Pius XI High School
Encyclopedia
Pius XI High School is a private Catholic high school located in Milwaukee
, Wisconsin
. It is in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
. Its enrollment is approximately 900.
, was founded in 1929. Originally it offered only the first three years of high school. Thus, the first graduation occurred in 1937, when the first senior class was added to the school. Enrollment grew from a class of eight in 1937 to over 2,000 students throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Current enrollment is approximately 900 students.
The original four-story school building was constructed in 1930, with a two-story addition, for six stories total, completed in 1957. Additional classroom space, library space, science laboratories and general renovations were completed in 1998, and a field house was annexed in 2004. The original gymnasium is being remodeled into an auditorium, which will be completed by the 2012-2013 school year.
In 2007, several fine arts and English students were awarded 24 Gold and 16 Silver Key awards, some for portfolios from the National Scholastic Art & Writing Competition. In addition, several students have recently won awards and scholarships from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and the Wisconsin Regional ARTS Competition. It's students continue to receive awards for fine art. The Theater and English departments co-produced the Metro Milwaukee Young Playwrights Competition in 2005 and 2006 before the project was tabled.
The newest academic department is engineering, which offers a certified program called "Project Lead the Way" that prepares students for college engineering programs and allows them to earn college credit while in high school.
and participates in the Classic 8 Athletic Conference
. In the Fall of 2011 it was announced that Milwaukee Pius will leave the Classic 8 Athletic Conference
for the Woodland Conference
first taking affect starting in Fall 2012. The male athletic teams play under the name "Popes", while the females are referred to as the "Lady Popes". For one season the Pius XI football team was renamed the "Storm", after which the name "Popes" was brought back permanently. Despite the papal nickname, no visual imagery that alludes to the Pope is used at sporting events. The team had an unofficial mascot of the "Sugar Bear," alluding to an advertisement from the 1960s. The "Sugar Bear" was absent from sporting events from 2004-2008 but made its triumphant return to the sidelines in 2009. It has been Pius' unofficial mascot for over 50 years. In 2010 the Lady Popes won their first WIAA
Basketball State Championship.
The Popes and the Lady Popes Basketball teams were the last two teams to win the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (WISAA) boys' and girls' state basketball championships. The boys' basketball team finished with a school record of 24-1 and #1 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's state and area polls. The girls had 18 conference championships in as many years and 12 state titles.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It is in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all...
. Its enrollment is approximately 900.
History
Pius XI High School, named in honor of Pope Pius XIPope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
, was founded in 1929. Originally it offered only the first three years of high school. Thus, the first graduation occurred in 1937, when the first senior class was added to the school. Enrollment grew from a class of eight in 1937 to over 2,000 students throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Current enrollment is approximately 900 students.
The original four-story school building was constructed in 1930, with a two-story addition, for six stories total, completed in 1957. Additional classroom space, library space, science laboratories and general renovations were completed in 1998, and a field house was annexed in 2004. The original gymnasium is being remodeled into an auditorium, which will be completed by the 2012-2013 school year.
Academics
Pius offers almost 200 courses, more than any other school in the state, including almost 20 advanced placement, honors and accelerated courses. In recent years, Pius XI High School has twice been named a National Blue Ribbon School. Pius has more national board-certified teachers than any other private school in Wisconsin.In 2007, several fine arts and English students were awarded 24 Gold and 16 Silver Key awards, some for portfolios from the National Scholastic Art & Writing Competition. In addition, several students have recently won awards and scholarships from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, and the Wisconsin Regional ARTS Competition. It's students continue to receive awards for fine art. The Theater and English departments co-produced the Metro Milwaukee Young Playwrights Competition in 2005 and 2006 before the project was tabled.
The newest academic department is engineering, which offers a certified program called "Project Lead the Way" that prepares students for college engineering programs and allows them to earn college credit while in high school.
Schedules
Instead of homerooms, Pius has TACs, a mixture of freshmen ,sophomores, juniors and seniors. Each TAC is headed by a staff member called a "TAC teacher" that offers guidance to its TAC students. Pius has a modular scheduling system consisting of sixteen "Mods" of 22 minutes each, with 4 minutes between mods. Most classes are 2 mods long, making them a total of 48 minutes long (2 mods of 22 minutes, plus 4 mods in between that are spent in class.). Courses meet two, three or four times per week and last from 22 minutes to 90 minutes. This system provides flexibility in the frequency and duration of individual courses, and approximates the scheduling systems used by colleges and universities.Student government
The Pius XI High School Student Forum is responsible for bringing student concerns to the administrative level, bringing administrative opinions, decisions, views and ideas to the student body, to solve or assist in the solving of school-wide problems and to act in the interest of the Pius XI community. The Forum is guided by a constitution that is renewed with each new set of representatives, board representatives and officers. The president of the Forum is elected to the position by the representatives at-large and the vice-president is nominated by the president and moderator, subject to approval of the Student Forum.Athletics
Milwaukee Pius is a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic AssociationWisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the first high school athletic organization in the country...
and participates in the Classic 8 Athletic Conference
Classic 8 Conference
The Classic 8 Conference, also known as the C8C, is a high school athletic conference made up of 8 teams in southeastern Wisconsin. The Classic 8 Conference is a member of the WIAA. The conference is one of the newer conferences in the WIAA, having been formed in 1997...
. In the Fall of 2011 it was announced that Milwaukee Pius will leave the Classic 8 Athletic Conference
Classic 8 Conference
The Classic 8 Conference, also known as the C8C, is a high school athletic conference made up of 8 teams in southeastern Wisconsin. The Classic 8 Conference is a member of the WIAA. The conference is one of the newer conferences in the WIAA, having been formed in 1997...
for the Woodland Conference
Woodland Conference
The Woodland Conference is a high school athletics conference in Southeastern Wisconsin. It is overseen by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association . Members of the conference are: Brown Deer, Cudahy, Greendale, Greenfield, New Berlin Eisenhower, New Berlin West, Pewaukee, Shorewood, St....
first taking affect starting in Fall 2012. The male athletic teams play under the name "Popes", while the females are referred to as the "Lady Popes". For one season the Pius XI football team was renamed the "Storm", after which the name "Popes" was brought back permanently. Despite the papal nickname, no visual imagery that alludes to the Pope is used at sporting events. The team had an unofficial mascot of the "Sugar Bear," alluding to an advertisement from the 1960s. The "Sugar Bear" was absent from sporting events from 2004-2008 but made its triumphant return to the sidelines in 2009. It has been Pius' unofficial mascot for over 50 years. In 2010 the Lady Popes won their first WIAA
WIAA
WIAA may refer to:* Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association* Washington Interscholastic Activities Association* WIAA , a radio station licensed to Interlochen, Michigan, United States...
Basketball State Championship.
The Popes and the Lady Popes Basketball teams were the last two teams to win the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (WISAA) boys' and girls' state basketball championships. The boys' basketball team finished with a school record of 24-1 and #1 in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's state and area polls. The girls had 18 conference championships in as many years and 12 state titles.
Notable alumni
- Mike Kelley, CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
NCAA Basketball Sportscaster - Alan KulwickiAlan KulwickiAlan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...
, 1992 NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup Champion - Andrew MozinaAndrew MozinaAndrew Mozina is a short story writer whose books include the collection, The Women Were Leaving the Men , which was a finalist in the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction...
, professor of English at Kalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...
, and author of The Women Were Leaving the Men. - Keith NosbuschKeith NosbuschKeith Nosbusch is the Chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation Inc., the world largest industrial automation company. He was appointed the company's CEO in 2004 and chairman in 2005. Before that, he worked as Senior Vice President and President of Rockwell Automation Control Systems.Nosbusch is also...
, CEO of Rockwell Automation - Suzanne Schlict, Chef on Fox's Hells Kitchen