St. Joseph's Catholic School (Greenville, South Carolina)

St. Joseph’s Catholic School is a school located in Greenville, South Carolina. It is one of several Catholic schools in the upstate of South Carolina, and also happens to be one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States. It is a private, Roman Catholic, co-educational, college-preparatory day school. St. Joseph’s is both recognized and approved by and within the Diocese of Charleston. St. Joseph’s has over 600 students, all throughout grades 6-12. It is accredited by the South Carolina Independent School Association, and is also a member of the South Carolina High School League. The campus is 36 acres, and includes a baseball field, a softball field, two tennis courts, a football/soccer field, and a school gymnasium.^[1] The high school is a co-educational program, however the middle school has single-gender classes. Students attending St. Joseph’s are required to wear a casual uniform as well as a dress uniform on Mass days. The Catholic traditions are celebrated at St. Joseph’s, including daily prayer and the celebration of the Mass.^[2] St. Joseph's Catholic School has a 100% college-acceptance rate.^[1]

History

St. Joseph’s was founded in 1993, when nine people came together to create the school. They started off their first year with a class of thirteen 9th graders and began with a donation of $800. The first thirteen students went to school with a complete college preparatory education, got to attend a P.E. class with the help of the local YMCA, and also attended Mass every week. In January 1994, St. Joseph’s relocated to a campus that was 16,000 square feet. Later that year in May, St. Joseph’s received full accreditation from the South Carolina Independent School Association. Later in the year 47 students were attending the school, and a 10th grade class was added. In the year of 1995 the school’s Math team won the statewide Math competition for their division, which had a big impact on the school’s achievements and future ambitions. By September 1996, St. Joseph’s had a full four-year high school program and nearly ten years later in 2005 a middle school wing was added.^[3] Later in November, the first on-campus gym was built.^[4] To add to the continuation of growth at St. Joseph’s, in 2008, the campus was expanded once again with extensions to the middle school, fine arts and athletic departments.^[5] The school continues to grow, with a recent extension of the Middle school, adding two more floors in the Middle School wing.

Uniforms

The students at St. Joseph’s are expected to maintain a clean, professional look while attending school. There are two styles of uniform that the students are required to wear. They are the dress uniform, and the casual uniform. The high school and the middle school uniform are also different designs. The uniforms consist of a plaid kilt and either a dress shirt, or for high school students a polo shirt. On dress days students are required to wear a different uniform, consisting of a blazer, dress shoes, and for the girls Knee socks. The middle school uniforms are different from the high school uniforms.^[6]

Co-Curricular Activities

St. Joseph’s has a broad selection of co-curricular activities, many of which are incorporated with academics, athletics, or the fine arts. The selection offered are as follows:

Academic and Enrichment

Academic Team/Quiz Bowl, Junior Classical League, Literary Magazine, Mathematics Team, Youth In Government, Book Club, Chess Club, Giovent Studentesca (GS), Student Youth, Lego Robotics, Newspaper, Photography Club, and Running Club.

Fine Arts

Band Ensemble, Chorus, Drama and Stage Crew, Dance, Middle School Dance Team, Strings Ensemble, and Theatre Production.

Leadership and Service

Bleeding Hearts Club, Campus Ministry, El Salvador Mission Team, Foreign Language Honor Society, French Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Gala Service Club, Guild of St. Martha, Guild of St. Stephen, History Honors Society, International Thespian Honor Society, Junior Classical League Honor Society, Letterman's Club, Middle School Council, National Art Honors Society, English Honors Society, National Math Honor Society, National Honor Society, Rosary Club, Science National Honors Society, Senior Senate, Spanish Honor Society, Student Athletic Training, Student Council, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Women's Leadership Club.

Athletics

Offered in the Fall: Varsity Cheerleading (Girls), JV and Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Golf, Varsity Swimming, JV and Varsity Tennis (Girls), Middle School, JV, and Varsity Volleyball, Intramural (Grades 6-8) Flag Football, and Intramural Volleyball. Offered in the Winter: Middle School, JV, and Varsity Basketball, Varsity Cheerleading (Girls), Middle School and Varsity Wrestling, and Intramural Basketball. Offered in the Spring: Varsity Lacrosse, JV and Varsity Soccer, JV and Varsity Softball, JV and Varsity Baseball, JV and Varsity Golf, JV and Varsity Tennis (Boys), Varsity Track and Field, and Intramural Soccer. ^[7]

References

Diocese of Charleston
Bishops	Ordinaries John England Ignatius A. Reynolds Patrick Neeson Lynch Henry P. Northrop William Thomas Russell Emmet M. Walsh John Joyce Russell Paul John Hallinan Francis Frederick Reh Ernest Leo Unterkoefler David B. Thompson Robert Joseph Baker Robert E. Guglielmone
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Abbey Mepkin Abbey Parishes St. Mary Help of Christians Church, Aiken St. Andrew's Church, Barnwell St. Mary of the Annunciation Church, Charleston St. Peter's Church, Columbia Former cathedral Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar, Charleston
Education	High Schools Bishop England High School, Charleston Cardinal Newman High School, Forest Acres St. Francis Xavier High School, Sumter St. John Paul II Catholic School, Okatie St. Joseph's Catholic School, Greenville
Priests	John Barry Joseph Bernardin John James Joseph Monaghan John Moore
Miscellany	The Catholic Miscellany
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