History of St. Joseph Catholic School

A school founded in love and dedication
From 1948 to 1952, more than 50 children from St. Joseph Parish in Marietta rode a Greyhound bus into Atlanta daily to attend the Sacred Heart Grammar School.

In 1952, the parish purchased the six-acre Suhr property at the corner of Campbell Hill and Lacy Streets. St. Joseph Catholic School opened in September 1953, staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. There were 85 children enrolled in grades one through four. An additional 84 children, who attended public school, received religious education from the sisters. Sister Mary Gerald Wells was the first principal of the school.

During the 1954-55 school year, the school building was enlarged with the addition of a temporary auditorium where the growing St. Joseph Parish held its Masses until a new church could be built. Later, this addition was converted into classrooms, the principal’s office and the faculty lounge. On December 4, 1957, the third church of St. Joseph Parish, the present Marist Hall, was dedicated. This building was used as a church, a parish hall, and a gymnasium for the school.

In September 1960, a second school building was added on a portion of the property between the church and Lacy Street to accommodate the growing demand for Catholic education. Enrollment had grown to 400 students in grades one through eight. The new building consisted of four classrooms and a small teachers’ lounge. This was Father Wall’s final legacy as pastor of St. Joseph Parish.

In 1981, Father Lawrence Schmuhl became pastor of St. Joseph. A hallmark of his time was the construction of a library and meeting room addition to the lower school building. It was completely paid for at the time of its dedication, thanks to many generous St. Joseph parishioners. After lovingly serving the school for twenty-eight years, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet ended their ministry to the school during the 1980s.

In 2004, a new school building was opened. The upper school building provides classroom space for kindergarten, first grade and middle school as well as the Enrichment Area classes of art, music, Spanish, and computer. A beautiful new gymnasium and Student Center are included in the building.