Marian Catholic High School (Illinois)

In 1949, after making a request to Samuel Stritch, Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, a priest at St. Agnes parish in Chicago Heights was given permission to purchase land and begin raising funds for the construction of a coed high school. By 1951 enough capital had been raised to hire a local architect to design the building. The Cardinal then mandated that there were to be two cooperative schools, one for women and one for men, each to be run by a religious order. The new plan called for the first school to accept coed classes until the boys' school was ready, about four years after the school for women was open.

The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois agreed to oversee and staff the new school in 1955. Ground breaking occurred on January 6, 1957, and the school opened in September, 1958. The school was dedicated by Cardinal Albert Gregory Meyer on January 11, 1959.

In September 1961, the first group of seniors preparing to graduate stood at 165, but the incoming freshman class was 450. The initial staff of six nuns was now at 18, and had outgrown the capacity of their convent in nearby Homewood. The Dominican Sisters added a new convent to the school to accommodate the growing staff. Without a male religious order to sponsor the male school, plans were eventually dropped to build the second school. Mobile classrooms were brought in to help with the overcrowding.

In 1970, the Sisters and the Archdiocese reached an agreement that would leave the sisters as the sole sponsors of the school, while the Archdiocese committed more money to build an addition. While the Archdiocese did not cover all of the needed additions, over the intervening years the school continued to raise money and make needed additions and renovations.[3]

The school received some criticism over tuition payment issues in March 2009, with an article appearing in the Chicago Tribune and various local media outlets.[4] 100 students who were late on their fees, causing a $450,000 hole in the budget, were temporarily sent home from the school. Most quickly returned to class after working out payment plans with Marian.[5] The Chicago Tribune was charged with bad reporting by many parents, who felt that many vital facts were not accurately represented in the initial article.[6]

Marian Catholic is a member of the East Suburban Catholic Conference and participates in state tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association.

The school sponsors interscholastic sports teams for both men and women in basketball, cross country, lacrosse, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The school sponsors baseball, football, and wrestling for men, while sponsoring cheerleading, softball, water polo, and swimming and diving for women.

While not sponsored by the IHSA, Marian Catholic also sponsors interscholastic teams for men and women in fencing. The fencing teams compete as a part of the Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference.[7]

The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective state tournament sponsored by the IHSA:[8]

• Football •• State semifinalist (1981, 1986); 2nd place (1999—2000); State Champion (1993—94)
• Men's Basketball •• 3rd place (2018)
• Women's Basketball •• 4th place (2003—04); 3rd place (2006—07); 2nd place (2001—02), State Champion (2012—13); 3rd place (2013—14)
• Women's Golf •• 4th place (2006—07); 3rd place (2007—08); 2nd place (2005—06)
• Softball •• 4th place (1986—87); 3rd place (1984—85)
• Women's Volleyball •• 4th place (2011); State Champion (2016)
• Baseball •• 2nd place (2017); State Champion (2012)

The Marian Catholic Band has been awarded both the Sudler Shield (1997),[9] "an international award recognizing high school, youth, and international marching bands of world class excellence", and the Sudler Flag of Honor (1991),[10] another international award given for outstanding concert performance from the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

The Marian Catholic Band has won seven Bands of America Grand National Championships, 20 National Class Championships, and five Bands of America Summer National Championships, the most of any band, as well as holding the record for most total and consecutive National Finals appearances, at 34.[11] The Band has also won their class in the Illinois State Marching Band competition in every season since 1980, a 39-year streak unmatched by any other Illinois High School Association program - band or otherwise.[12] The band also holds 18 Illinois State Grand Champion trophies.

The band is directed by Greg Bimm as well as Ellen Chmura (Assistant Band Director) and Angelo Makropoulos (Percussion Director).

• Marian Catholic High School