laity as both a high school and college. The college was renamed Campion College in 1913. Though the college was shuttered in 1925, the associated high school, Campion High School, remained in operation until 1975. The astronomer priest, Johann Georg Hagen taught in the college before moving to Georgetown University.
Robert John Henle was an American Catholic priest, Jesuit, and philosopher who was the president of Georgetown University from 1969 to 1976. Born in Iowa, Henle entered the Society of Jesus in 1927. He taught high school classics and published a series of instructional books on Latin, one of which became widely used. He then became at professor at Saint Louis University and was known as one of the leaders of the revival of Thomistic philosophy and theology. He also served as a dean and vice president for nearly 20 years. In this latter capacity, he oversaw Saint Louis University's growing independence from, but continuing affiliation with, the Jesuit order.
William Coleman Nevils was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit educator who became the head of numerous Jesuit institutions throughout the northeastern United States, including Georgetown University and the University of Scranton. Born in Philadelphia, he was educated at Saint Joseph's College, before entering the Society of Jesus. While studying for the priesthood, he taught at Boston College and the Loyola School. After receiving his doctorate from Woodstock College, he held professorships at St. Andrew-on-Hudson and the College of the Holy Cross, before transferring to Georgetown University, where he became the dean of Georgetown College, the academic vice president, and the regent of the School of Foreign Service. He then left Georgetown to become the dean of the Shadowbrook Jesuit House of Studies.
