With the growth of Davenport’s population toward the north and west, Bishop Ralph Hayes announced plans for a new parish, Our Lady of Victory. Martin Gadient had donated nine acres on Hayes Street, but this land was not quite in the desired location so it was sold, and ten acres of the Andrew Miller farm was purchased on Division Street. Our Lady of Victory Parish was established on September 13, 1962, with Rev. Kenneth O. Martin as first pastor.
During the first 18 months, services were held in the Assumption High School auditorium. John F. Kennedy Catholic School was built in 1964. The priests originally had living quarters in the school building during this time, and Masses were celebrated in the cafeteria and gym area. Classes at JFK began in the fall of 1964, with the Sisters of Humility of Mary as teachers. There were a total of 165 students in grades 2-5. Groundbreaking for the hexagonal church was held in December 1968.
In the 1970’s, the Sisters of the Roman Congregation shared the teaching duties with the Sisters of Humility. Sister Aline Lambert was the principal of the school, and Sister Lucille Fournier headed the religious education program of the parish. In 1976, the first Kindergarten class was established with 25 students, and K-6 enrollment was 190 students.
The Sisters moved on in the 1980’s, and a full teaching staff of lay teachers began in 1980 with David Burke as principal. The 1981-82 school year brought the addition of 7th grade, and 8th grade was added in 1982-83. Judith Calcari became the new principal in 1984. JFK continued to grow by adding a 2nd Kindergarten class. In 1985, Guardian Angel Preschool became the latest addition to JFK. Additional classrooms and a Parish Center were built in 1987.
As enrollment continued to grow, the number of sections at each grade level increased. A record enrollment of 414 K-8 students was reached in 1993, but then enrollment followed an area and nationwide downward trend for ten years. During this time period, all day Kindergarten was added to the curriculum in 2000. In 2001, Chad Steimle became the newest principal, and school offices and religious education offices were combined, achieving greater collaboration. An After School Care Program was also added. Enrollment hit a low of 260 in 2004.
Under the leadership of Msgr. James Parizek, who became the 4th pastor of OLV in 2002, and with highly motivated volunteers and staff both at JFK and in Scott County, enrollment at JFK began its climb in 2005. A successful Scott County capital campaign, Embracing Our Future, raised funds for tuition assistance, staff benefits, and marketing. With support from state legislation establishing School Tuition Organizations for tuition assistance, Catholic school education, again, became more and more affordable for greater numbers of families, and JFK’s “brand” and quality of education fueled continued enrollment growth.
Recognizing the well-being of the whole child, JFK was the first Catholic elementary school in the area to have a guidance counselor/student support specialist and the first to make the position full-time in the 2000s. By the late 2010s, JFK was the first school to offer on-site, school-based private therapist services, and the first to screen students to identify those who need help with social-emotional-behavioral challenges, and, more often, self-perceptions.
In 2005 and 2006, major renovations were done to several restrooms and the media center, and a wireless computer network was installed, the first in Scott County Catholic Schools. In 2008, state grants for pre-school helped fuel the expansion of pre-school to five classes from three, and a full day pre-school/child care services option was added. By 2010, a “little kids” outside play area was added at the south end of the campus.
Funded by an OLV/JFK capital campaign, Growing Our Faith…Shaping Generations, multiple additions and renovations were dedicated in December 2011. A gathering space, which includes a large open area for socialization, meeting rooms, a restroom, kitchenette, grand staircase, and elevator, was added to the church. A new baptismal font at the entry way was also added. At the school, a new entryway, offices, and restrooms were added at the north end of the building. Four classrooms were added on the east wing, and a classroom was expanded at the south for the Early Childhood Learning Center and child care services. Interior remodeling was also done to three classrooms and other areas of the building.
In 2012, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the parish, JFK achieved record preschool-8th grade enrollment. Major upgrades and repair work of nearly $500,000 were completed between 2014-2016, including new roofs at the school and rectory, lighting at the school, additional air conditioning to the school, sprinkler additions, phone system and computer work, and other security measures.
JFK has continued to grow. In the 2015-16 school year, Msgr. Parizek’s last year before retirement, JFK had record enrollment in the four areas of daycare, preschool, K-8, and pre-school-8th grade and became the largest PS-8th grade Catholic school in the Diocese of Davenport with 518 PS-8th grade students.
A new era began in 2016 with Fr. Jake Greiner becoming OLV’s fifth pastor. Several major projects were undertaken in 2017 and 2018, including the replacement of several major mechanical systems in the church and school and the restoration of the stained glass window frames of the church. Additional visible and behind-the-scenes efforts were made to enhance campus security for students, parishioners, and visitors, including security cameras, parking lot gates, and barriers and bollards along the west side of the school. Donations of four property lots by Kwik Trip, Inc. in 2018 and 2019 expanded the south end of the campus. Combined with the purchases of the white house in the 2000s and the brown house in 2017, OLV now controls all of the land along the back side of the gas station in a straight line from Division to Sturdevant. After the 2018 draining repairs and renovations to the parish center kitchen, a rosary-themed play area was installed near the playground in the summer of 2019. In the summer of 2021, JFK experience a major HVAC upgrade in the 1963 and 1987 parts of the building, including the following components: a VRF heating and air conditioning system, mechanical ventilation, and ionization air purification. JFK is the only Catholic school in the area with centralized, modern HVAC.
Services to students also increased during the 2010s. JFK was a partner with the Iowa Department of Education to pilot and roll out across the state a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support system for reading, and reading interventionists became more crucial. Spaces for students to meet with interventionists were created by remodeling an old storage closet.
Not forgetting its roots, the original crucifix of the parish was restored to a place of honor in the cafeteria.
Coming to fruition in July 2023, a multi-year process to form a regional Catholic school system became reality. All Saints Catholic School, Assumption High School, John F. Kennedy Catholic School, Lourdes Catholic School, and St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School merged to become Scott County Catholic Schools.
Also in July 2023, Fr. Patrick Hilgendorf became pastor of OLV. In the summer of 2024, a new playground was installed behind JFK. It has features that are not found in any playground in the area.
Bolstered by Educational Savings Accounts, begun in the 2023-24 school year, JFK’s K-8 enrollment reached record highs in 2025-26, and a third section of one grade level was created.