Photo by Clay Schuldt New Ulm Area Catholic Schools in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — New Ulm Area Catholic Schools (NUCAS) is a pre-K through 12th Grade Catholic School program, located between State Street and Washington Street to the east and west and 7th North and 5th North from the north to south.

Today, the campus consists of Cathedral High School and St. Anthony Elementary and represents four parishes. NUACS has 422 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th Grade and represents 256 area families.

Currently, the first grade class is the largest with 42 students. In the high school, the Juniors are the largest with 36 students. There are 45 teachers in the NUACS building. Support staff brings the staff to 65.

The school has come a long way since it first opened its doors in 1874 with 18 students. The first Catholic School in New Ulm was named St. Michael Academy. In the early days, classes were taught in German in the morning and English in the afternoon. This was not limited to religious instruction. Math and reading were taught in both languages.

In 1881, a tornado hit New Ulm, damaging the school/convent building. The school was repaired, including an additional wing and eventually an extension. The additions were to accommodate the growing number of students. By the start of the 20th century, it was clear a new building would be needed. The Holy Trinity School was built in 1905. By this time, the school had over 400 students.

In 1919, the parish decided to expand the school to the upper grades. A high school wing was added and in the fall of 1919, the first ninth-graders began attending classes in the new Catholic High School. For 35 years, Holy Trinity served as both the Catholic grade school and high school.

By the 1950s, the need for a new high school space became apparent. There were 192 students in the high school alone. A new high school addition was completed in March 1954, with over 240 students. At this time, the grade school and high school were still a single parish.

It was not until 1984 that NUACS was officially incorporated. NUACS was formed following the consolidation of Holy Trinity, St. Mary’s, St. John’s and St. George grade schools.

NUACS President Sister Julie Brandt said they are still sponsored by these four parishes. At one point, each of the four parishes had an elementary building. The high school, once it was established, supported all four parishes but the elementary parishes had separate schools for longer.

“As years went on and the NUACS umbrella was developed, there became greater cooperation between the schools,” Brandt said. “The fact that [NUACS] is supported by the four parishes is a big deal. That does not come easy everywhere. It is rare for a Catholic school to be made up of multiple parishes.”

Brandt said the reason the parishes were able to come together in New Ulm is that the people in the community wanted to provide the best education for young people. As they were all of the same faith and were promoting the same mission, it was relatively easy to come together.

“Historically, Catholic schools were developed to help with the passing of the faith,” Brandt said. “We say as a Catholic School that we support parents as the first educators of their child.”

In 1994, NUACS began fundraising for a new elementary building. St. Anthony was built and all four elementary buildings could be combined into one building.

St. Anthony Elementary and Cathedral High School are separate buildings but are still next door with only 6th N. Street separating the two schools.

Brandt said they still have all the grades on the same campus and having all the grades together has its advantages. The two buildings are able to share staff and other resources. It’s also not unusual for the younger grades to have a family member in the high school. It creates a stronger family connection between the buildings.

Technically, the NUACS buildings are physically connected by a tunnel. The tunnel between the two buildings has become a symbol of the connection with the school’s past. Each year, the senior graduating class paints their handprint on the tunnel wall. There are now handprints going back to students from the late 90s.

Elementary Principal Karen Schulte said it is common for kids passing through the tunnel to point out their relatives’ handprints. It brings to life the long history of the school.

Schulte said there are lots of generations of kids who have parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents who attended the school.

“When you talk to people about the schools, ‘family’ comes up a lot,” said Cathedral Principal Erica DeVries. “It is said by staff, students and parents it is the heritage of family and the feel of a small family community.”

Looking to the future,NUACS is working on strategic planning for updating the Cathedral. The building is 60 years old and is in need of an upgrade to the HVAC and plumbing. In addition, the building was constructed before modern technology was a concern.

NUACS is committing to keeping up with technology through STEM programming. Schulte said this year St. Anthony was able to start a K-sixth Grade STEM instruction. The upper grades regularly compete in robotic competitions. The Junior High Robotics team has attended the World’s Competition three times in six years.

“It is exciting to look at it and ask what can we do for the future. We have a wonderful past but we want that future vision as well,” Brandt said.