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Five-year strategic planning process aims to strengthen diocesan high schools

By: Jennifer Willems - June 17, 2021 - Featured Article Alleman High School, Central Catholic High School, Marquette Academy, Partners in Mission, Peoria Notre Dame High School, Schlarman Academy, The High School of Saint Thomas More

Dr. Bob Tift of Partners in Mission talks with Brooke Rick, principal of Marquette Academy in Ottawa, and her team during the "soft launch" of a new strategic planning process for Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Peoria on June 10. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Peoria have begun a strategic planning process with the goal of not only growing stronger in terms of Catholic identity and living their mission, but also supporting their mission in new and creative ways over the next five years. A “soft launch” of the collaboration between Partners in […]

March for Life high school pilgrims from diocese tell of ‘life changing’ experience

By: Tom Dermody - January 30, 2020 - Featured Article Central Catholic, high school, March for Life, Marquette Academy, Peoria Notre Dame, Pro-life, Schlarman Academy, The High School of Saint Thomas More

The center spread of the Feb. 2 issue of The Catholic Post included photos and brief comments from diocesan Catholic high school pilgrims to the Jan. 24 March for Life in Washington, D.C. Some of the young pro-life pilgrims share their experience in greater detail below.

By plane, metro trains, buses, and some very crowded automobiles, hundreds of pilgrims from the Diocese of Peoria traveled to Washington, D.C., to take part in the Jan. 24 March for Life and related events. Among them were contingents from five Catholic high schools in the diocese — Peoria Notre Dame, Central Catholic in Bloomington, […]

Marquette Academy of Ottawa celebrates historic state championship in baseball

By: Tom Dermody - June 6, 2019 - Featured Article baseball, Brooke Rick, Jack Snookhip base, Marquette Academy, Ottawa, state champions, Todd Hopkins

Led by their seniors, the baseball Crusaders from Marquette Academy in Ottawa excitedly accept the IHSA Class 1A state championship trophy after defeating Waterloo Gibault 14-5 in the title game at Dozer Park on June 1. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

Sixteen hits and 14 runs led to Marquette Academy’s baseball team being Number One in the state on Saturday. But the Crusaders’ historic 14-5 win over Waterloo Gibault in the Illinois High School Association Class 1A title game at Dozer Park in Peoria had meaning well beyond numbers. When relief pitcher Luke Couch struck out […]

Area students at national March for Life know they’re on ‘right part of history’

By: Tom Dermody - January 31, 2019 - Featured Article Central Catholic, D.C., March for Life, Marquette Academy, Peoria Notre Dame, Saint Thomas More, Schlarman Academy, Washington

The 46 students and chaperones from Central Catholic High School in Bloomington pose for a group photo outside the U.S. Capitol on the day they took part in the national March for Life in Washington, D.C. (Provided photo)

Whether it was their first time among the more than 100,000 at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., or their 16th, the immense annual peaceful demonstration against legal abortion left a lasting impression on the hundreds of high school participants and co-travelers from the Diocese of Peoria. “I really wanted to see the scale […]

Marquette Academy celebrates historic double state titles in softball, baseball

By: Tom Dermody - October 5, 2018 - Featured Article baseball, Brooke Rick, Marquette Academy, softball, state champion

The IESA Class 1A state championship plaques earned on successive weekends by Marquette Academy junior high baseball and softball teams were displayed on an awards table for an Oct. 4 celebration in the elementary school gym. (The Catholic Post/Tom Dermody)

OTTAWA – It hadn’t happened in the state since 1986, but Marquette Academy here made its mark on Illinois Elementary School Association history when its junior high boys baseball team won the Class 1A state championship on Sept. 29, just seven days after the school’s junior high girls softball team had brought home its own […]

Class of 2018 top high school graduates share their memories, plans, gratitude

By: The Catholic Post - June 6, 2018 - Featured Article Alleman, Central Catholic, Class of 2018, Marquette Academy, Peoria Notre Dame, Saint Thomas More, Salutatorian, Schlarman Academy, St. Bede Academy, Valedictorian

EDITOR’S NOTE: Following are photos and brief biographies of the valedictorians and salutatorians at the seven Catholic high schools and academies in the Diocese of Peoria. We congratulate them and all graduates. The top students were invited to answer two questions: 1) “How would you describe the advantages of attending a Catholic high school?” and […]