St. Joseph Central Catholic High School

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St. Joseph Central Catholic School is a seventh through twelfth grade educational institution supported by the Catholic parishes of the Huntington.  Family tuition and third source income supply the finances to conduct Catholic education according to the values of the Gospel, the rules and regulations of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and the school laws of the State of West Virginia.  Above and beyond its commitment to academic excellence, St. Joseph maintains a Catholic identity promoting the goals of the Catholic Bishops of the United States as an expression of the mission entrusted by Jesus to the Church He founded. Through Catholic school education the Church seeks to prepare its members to proclaim the Good News and to translate this proclamation into action.

St. Joseph Central Catholic High School is one of the seven high schools in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.  St. Joseph is accredited through North Central Association, and exceeds all graduation requirements of the State of West Virginia.  St. Joseph is a 7-12 grade school located in the heart of Huntington, WV.  St. Joseph is a central high school with two feeder schools, St. Joseph Grade School and Our Lady of Fatima Parish School.

St. Joseph has a tradition of over 80 years of providing quality, faith-based education to the students of the tri-state area.  It has forged a strong reputation for academic excellence, community involvement and faith formation.

Community Involvement

In addition to our high academic success, our students volunteer over 4,000 hours to the school, church and community.  Our students provide blood drives, toy drives, and food drives for the local community.  St. Joseph believes that need of the poor and vulnerable are central to our mission as a school and church.

Faith Formation

Our school operates under the guidance of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and works within the greater mission of the Diocese and the Catholic Church.  Our students attend bi-monthly liturgies, yearly retreats, prayer services, and reconciliation services.  Every day and class starts with prayer, and every afternoon ends with a prayer of thanksgiving.  Our students are encouraged to develop a strong faith life.  Students of all faith traditions are enrolled at St. Joseph.

 

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A COMMON VISION
"We are Saint Joseph Catholic High School, a Christian Education Community. We believe in the dignity of the individual. Our vision is for each student to grow academically, spiritually, physically, and socially. Each person involved is a unique human being, with pride, needs, values, and innate personal worth. For us to succeed, we must operate in a climate of honor, scholarship, and service in which each of us freely grants others the same respect, cooperation and decency we seek for ourselves."

A COMMON MISSION
Saint Joseph Catholic High School recognizes its role as an educational leader with a responsibility to operate in a covenant with the family and in partnership with the total community for the development of conscientious, involved citizens. The principle motivation of this institution is to prepare value conscious young people for a life of service and higher education opportunities beyond high school. The guiding principles are HONOR, SCHOLARSHIP and SERVICE

HONOR:
Saint Joseph provides a safe, structured, and Christian environment to aid its students in their growth as individuals and as members of a community. Honor represents the human spirit of decency and fair play which is an essential quality of a good citizen. It places in the hands of each student the responsibility for honorable conduct as a way of life. This quality asks each student to honor the truth that is in them. We believe that personal honor and integrity, honesty, and respect in word and action toward individuals, property, and institutions are essential qualities of a student at Saint Joseph Catholic High School. A student who attends Saint Joseph must be willing to seek Honor as a goal.

SCHOLARSHIP:
Saint Joseph assists students in developing the knowledge, skills, and analytical thinking necessary for independent thought and life-long learning. A student who attends Saint Joseph must be willing to see Scholarship as a goal.

SERVICE:
Saint Joseph students witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by giving credence in word and action to our commitment to social justice through community action. A student who attends Saint Joseph must be willing to seek Service as a goal.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:
Service is a strong element of our Christian community and a vital part of the school's obligation to foster conscientious citizens. All students are required to independently perform a minimum number of community service hours each year. Christian service opportunities are provided throughout the year and may be performed either within the school or in some other volunteer, unpaid capacity in the community. As the cognitive knowledge of science and math can be learned, so too, can young people learn the humility and values found in Christian service. While most students complete dozens of service hours, minimum hours are required each year (see Community Service below).

PARENT PARTNERSHIPS:
The greatest gift any of us can offer our children is the gift of our example. Parents have the co-responsibility with school officials in supporting students in the educational process. Many opportunities are afforded parents to become involved in the learning processes of their children. Parents are also welcome in the classrooms. Parents are encouraged to initiate conferences with faculty, guidance office, or the principal.

RELIGIOUS LIFE:
Saint Joseph Catholic High School is committed to the ideals of the Christian tradition. This commitment is evident in many dimensions of community life. These include worship, Christian education, community service, retreat experiences, and a Christian atmosphere. Every two weeks students attend mass at St. Joseph Church. We begin and end each day with prayer. Special liturgical seasons are often emphasized by special services throughout the year.

Academic Competitions:
There are many opportunities to increase learning through participation in academic competitions, from scholarship essay contests, art projects, Quiz Bowls, Math Field Day, foreign language contests, Spelling and Geography Bees, to any one of dozens of categories in the S.C.O.R.E.S. Program. Students are consistently encourages to increase their understanding and thought processes through such competitions. Students participate annually in either the Science or Social Studies Fair.