St. Joe capital campaign to include athletic building
MADISON — New classrooms, a multi-purpose athletic building, campus improvements and debt retirement highlight St. Joseph Catholic School’s first capital campaign in 17 years.
The three-year, $5 million “We Are St. Joe” campaign was announced before the start of the St. Joe Homecoming football game Friday, Sept. 27. The campaign will allow St. Joe to build on its legacy of academic and athletic excellence as well as continue to meet the needs of students.
“Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are ready to make a big investment in the future of St. Joseph Catholic School,” said Dr. Dena Kinsey, St. Joe principal. “With the help of our families, alumni and other incredible supporters, this campaign will make a great school even better.
“As principal, I am constantly amazed at the success of our students in the classroom, through the arts, and on the playing fields,” she said. “By supporting this campaign, our alumni, friends, families, and supporters will help us build on that well into the future. We are 154 years strong and pushing forward.”
St. Joseph Catholic School, founded in 1870 by the Sisters of Mercy, offers seventh- through 12th-grade students of all faith backgrounds a rigorous college prep curriculum grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
St. Joe, 308 New Mannsdale Road in Madison just west of the Interstate 55-Mississippi 463 interchange, is accredited by the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools and Cognia.
The St. Joseph Catholic School Canonical Board, the Advisory Council and the school administration initiated an in-depth planning study in early 2024 to identify the school’s immediate and long-term needs. The study found several worthwhile projects and split them into two phases.
The Celebration Goal will raise $2 million to add two new classrooms to the Middle School Building. The phase also will fund smaller projects such as a new school public address system, HVAC improvements campus wide, a retaining wall for the St. Joe lake and reduction of debt owed on the Fine Arts building.
The Challenge Goal will raise $3 million for a multipurpose athletic facility that will include a high-quality floor to accommodate volleyball, basketball and cheer and a covered turf field that also will serve as an alternate practice site for other sports teams and the school marching band.
“This is something we have needed for several years,” said Michael Howell, St. Joe’s athletic director. “As a member of the MAIS and as our athletic programs grow, we need to provide as much as we can to safely and effectively support and develop our athletes.”
St. Joe has a history of success in athletics with 23 varsity sports. The school also has had great success in the classroom with a 1-to-12 student-teacher ratio; 12 honors classes and nine advanced placement classes; and a school average ACT score of 23 and 26 for students who attended St. Joe in Grades 7-12. St. Joe also offers academic support and dyslexia therapy for students with diagnosed learning needs. For a small school, St. Joe offers so much.
“We have been here for more than 150 years,” Kinsey said. “With this campaign and help from families, alumni and supporters, we will be poised to continue to enjoy success well into the future. St. Joe is a great campus and school. This will make it even better.”