A Brief History of St. Joseph School
By Jim Wright
Photos courtesy Parish of Saint Joseph archives
Ringing of school bells on September 7th meant just another day for most students in Homewood but not at Saint Joseph School. September 7, 2006 marked the 80th anniversary of the school’s opening and 80 years of Catholic elementary education for parishioners in Homewood and the surrounding area.
The origins of Saint Joseph School date back to 1925, the year Reverend Stephen P. Sullivan assumed the post of pastor of Saint Joseph Parish and its mission, Saint Ann in Hazel Crest. At that time, Saint Joseph was described as a “country” church with about 125 families. Sullivan, who had previously been pastor at Saint Joseph Church in Rockdale, just south of Joliet, quickly recognized the need for a school for the areas Catholic children.
Shortly after his arrival in Homewood, the gregarious Sullivan set about raising funds for the school. A carnival, bake sales, card parties and bunco games were held and, surprisingly, within a year, enough funds had been raised from Catholics and non-Catholics alike to begin construction of a six room brick 2 1/2 story school building at 17949 Dixie Highway.
Billed
as of “the most modern fireproof construction, embodying all the
latest improvements for the comfort and absolute safety of the children”,
the school was completed by the end of August 1926 and 72 students were
present when the doors opened on September 7th of that year. The children
were taught by 3 Dominican Sisters from Adrian, Michigan and the school’s
first principal was Sister Mary James Marsh. During the early years, the
sisters lived on the top floor of the school and there were 4 classrooms
on the lower floors. Like many smaller public schools of the time, students
from several grades shared the same classroom.
Enrollment increased and by 1934-35 there were 132 children attending
St. Joseph. It wasn’t until 1943 that a 5th sister was added to
teach an enrollment of 201 children. About this time, parishioners began
a fund drive to remodel the school and provide a convent for the sisters
to free space on the upper floor of the school for classrooms. Unfortunately,
the war intervened and a convent wasn’t actually built until 1954.
Twelve sisters moved into the spacious new convent after years of living
in quarters that were described as “most elementary and would be
accepted only by women to whom to serve God and His children is the most
important and joyous task in life”.
The
post war and “baby boom” years saw exponential growth in enrollment
at the school. An addition was completed in 1951 and the school was enlarged
to its present size in 1955. By the 1961-62 school year, enrollment had
peaked at 1050 pupils and the school staff consisted of the principal,
16 sisters and 8 lay teachers. As new parishes were established and Catholic
schools were completed in towns surrounding Homewood, enrollment began
to gradually decline. During the 1970-71 school year, 11 sisters and 13
lay teachers instructed 678 students under the direction of Principal
Sister Nancy Fisher.
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Sister
Nancy, who came to Saint Joseph in 1969, would serve as the school’s
principal until her retirement in 2002. Sister Nancy’s retirement
would also mark the end of 76 years of exemplary service to the school
by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Today, 250 children attend St. Joseph Parish School and they are taught by 11 teachers under the direction of Principal Natalie Lamoureux. Students consistently perform well above national norms demonstrating the commitment to excellence that has been the cornerstone of St. Joseph since its opening in 1926.
(This is one of a series of articles looking back at the history of The Parish of Saint Joseph.)