You Belong: The Campaign for the Saint Joseph's Way Center

Our Mission

St. Joseph’s seeks ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE and strives to form the minds, hearts, and souls of its students in the LIKENESS OF CHRIST.

Our institutions should provide young people with places they can make their own, where they can come and go freely, feel welcome and readily meet other young people, whether at times of difficulty and frustration, or of joy and celebration… Then too, the person-to-person contact indispensable for passing on the message can happen, something whose place cannot be taken by any pastoral resource or strategy.

POPE FRANCIS, Christus Vivit

Dear Saint Joseph’s families and friends,

Thirty years ago, the Founders’ vision for a Catholic high school in the Upstate became a reality. Ever since then, we have been blessed with a school that is equally committed to academic excellence and the formation of students’ minds, hearts, and souls in the likeness of Christ.

That’s why we chose St. Joseph’s for our families, and we know that’s why you chose St. Joseph’s for your family, too.

Today we have an opportunity to come together to demonstrate just how important our mission is. We are excited to introduce You Belong: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ST. JOSEPH’S WAY CENTER .

Through this campaign we will unite Campus Ministry, Theology classes, Student Support Services, and the House Program. We will build our students a center they can call home, a place where they can find the support they need—spiritually, socially, emotionally, and academically— so that they can thrive at St. Joe’s and long after they graduate.

We invite you to join us as we recommit to our founders’ vision and build the new face of St. Joseph’s Catholic School, and we thank you for entrusting us with your children.

Blessings,

AMY RYBERG DOYLE Campaign Co-Chair

MIKE MUNAFO Campaign Co-Chair

The St. Joseph’s Way

IF FORMATION IS OUR MISSION, THEN THE ST. JOSEPH’S WAY IS THE PATH WE FOLLOW TO ENSURE WE FULFILL IT.

Every single member of our faculty and sta understands that walking alongside our students as they search for answers to life’s ultimate questions is our distinct privilege and that every interaction we have is an opportunity to make The St. Joseph’s Way real in their daily lives.

We owe every success to our teachers—they love our students, communicate their disciplines with passion, and bring The St. Joseph’s Way to life. The buildings, the fields, the technology. Everything we do is designed to facilitate and deepen those teacher-student experiences because that’s where formation happens.

KEITH

I’ll never forget when Father Duncan held his first meeting for parents when our oldest started ninth grade. He said, ‘We are going to slow down high school and give it meaning.’ And they did.

KISER, Head of School

AMY RYBERG DOYLE, Parent of Chelsea Rose (’21), Jack (’21), and William (’24)

Bringing Love and Purpose to Every Student, Every Day

Campus Ministry is a way to relax during my crazy week. It gives me an opportunity to be part of this great mystery that is God and feel renewed.

NOAH WATTS (’23)

Every Wednesday evening, Noah Watts (’23) goes back to school—or stays late if he’s been there for baseball—to take part in St. Joseph’s Wednesday night Campus Ministry program. For Noah, who isn’t Catholic, Campus Ministry provides the opportunity to get involved with faith outside the classroom. “You can just go because you love God and desire a relationship with Him,” says Noah. And it’s just as critical as what he’s learning in the classroom. “It’s brought purpose to my studies,” he explains, “and helped me understand they are designed to put me in a position to glorify God.”

Even though Noah is about to graduate, he is excited for what The St. Joseph’s Way Center will mean for St. Joe’s students tomorrow. Like the baseball facility that fundamentally changed the way his team interacted by giving them a place they “could go be brothers and build each other up,” Noah sees a permanent home for Campus Ministry as more than just a place to meet. “It will make our purpose more intentional,” says Noah. “When you walk in, you’ll know everybody here is working under the same purpose and helping build you into a better person.”

Opportunities for our kids to connect with each other, focus on spirituality, and deepen their relationships with God should be part of the fabric of their day. Building The St. Joseph’s Way Center is a tangible way to show that Campus Ministry is just as important as any of the sports or extracurricular activities we offer.

LISA IRELAND, Parent of Grace (’21) and Eli (’24)

stretching between The St. Joseph’s Way Center and the Middle School, will create a new outdoor space for students to share a meal and gather throughout the day.

Building The St. Joseph’s Way Center is an opportunity to invest in the immeasurable side of a St. Joe’s education. It will be a place of belonging, community, purpose, and peace. It will be a place where we can cultivate the culture of encounter and walk alongside our students as they ask the ultimate questions.

GABE LEWIS, Campus Minister

A Place for TransFORMATION

While every class, program, and interaction between our faculty and students presents opportunities for formation, there are some programs that play a direct role in our ability to light the path that is The St. Joseph’s Way.

OUR HOUSE PROGRAM cultivates a family atmosphere where students are known, accepted, and loved. It provides opportunities for fellowship, bonding, belonging, and the development of character-based leadership skills. The four houses help ensure we understand and meet our students’ academic, personal, and spiritual needs.

OUR STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES provide academic support, personal guidance, and college counseling that help foster student wellness and keep students on track to attain their goals at St. Joseph’s and beyond.

OUR CAMPUS MINISTRY presents real-life opportunities for students to discover and deepen their faith, which enriches our community.

OUR THEOLOGY CLASSES give students a deep understanding of the Catholic religion and a framework to ponder and ask big questions.

Our Student Support Services and Theology classes are scattered across campus.

Our Campus Ministry and House Programs have no place to call home.

Houses meet in spaces that aren’t conducive to productive meetings; they are either too large and cavernous or too small to fit everyone comfortably.

But none of these programs currently have space to grow and ourish.

Where Mission & Ministry Unite

THE ST. JOSEPH’S WAY CENTER

TODAY, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REDEDICATE OURSELVES TO THE HEART OF A ST. JOSEPH’S EDUCATION, TO BE AS INTENTIONAL ABOUT FORMATION AS WE HAVE BEEN ABOUT THE PURSUIT OF ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE.

We are proud to launch You Belong: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ST. JOSEPH’S WAY CENTER .

Through this campaign, we will build The St. Joseph’s Way Center. We will unite mission with student life and ministry. For the rst time, we will bring together Campus Ministry, Student Support Services, the House Program, and Theology classes around a central gathering space— a place our students can call home.

In doing so: We will multiply opportunities to accompany our students as they discover God’s love, explore their faith, and wrestle with our Christian proposal.

We will send the message to students, parents, and visitors alike that our students’ wellbeing—mind, body, and spirit—is our number one priority.

Whether they are in middle or high school, our students are first and foremost children of God.

to nurture their growth, build them up, give them space to breathe, and present them with opportunities to lead.

It is both our responsibility and our privilege

Step Inside

This is The St. Joseph’s Way Building. It will house every program that directly impacts our ability to fulfill our Catholic mission. It will be a place where students have opportunity after opportunity for formal and informal encounters with our Christian proposal.

KEITH KISER, Head of School

The House Program

This will be St. Joseph’s students’ new home, a place where they can freely come and go over the course of their school day, whether they are meeting with friends, collaborating on a project, or stopping for a moment of respite.

It will also be the new home of our House Program. Banners from each house will hang on the walls, and for the first time ever, Houses will have a place to effectively conduct meetings on a regular basis.

HOMEGROWN LEADERS:

House Program Pro le

When St. Joseph’s overhauled our House Program in 2020, we did more than change student life on paper. We fundamentally transformed student government, leadership opportunities, and student culture.

Today we have four houses—Bakhita, Drexel, Molla, and Romero—each named for and dedicated under the patronage of a Catholic saint. With between 160 and 170 students in each house, the houses have eight active committees as well as house guides and leaders. Students have ample opportunities to get involved and make a di erence starting in middle school. “The House Program gives students a way to play a bigger part in the school they love, to help make what’s working work even better, and to help x anything that isn’t working,” says Keitt Brace (’12), St. Joe’s Activities Director. And because the program encourages students to take ownership of their ideas and bring them to fruition, more and more students want to become leaders. Last year, over 25 percent of our juniors applied to be part of their house’s leadership team.

TODAY, OUR FOUR HOUSES ARE THRIVING. “The House Program has quickly become a part of our identity,” says Keitt. Donna Frank, whose son Patrick (’24) serves as the Bakhita House’s Middle School Liaison, has seen the House Program strengthen the entire St. Joe’s community. “Mixing it up—bringing students together from di erent grades, classes, and sports—tells students you don’t have to have a class, a sport, or an activity in common to feel a connection,” says Donna. “It fosters a true sense of inclusion.”

Elaina Mulholland (’23), who serves as one of Molla House’s student leaders, agrees, “High school and middle school can be very daunting. The House Program makes for a better school experience because of the sense of family it creates.”

That’s why student leaders like Elaina are excited about the new St. Joseph’s Way Center. “For students to be able to come together as a house in a space that belongs to them, where they can have a safe haven away from the busyness and chaos of school—that’s going to improve the school culture and make St. Joe’s a better place for everyone,” says Elaina.

Campus Ministry

St. Joseph’s Campus Ministry programs help students come to understand they are valued and loved because of who they are and how God made them—not because of a grade they have earned, a goal they have scored, or a photograph they have posted.

From Wednesday night programs to morning prayers, middle school lunchtime groups, the Comadres, and the Compadres, Campus Ministry is active every day, all day long.

With the construction of The St. Joseph’s Way Center, our Campus Ministry will have dedicated spaces to come together for the rst time ever. By placing Campus Ministry front and center in The St. Joseph’s Way Center, we will help its programs ourish, encourage our students to explore and deepen their faith, and send a powerful message about our mission, values, and hopes for our students as they journey through Middle and High School.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PROGRAMS

By bringing counseling, support, ministry, theology, and student life together we acknowledge the interdependence of these aspects of the school and of a student’s experience. Grace builds upon nature, and so a student’s wellness is connected to their growth in faith. This entire building is a place to ask the big questions and discover people who will walk with you.

GABE LEWIS, Campus Minister

BY UNITING OUR TEAM

at The St. Joseph’s Way Center, we will send a powerful message to our students about the importance we place on their daily wellbeing.

At some point, every one of our children will need some sort of extra assistance to overcome a challenge, whether that’s tutoring, support for a learning difference, or counseling for a social or emotional issue. Bringing Student Support Services to The St. Joseph’s Way Center is a testament to our commitment to nurture our students’ development holistically—mind, body, and spirit—just as our mission calls for.

WANDA JARACZEWSKI, Director of Middle School

Student Support Services

We have high expectations for our students. Walking alongside them as they endeavor to meet those expectations means stepping in and providing counseling, guidance, and academic support so that every student can take full advantage of the opportunities we offer and achieve success.

That’s why we’ve invested in support services over the past several years, including adding full-time Middle and High School counselors and a team of learning specialists.

Robust student support services enable us to deliver on our promise of a holistic education and ensure a St. Joseph’s education remains accessible to a broad range of students from our community.

TODAY, OUR STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ARE SCATTERED ACROSS CAMPUS. As a result, academic support, counseling, and guidance aren’t as accessible as they should be. It’s di icult for our support team to coordinate their e orts and provide the comprehensive, holistic support our students need.

It’s time to unite our support team in The St. Joseph’s Way Center.

By bringing together our Middle and High School guidance counselors, our learning specialists, and our college counselors, we will be able to:

Provide cohesive, professional services that bolster our students’ academic, social, and emotional growth.

Expand programs that promote our students’ wellbeing—from mitigating social media to preparing for exams and handling anxiety.

Meet with students and families privately and comfortably.

Provide regular, in-house professional development that helps our faculty grow in their ability to teach and reach our students.

Theology

From day one, Theology classes have been a vital part of the education we offer at St. Joseph’s.

By bringing Theology classes into The St. Joseph’s Way Center, we will not only reinforce the importance of a theological foundation to a St. Joseph’s education, but we will also ensure that the teachers who lead our students through these studies— and through the ultimatequestions those studies invite—are part of every student’s literal and gural daily walk on campus.

Not only that, housing High School Theology classes in The St. Joseph’s Way Center will free four classrooms across campus, giving us the space we need to accommodate a growing student body in years to come.

This building will serve as a constant reminder to our students that they are part of a bigger reality. It will be a welcoming space, a place where they can simply be, where they can step away from striving and proving, where we will surround them with support, love, and the people who are there to accompany them as they discover that it’s not what they do that gives them value, but whom God made them to be.

Theology Teacher

LEANNE KOFFSKEY (’08),

Lighting the Path along The St. Joseph’s Way

We are very blessed to have this amazing school to not only grow academically but also grow spiritually and learn lessons on how to live a good and moral life. What are we supposed to do with that blessing? Pay it forward.

ISHAN LAL (’21)

At St. Joseph’s, our mission has always been more than a piece of paper. We view every day as an opportunity to nurture our students’ academic growth and form their minds, bodies, and souls in the likeness of Christ. We trust that God will bring to completion and ful llment the good work He begins here.

THAT IS THE ST. JOSEPH’S WAY. This campaign is our greatest opportunity yet to fortify our mission and bring The St. Joseph’s Way to life—both for our

student’s today and for those yet to walk through the Red Door.

The St. Joseph’s Way Center will be the physical embodiment of the mission and values that set a St. Joseph’s education apart. By building our students a home and surrounding that home with the people who can get them the support services they need, we will honor our Founders’ vision, strengthen our school community, and help our students nd peace, success, and ful llment in Christ.

We wouldn’t have the school we have today without the faith and generosity of past parents, grandparents, and community members.

By making a gift to You Belong: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ST. JOSEPH’S

WAY CENTER you will honor all that God has provided—and the many hands He has worked through to make St. Joseph’s all that it has become. You will ensure opportunities for students’ growth and formation become richer and more abundant tomorrow.

Making The St. Joseph’s Way Center a reality depends on you.