Marquette Catholic was established in 1927 by the Ursuline Sisters. It was built at the request of Bishop Griffin, the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. It was the first coeducational Catholic high school in the Diocese. The Ursuline Sisters have a history of teaching the youth of Alton dating back to 1859. The Ursuline Sisters left in 1992 and the school was then operated by the Diocese. In 2007, the Diocese created an independent board and relinquished control of the school.
Curriculum
Marquette offers various courses that prepare students for college. All students must earn 22.50 credits for graduation. They must also take P.E., driver's education, and the Constitution exam. Required classes include, Theology I-IV, U.S. History, Art Appreciation, Composition, English I-IV, U.S. Government, and Health. Students must also earn three credits in Mathematics, an addition one and a half credits in Social Studies, and three credits in Science.
College Prep
This program gives students a solid foundation for college studies, and fulfills all the requirements for admittance into the Illinois University System. The majority of students are in this program. However, students can move up into the Honors program, no later than sophomore year. Students can also have partial college prep/honors course.
Honors Program
The Honors program challenges the student in content, standards, and classroom procedures. Students in Honors are expected to have a higher standard of learning ability.
Marquette offers Advanced Placement courses in Literature, Composition, Calculus, Chemistry, and U.S. Government. Students taking these courses and the national exams that follow may allow students to earn credit for college.
Extracurricular activities
Marquette has a wide variety of different clubs and organizations. There are Students Against Destructive Decisions, Cultural Awareness Club, Spanish Club, Ambassadors, Breast Cancer Awareness Club, the Newspaper Staff, Students for Soldiers, Veterans Heritage Project, Peer Leadership, PRIDE, Yearbook, Scholar Bowl, WYSE, Campus Ministry, and Student Council.
Sports
Assistant Principal Greg DeCourcey was the varsity baseball coach from 1977-2009 and had a 641-351-2 record, finishing 8th all-time on the IHSA baseball coach wins list. Under DeCourcey's helm, the baseball team won 15 regional titles and 7 sectional titles. They beat Mount Carmel in 1980 and Aurora Central Catholic in 1984 to capture the Class A State Championship twice during the 1980s. The 1988 team finished as State Runner-Up, losing to Peru St. Bede. In 2012 DeCourcey was elected into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Also in 2012, under Coach Joe Silkwood, the team won the Springfield 1A Super-Sectional on a walk-off single by Austin, qualifying them for the state tournament. They lost the semi-final to St. Anthony Catholic High. However, they beat Lena-Winslow in the Third Place game. The girls' soccer team won the 2011 IHSA Class 1A State Championship with a 19-5-1 record in the 13th season under head coach Robert Moginot. It was the second appearance in the state championship game for the team under Moginot, which finished 2nd in 2010. In 2011, softball pitcher Alexis Silkwood set the state single-season record for strikeouts. In 2012, she set the state single-season record for no-hitters. In 2010, Alexis lead the team to a 4th-place finish in the state tournament. The team followed up with a third-place finish in 2011. The football team has made the IHSA 3A playoffs for the past 7 years. The 1982 team was State Runner-Up, the only time the football team has made it to the Finals. In 2012, the boys' soccer team clinched their first trip to the state tournament in team history. They would go on to win their first state championship. The boys soccer team would again win state in 2017.
