Saint Joseph Parish was founded on June 12, 1953.  Groundbreaking on the combination Church/School building took place on June 20, 1954.

Saint Joseph School opened in September 1954 with two grades being housed in the convent, which was then located in a private home at 7628 Waters Road.  The school already had an enrollment of 202 pupils on October 16, 1955 when Cardinal O’Hara blessed the completed Church/School building.  Saint Joseph School produced its first graduating class of 28 students in 1957.

From its opening in 1954 through 1987, the school was staffed by the Sisters of Saint Joseph as well as dedicated lay teachers.  The first principal of the school was Sister Miriam Carmel Slavin (1954-1960) (died 6/13/82), who was succeeded in turn by Sister Rita Immaculate O’Neill (1960-1966) (died 4/5/95), Sister Teresa Margaret O’Neill (1966-1969) (died 12/9/86), Sister Angeline Clawson (1969-1971) (died 9/1/14), Sister Helen Anthony Mayhew (1971-1977) (died 6/27/13), Sister Joan Mickey (1977-1985) and Sister A. Claire Lesher (1985-1987).

In 1987, due to declining numbers in their order, the Sisters of Saint Joseph left the school and were replaced by two sisters from the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Sister Evelyn McCarthy, who served as principal from 1987 to 1998, and Sister Ceceila McCluskey.  Both Sister Evelyn and Sister Ceceila continued to serve our parish until 2004.

In September 1998, Miss Margaret M. Graham became the first lay principal of Saint Joseph School.  In September 2000, the school opened its doors to non-Catholic students from our area.  Students of various races and nationalities now attended Saint Joseph School – how fitting for a school dedicated to the patron of the Universal Church.  In September 2003, Mrs. Marianne Garnham became the principal.  In the final year, 31% of the student body were Catholic students living in St. Joseph Parish, 30% were Catholic students from other parishes, and 39% were non-Catholic students.

Due to declining enrollment, Saint Joseph School closed in June 2004.  Its legacy lives on through the lives of its over 1,500 graduates.