Saint Francis High School (St. Francis, Wisconsin)

Infobox Secondary school
name = St. Francis High School
motto = "Charting a Course of Excellence"
established = 1962
type = Public Secondary
grades = 9–12
enrollment = 578 (as of 2007-08)
address = 4225 S. Lake Drive
city = St. Francis
state = WI
country = USA
district = Saint Francis School District
principal = Mark DiStefano
administraor = Carol Topinka
athletic director = John Kloppenburg
teamname = Mariners
colors = Scarlet and White
WIAA conference = Woodland Conference
yearbook = The Log
website = http://www.sfhsmariners.org

St. Francis High School is a grades 9-12 public high school located right along Lake Michigan in St. Francis, Wisconsin. SFHS is the only high school within the Saint Francis School District. The phone number for the school is [phone].

Athletics

St. Francis High School was a member of the now defunct Braveland Conference for their inaugural school year, 1962-1963. When that conference dissolved the Mariners became charter members of the Parkland Conference, and were the only school to stay in the conference for its entire existence. When the Parkland Conference dissolved following the 2005-2006 season, SFHS joined the Woodland Conference, and is currently a member of the (Southern Division). St. Francis offers a wide variety of athletic programs including: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling. The Mariners' cross-town rivals are the Cudahy High School Packers.

WIAA State Championships

1975: Boys Cross Country (Class B)
1976: Boys Basketball (Class B)
1976: Boys Track & Field (Class B)

Conference Championships

1967-68: Baseball
1972-73: Baseball
1976-77: Boys Basketball
1976-77: Baseball
1980-81: Football
1980-81: Girls Basketball
1996-97: Football
2002-03: Football
"1962-1963: Braveland Conference"
"1963-2006: Parkland Conference"
"2006-present: Woodland Conference (Southern Division)"

Football

As of the end of the 2007 season, the St. Francis Mariner football team has enjoyed eight consecutive playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in the 2005 WIAA Division 4 Championship, as well as 13 winning seasons since 1994. More information on the Mariner football team can be found at http://www.sfhsmariners.org/Sports/Football/football.htm. The current head football coach is Doug Sarver.

"Coaching history"

Collegiate Players
*Dave Dorlack '76, Waukesha County Technical College/UW-Platteville
*Jim Dorlack '78, Ellsworth Community College (1978-80)
*Joel Tomski '80, UW-Whitewater (1981-84)
*Tom Dorlack '81, UW-Oshkosh (1981-85)
*Mike Szydlowski '81, Cardinal Stritch University (1981-85)
*Tracy Cobb '89, UW-Superior/Lakeland College
*Jason Jensen '06, Madison Area Technical College (2006-08)/University of Texas-Pan America (2008-09 will be 1st season)

Girls' Basketball

Due to the late onset of girls' basketball in the state of Wisconsin, St. Francis did not offer basketball to females until the 1976 season, when the program was started by teacher Pat Strozyk, who led the Mariners to their first regional championship (1978-defeated Pewaukee 38-30). Following Strozyk, in his 3rd year Coach Phil Polasek led the Mariners to not only their first Parkland Conference championship, but also their first and only trip to state, where they lost to Algoma in the Class B semi-finals by a score of 31-34. Coach Polasek would also win 2 more regional championships (1982 and 1983) as well as another Western Division championship in the Parkland Conference (1983). The current head coach of the Mariner girl's basketball program is Michael Szydlowski. More information on the Mariner girls' basketball program can be found at http://www.geocities.com/sf_girls_hoops

"Coaching history"

Collegiate Players
*Terry Kender '80, Carroll College (1980-84)
*Sharon Romel '81, UW-Whitewater (1981-85)
*Lynn Dusold '83, Carroll College (1983-87)
*Carol Dusold '85, Gustavus Adolphus College, MN (1985-89)
*Jessy Herbst '91, Carthage University, WI (1992-95)
*Wendy Gagnon '98, Northern Michigan University (1998-00)/UW-Whitewater (2000-02)
*JQ Stewart '02, Concordia University, WI (2002-04)
*Gina Karas '04, Waukesha Area Technical College (2004-06)
*Jessica Freitag '07, Milwaukee Area Technical College (2007-present)
*Amanda O'Brien '07, Mount Mary College (2007-present)
*Ashley O'Brien '07, Mount Mary College (2007-present)

Girls' Volleyball

The Mariner volleyball program started in 1974 with Coach Freiberg. The team has qualified for the regional finals twice (in 1996 and 1998) and are currently coached by Coach Sharon Galonski. St. Francis High School offers volleyball at the freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity levels. More information on the Mariner volleyball program can be found at http://www.sfhsmariners.org/Sports/Volleyball/SCHOOLSTAT.htm.

"Coaching history"

Classes

There are many classes available to St. Francis students, some of which are: English (Eng. 9 through 12, Advanced Placement); Business (Accounting, Work Experience, Word Processing, International Business, Entrepreneurship); Family & Consumer Education (Foods, Family Living, Personal Finance); Mathematics (Computer Science, AP Computer Science, Cisco Networking Academy, Pre- and AP Calculus, Geometry, Algebra and Algebra II); Health & Physical Education; Social Studies (Psychology, AP Government & Politics, Contemporary Issues, History); Technology Education (Architectural Design, Woods, Drafting, Construction); School-to-Work (Finance Apprenticeship, Medical Terminology, St. Francis Firefighter Cadet Program, Computer Technician Apprenticeship); Auto Apprenticeship; Special Education; Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology); Music (Concert and Jazz Bands, Concert and Chamber Choirs, Music Theory); Art (Sculpture, Painting, Studio); and Foreign Languages (Spanish 1-4 and Japanese 1-5).

Extracurricular activities

Aside from their athletic program, St. Francis High School also offers a variety of extracurricular activities for the students who aim to keep involved with the school as well as the community. Such clubs include: Art Club, Band, Chorus, Drama, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), Forensics, International Club, Mariner Scribes, National Honor Society, Peer Helpers, Pep Club, Pom Squad, Science Outdoor Club, and the Student Council.

Notable Alumni

* Daryl Stuermer (1952-), Genesis guitarist
* Gary D'Amato (1956-) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel golf editor
* Adam Mertz (1972-), Madison Captial Times sports editor
* Phil Chavez (1972-), City of Milwaukee Municipal Judge

External links

* [http://www.sfhsmariners.org Saint Francis High School Website]
* [http://www.wiaawi.org Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association]
* [http://www.geocities.com/sfhs_hoops St. Francis Mariner Boys Basketball History]
* [http://www.geocities.com/sf_girls_hoops St. Francis Mariner Girls Basketball History]
* [http://www.ballcharts.com/marinerbaseball St. Francis Mariner Baseball]