The St. Joseph Catholic School System is a parochial school

Parochial school

A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...

 located in Bryan, Texas

Bryan, Texas

Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...

. It was established by Father Joseph Pelnar in 1894. Grading curriculum ranges from Pre-K to 12th grade.

History

St. Joseph School was originally founded by Father Joseph Pelnar in 1894. The first academy was originally located in Galveston

Galveston, Texas

Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

 but was later moved to Bryan after the hurricane of 1900, and the Ursuline Sisters

Ursuline Sisters

Ursuline Sisters can refer to one of several religious orders:* Ursulines, founded in Italy in 1535* Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin, established 1606...

 were placed in charge of the school. The Villa Maria Convent was built on St. Ursula's Hill, a mile northeast of St. Joseph Catholic Church. In 1926, the Villa Maria Academy was closed after 25 years in Bryan, and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word of Houston succeeded the Ursuline Sisters as teachers at St. Joseph's Parochial School. Because of growth in the parish, additional classrooms were required. The new building —still a present structure operating as the St. Joseph Catholic School Eagle's Nest– was constructed at the intersection of East 26th Street and Preston in Byran. This new building was dedicated in 1960. In the early 1990s, St. Joseph Catholic School purchased what is now the Elementary Campus from Bryan ISD.

In 2001, St. Joseph purchased the property on Coulter Street in Bryan of Central Baptist Church to make room for a growing population of students. Central Baptist in turn constructed a new sanctuary at 1991 FM 158, the farm-to-market road which leads to Huntsville

Huntsville, Texas

Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....

. In 2000, what is now the Holy Family Retreat Center was given to St. Joseph Church in the last will and testament of Dorothy Alice Holler.

Mission

St. Joseph Catholic School was established to provide excellence in education and spiritual faith formation for students, faculty and staff. As a pastoral instrument of the Church, we respond to the needs of the whole person and support the spiritual, intellectual, physical and social development of each student. Also dominating Brazos Christian in football. 3 peat baby

At St. Joseph, we challenge the students to work to the best of their abilities and to live as Christian examples of faith to one another and to the extended community.

We strive to explore and initiate innovations in education to prepare our students for leadership roles in an ever-changing and challenging society.

Eagle's Nest

The Eagle’s Nest serves as a Pre-K center for children from six weeks up to four years of age. There are two locations for the Eagles’ Nest: the Preston Campus (located next to St. Joseph Catholic Church), and the nursery wing of the Secondary Campus.

Elementary campus

The elementary campus, for grades K through 6, is located between William Joel Bryan Parkway and Travis Street, about 200 yards west of St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Preston Eagle’s Nest Campus. St. Joseph School purchased the building from Bryan ISD in the 1990. It was originally built as a public elementary school, Travis Elementary, and has been continually in use for over 75 years. The building consists of two floors of classrooms, a gym, a cafeteria, and several reference rooms (including a library, a computer lab, and a religious education office). The Elementary Campus building is currently undergoing a renovation, and the addition of another wing.

Secondary campus

The secondary campus, serving grades 7 through 12, was obtained in 2001, from Central Baptist Church. The former Central Baptist sanctuary was renamed Christ the Good Shepherd Chapel. This campus consists of two buildings: the main building and a multi-purpose gymnasium. The main building contains the chapel, a biology lab, chemistry lab, band hall, art room, computer lab, and library. To the north is the Middle School wing and Eagle’s Nest, and to the south is the High School wing. The second building contains a cafeteria, a gymnasium, offices, and classroom space.

High school program

The high school program was first established in 1994 on the main campus, before moving to the secondary campus in 2001.