American Stores's Chief Executive Officer Leonard Samuel Skaggs made an initial donation of $42 million to the Diocese of Salt Lake City for the purpose of providing primary and secondary education. At the time, Skaggs' donation it was the largest donation for a Catholic education campus in the United States.[1]
A 57 acres (230,000 m2) site was selected in southern Salt Lake City and started developing for the Skaggs Catholic Center where Juan Diego Catholic resides. The property was selected due to its proximity to the St. John the Baptist Parish. All of the schools which makeup the Skaggs Catholic Center would open for the 1999–2000 school year.[2][3]
Starting during the 2017–18 school year JDCHS won the Best of State Award which is a collective academic and athletic honors for 3 consecutive years.[5]
Football
Coach
Seasons
W
L
T
Pct.
State Title
Runners-up
Region Title
Notes
John Colosimo
1999-2020
176
42
0
.777
7
13
USA Today’s 2013 Best High School Coach Award for Utah[6]
Greg Williams
2021-
0
0
0
.000
0
0
0
Incoming head coach
Total
22
176
42
0
.777
7
13
The JDCHS football team would first competed under the UHSAA in 1999 with head coach John Colosimo guided JDCHS becoming instantly successful. They have since went on to win four state championships at the 3A classification during the 2008, 2009, 2010,[7] and 2016 seasons.[6] In all, Colosimo's teams have won 7 Utah State Championships and has one of the winningest records in Utah.
In 2020, the JD Choir directed by John VanWagoner won 1st place in the Madrigal Small Group category at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Anthony Tibolla, a student of Theatre Director Joe Crnich, won 1st place in the Cambridge Division Monologue category. The JD Strings Orchestra, directed by Denisse Vallecillos, won 3rd place in the Minstrel Large Group category. The 2020 High School Shakespeare Competition consisted of 83 schools, 2300 students, and 579 video entries from around the region, not just Utah.[10]
Everwood (2002–2006) – Television show – Used JDCHS buildings and surroundings for filming as a substitute for the fictional Everwood, Colorado[12]
The Luck of the Irish (2001) – Made for television movie – Used JDCHS buildings and surroundings for filming[13]
Campus
JDCHS occupies a section on a multicampus grouping called the Skaggs Catholic Center with Saint John the Baptist Middle School, Saint John the Baptist Elementary School, and the Guardian Angel Day Care taking the remainder of the instructional space. The remaining land, from the initial 57 acres (230,000 m2) purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, also contains St. John the Baptist Parish.[14]
^Everwood (Drama), Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Emily VanCamp, Debra Mooney, Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Liddell Productions, Everwood Utah, September 16, 2002, retrieved December 24, 2020{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Hoen, Paul (March 9, 2001), The Luck of the Irish (Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sport), Ryan Merriman, Henry Gibson, Alexis Lopez, Glenndon Chatman, Just Singer Entertainment, retrieved December 24, 2020
