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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
The New
School
1952
New
School Construction Site, 1952
Old Hall and Rectory in background
______________________________________________________________________________________
Leading
members of the Building Committee for the new school included Chester McGuire, secretary; Leonard
Giese,
treasurer; Michael Kaul, Edgar Kellerman, James Imming, Lawrence J. Lange, Mrs. Ruben Oestreich, Norbert Pitterle and Attorney Bernard J. Traeger.
The school was built at a
cost of almost $400,000.
$ 263,434.93 Maas, Gen Contract
35,638.61 Niehoff, Heating
15,814.86 Ruesch, Electrical
2,134.25 Rowold,
Lighting Fix
22,154.00 Biefeld, Plumbing
20,148.93 Architect’s fee
4,490.00 Wrecking
old school
18,500.00 Home for sisters
4,906.78 Landscape,
playgnds
11,462.35 Equipment
398,684.71 Total Project Cost
The cornerstone for the new St.
Henry’s Parochial School, for which site preparation was started the previous
year, was blessed at a brief outdoor ceremony prior to the 11 o’clock New
Year’s Day Mass, 1953. Pastor A. J.
Herrmann was assisted by the
Father Donald Lins, curate.
The new school
was built with three entrances, one on
Leo Brielmaier
of Milwaukee was chosen as the architect.
At the time,
the building was considered rather unique in light of its considerable amount
of glass and glass blocks. The school
was heated with oil.
The school was completed
in time for St. Henry’s 1953 Centennial.
The two-story school building
with a full basement consisted of eight classrooms, a school and parish
library, offices, clinic, faculty room, two meeting rooms, cafeteria, kitchen,
boiler room as the central heating plant, janitor’s room and supply rooms.
The
new parish school, which was nearing completion, was dedicated
and blessed in connection with the 1953 centennial celebration of the founding
of the congregation. It was ready for
occupancy on September 9.
New
school construction site, 1953
The blessing of the new
school by Bishop William O’Connor took place on
The
centennial ceremonies included a Pontifical Mass at which the bishop was the
celebrant. The service began at
Officers
participating in the Mass included the following: The Rev. Edward Hertel, assistant priest; the
Rev. Alfred Wiemer and the Rev. Joseph Brechtl,
deacon and subdeacon, the Rev. Mark Mueller and the Rev. Stephen Klopfer, deacons of honor; the
Very Rev. Jerome Hastrich, first
master-of-ceremonies; the Rev. Donald H. Lins, second
master-of-ceremonies.
Boys
of the parish taking part in the ceremonies included: Tom Kaul, mitre bearer; Robert
Ruesch,
crozier bearer; Paul Monzel, book bearer; Dick
David,
candle bearer; Dick Oestreich and Louis Hady, thurifers; Donald
Fendt and Richard Plenge, acolytes; Allen
Rothschadl,
cross bearer. Junior altar boys were also in attendance
A
dinner was served at
Also
present were many of the older lifelong members of the parish and the heads of
the various church societies.
Later
in the year, a social and reception were planned for all members of the parish.
Drawing
of new school by Sandra Pirkel
A few years later, an entire
city block across from the school, with the exception of one corner residence
that was not for sale, was purchased for $59,381. The homes on the seven
parcels of land were either razed or moved and the entire surface was prepared
and black-topped for use as a playground for the children and a parking lot for
the parishioners at a cost of $7,960.
A previously organized
building fund for the $400,000 project had been very successful and the
congregation paid off its debt on its new parochial school within five years
after it was erected. In recognition of
this attainment, a Solemn High Mass was celebrated on Thanksgiving Day, 1957.
The
United States flag flew from a new steel flag pole near the front entrance of
the new school, a gift of Watertown Post No. 1349, Catholic War Veterans. The vets also donated a stone marker at the
foot of the pole bearing the inscription:
“Presented by Watertown Post No. 1349, Catholic War Veterans of America,
in tribute to members of St. Henry’s who served their country.”
During
the 1953-54 school year, members of the upper grades of the school used
Memorial Park, then one block from the school and currently the site of the
Watertown Municipal Building, for their
School
children in the lower grades were restricted to the use of the school grounds,
significantly reduced in area because of the larger space occupied by the new
school that opened with the beginning of the school year and the fact that the
block west of the school had not yet been developed into a playground and
parking lot.
On an early October
morning in 1954 the steps of the new school suffered some damage as the result
of a
For the 1954-55 school year, St. Henry’s
Parochial School had an enrollment of 340, 16 of which were twins. The school boasted of the record number of
twins; eight sets, not all identical, were pupils.
12/14/34 WTribune A cross reference<<
8 Sets of Twins!
Can It Be Possible? Believe It Or
Not, there are 8 sets of twins in the Watertown schools. 3 sets are identical twins and the remaining
5 pairs are brother and sister combinations.
Moreover, 6 of the 8 pairs were born in Watertown.
Count
‘em, and pity the poor teachers !
Grade
Top: Jane
and Jean Sterwald 8
Glenn
and Mary Lou Rhodes 5
Third: James
and Allen Timm 4
John and Joseph King 3
Second: Ron and Don Gruenewald 2
Billy and Mary Thauer 1
First: Judith
and James Opps 2
Bonnie Jean and Tom Wicker 1
In 1955 Sister Mary
Kenneth, a member of the teaching profession for the previous 31
years, won first prize in an essay contest sponsored by the American Legion
Auxiliary. The subject for the essay was
“A Teacher’s Contribution to Our National Security.”
The annual School Fair
was held in February of 1956 with the lower and upper halls used to display
school exhibits along with those of the Cub, Boy and Girl Scouts of the
parish. A giant fish pond for both
youngsters and older folks was one of the most popular attractions, as was the
“Cake Walk.”
A safety patrol consists of school
boys and girls who are trained to remind their classmates of safety and how to
protect their fellow students as they themselves practice leadership abilities,
reli-ance, punctuality, courtesy, respect and service to others. In 1955 the patrol members were all boys.
1955
School Safety Patrol
Top: James
Kennedy, Leo Loughlin, Edward
Bliefernicht
Third: Ronald
Newman, Richard
Rhode, Douglas
Lamp, Harvey
Gruchow, Tom Podolske, James
Rothschadl
Second:
Richard Plenge, James
Loughlin, Charles
Hrobsky, Pat Loughlin, John Bredow, Ronald
Pfeifer
Front: David
Hertel, Nick
Schneider, James The-
der, James
Haberkorn, James
Oestreich,
Charles
Bliefernicht.
________________________________
St. Henry’s 1956
basketball roster included Rich-ard Rhode, Tom Podolske, Harvey Gruchow, John Mooney, Ronald Newman, Jim Oestreich, Ronald Pfeifer, John Kihslinger, Richard Plenge, Jerry Peters and James Loughlin.
Twenty-two athletes of
the grade school were honored at a banquet in May of 1956 given for them by the
Holy Name Society. Championship trophies
were given to the co-captains of the football and basketball teams: Tom Podolske and Ronald Neumann, football
(George Smith, men-tor); Ronald Pfeifer and Richard Rhode, basketball
(Leo Loughlin, coach).
An
On
St. Henry’s Parish and Parochial School
participated in a fund raising campaign conducted by the SSND of the Milwaukee
Province for the purpose of constructing a new training college for the sisters
to be located in Mequon, Wisconsin, on a 200-acre tract of land overlooking
Lake Michigan.
The announcement was made by the
Reverend Mother Mary Hilaria, who was the spiritual director of the sisters’
community throughout the United States.
Parishes where the sisters were the instructors throughout the Midwestern
Province made similar efforts to reach an aggregate minimum goal of $3,000,000.
This was the first time that the SSND in
the Midwest area had made a province-wide appeal for funds.
If the School Sisters of Notre Dame are to continue
to teach young people in this Province, we must make provisions for the
adequate housing and training of these young women whom God sends to us as
future members of the Community.
Overcrowded and unsafe conditions in the present college in Milwaukee
make it necessary for us to build a new training college immediately.
- Reverend Mother Hilaria
Father Anthony Herrmann, speaking for
the people of his parish, expressed his faith in the generosity of his
people. He stated that it is evident
that this need of the sisters is a vital one and that strengthening of their
structure for educating young people a basic necessity.
A committee of volunteer workers from
St. Henry’s parish made a house-to-house solicitation of parishioners of their
parish, inviting their participation in the Memorial Gifts plan of the
campaign.
________________________________
In October of 1957 the
school closed for a three day weekend because of an increased absentee rate due
to an outbreak of influenza.
At the School Fair of 1958,
sponsored by the Home and School Association, there were school exhibits as
well as a school talent show featuring singing, tumbling, piano playing, baton
twirling, ballet and tap dancing, accordion selections, and a pantomime.
School enrollment increased
considerably during the 1950’s. For the
school year of 1950-51 there were 264 students.
For 1960-61 there were 439.
By September of 1964,
every available space in the school and the old hall was utilized for overflow
classes when the school term began. All
registrations that could be handled were, and there was a hold placed on
accepting new registra-tions, as no more could be accommodated.
The school bands of St.
Bernard’s and St. Henry’s combined for winter concerts in 1965 and 1966.
The 1969 CCD religious instruction classes were held Thursday afternoons
for all parish children in grades one through six not enrolled in the parish
school. The non-attending seventh and
eighth graders were required to meet at the same Thursday evening times as the
high school Chi-Rho religious classes.
1971
champs
Top: Todd
Richter, Matt Higgins, Brian
Steffin,
Mike Engel, Joe Mooney, Roger
Bliefernicht,
Dave Pitterle, Dave
Schaefer, Joe Meyers,
Coach
Second: Gary Muir, Mike Peters, Kevin Kritz, Dan
Blank, Dan Bohlman, Bob Martin, Gene
Haberkorn, Jim Ebert
Front: Jeff Theder, Bernie Jurick, Joe Dittmann,
James Bauman, Bill O’Brian, Rich Lessner
________________________________
St. Henry’s won the
championship of the grade school flag football league of the 1971 season.
In 1972 the school adopted
a family income scale suggested by the Secretary of Agriculture to deter-mine
eligibility for free and reduced-price meals.
School children burn up
lots of calories while learning their lessons and horsing around on the
playground. A hot lunch is a necessity
and such a program requires the work of several. In 1972 the hot lunch program was staffed by
Mrs. Gordon Checki, Mrs. Simon Checki, Mrs. Jerome Fendt, and Mrs. Donald Cayan. Jerome Fendt took care of the buildings and
grounds.
A full time religious
coordinator was employed in 1974
to coordinate the religious instruction of elementary school pupils who were unable
to enroll in the parish school because of limitations of space.
Eighth
Grade Graduation, 1968
Top Row: Fr.
Beckius, Kathy Kerge, Gilbert
Brennecke, Robert
Frater, Ann Peirick, Steve Martin, Joyce Horack,
Bill Rule, Jane
Kellerman, Dennis Berg, Mary Ann
Giese.
Third
Row: Father Weisensel, Ann Burbach, Mike Mooney, Steve
Chingway, Donna Cayan, Greg David, Rick Kunert, Denise Weiss, Joe Checki.
Second Row: Fred
Roethle, Butch Henze, Sherwin
Stangler, Mark Hady, Joann
Kopplin, Donald
Engelhart, Cathy
Peirick, Monsignor
Herrmann.
First
Row: Tim Schleicher, Pat Peirick, Janet Bauman, Phil
Schaefer, Pat
Wollinger, Mary Ann
Meyers, Mike Dorn, Mary Indra, John
Hackbarth. Missing:
Nancy Robinia
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