University School Of Milwaukee history

Marquette High traces its roots back to 1857 when St Aloysius Academy opened and was located at Second Street and Michigan Avenue in what is now downtown Milwaukee.

1891 GEA moves into new building on Broadway Street in Milwaukee, featuring first gymnasium in America.

1895 MFS merges with Downer College of Fox Lake, WI.

1896 Downer Seminary builds new campus on Hartford Avenue.

In 1907, the expanding academy and college were separated and the academy extended its courses to four years, after which a diploma was awarded, just as now.

1910 Downer Seminary becomes separate institution from Milwaukee Downer College.

The institution changed its name in 1917 to Milwaukee University School because of anti-German prejudice that occurred during World War I.

1920 Girls high school founded by German English Academy.

1927 Frank Spigener named director of German English Academy.

1936 Lake School for Girls merges with Downer Seminary.

The most spectacular facility change in 1959 was the installation of a series of nylon curtains strung across the rink 12 feet above the ice.

The first youth hockey program, named the Milwaukee Winter Club, was officially organized on October 15, 1962.

In 1963, a heated warming house to be used by Winter Club members and game spectators was built thanks to a generous gift from Marge Klode, a hockey parent.

MCDS, MDS, and MUS would merge and open as University School of Milwaukee for the 1964–65 school year.

A roof was built over the South Campus rink in 1965.

1970 USM Girls Upper School moves to Whitefish Bay campus.

In 1975, in order to keep pace with emerging technologies, USM tied in with a computer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee via phone, as four small computers were purchased for the Upper School campus.

*Geoff Maclay was inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976.

In 1978, former NHL player, Lowell MacDonald became the school’s athletic director and head hockey coach.

In 1981, the school made additional plans for incorporating new technology by starting a fund to computerize the school and extend computer education.

Continually offering new opportunities, USM introduced foreign language programming to students in the Lower School in 1984, with Spanish offered three times per week beginning in kindergarten.

The unified campus (on Fairy Chasm Road) opened in 1985 with 770 students.

Late in 1986, the High School purchased the property adjacent to the school from the estate of Glen Humphrey for use as the Humphrey Athletic Field.

A third private school state championship was won in 1992.

The Gordon Henke Center and the Emmett J. and Martha Doerr Library opened in 1994.

Options for learning about the world further expanded as USM began phasing in a new computer network to provide school-wide access to the internet in 1996.

In the fall of 1997, the private schools joined the WIAA to compete in the state hockey tournament series.

In 1998, Marquette High School dedicated Quad Park, a multi-use facility located at 38th and St Paul.

In July of 2000, Ward Ghory became head of school, and in November of that year a strategic plan was adopted.

In 2001, standout defenseman Evan Salmela won the first Mr.

One of the most thrilling post-season sectional games was the 2003 contest against archrival Milwaukee Marquette.

Lane MacDonald was inducted into the United Sates Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.

In 2007, he was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame after accumulating 334 career wins in 29 seasons.

In July of 2011, Laura Fuller became the eighth head of school, and the first woman to lead the school, since the merger.

Throughout the 2014-15 school year, our School community gathered together to celebrate the past 50 years.

In May of 2015, on the heels of a year of celebration, and following a six-month feasability study, the school's Board of Trustees voted to move forward with a new fundraising campaign and began the quiet phase of that campaign.

By May of 2017, the school had opened a new community room and broken ground for a new Upper School commons and servery, innovation center, and performing arts center addition, all of which opened to rave reviews over the next several years.

USM continued to advance and grow in all three divisions, with an enrollment of 1,091 at the start of the 2019–20 school year, Fuller's final year prior to her retirement.