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History of St. Joseph School |
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One hundred forty-one years ago, on
April 1, 1869, a
small parish school of forty-two students was established in Hilo by Rev.
Charles Pouzot, SS.CC., under the direction of Fr. Patrick O’Reilly, for the
purpose of teaching English to the native Hawaiians. The school was named
St. Joseph. Over
the years, the school’s enrollment increased to the point that it was necessary
to build a new school on Waianuenue
Avenue. This school for both boys and girls was
dedicated on October 10, 1875. Ten years later, three Marianist Brothers arrived
in Hilo and took
over the operation of the boys’ school. It was blessed on October 25, 1885. The school was called St. Mary’s
School. In the meantime, the
Sisters of St. Francis (Syracuse, NY) arrived in 1900 to staff St. Joseph School for Girls on Kapiolani
Street.
In 1948 St. Mary’s
and St Joseph’s
were consolidated into a co-educational institution which was built on the
present site at the intersection of Ululani and Hualalai streets. Some nine
hundred and sixty-three students were enrolled for the first year. In 1951 the
Marianist Brothers were reassigned to teaching posts elsewhere. They were
replaced in Hilo
with a larger staff of Sisters as well as dedicated lay teachers. The opening of
the new school in 1951-52 was a memorable event for it marked the beginning of
St. Joseph as a
complete coeducational school directly under the Pastor of St. Joseph
Parish. The Franciscan Sisters withdrew from St. Joseph School
in June 2009 after a 109-year history. Joining the faculty are the
Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of
Christians.
St. Joseph School has since expanded its program to include a
Montessori-based preschool, thus providing 350-375 students a Catholic education
from preschool (ages 3-5) through
grade twelve. The student body is diverse in race, national origin and
creed.
Panoramic aerial view of St. Joseph campus from 1952 yearbook
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