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St. Joseph Grade School is situated in the Northeast corner of Johnson County In Shawnee, Kansas It is part of St. Joseph Parish, one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas. St. Joseph Grade School is one of the forty-eight grade schools in the Archdioceses. The present enrollment is 607 students. The grade school is part of a complex of buildings which, in addition to the school, includes the church, a Parish Services Center and the Early Education Center (EEC), originally built as St. Joseph High School.

To understand our school today, it is important to look back at its place in the history of the city of Shawnee. In 1857, Shawnee was a small frontier town. Many Belgian immigrants settled in Shawnee, and we have the great, great grandchildren of many of those immigrants in our school today. In 1873, the first school was built.

In 1906, the Benedictine Sisters from Atchison came to teach in the school. In 1921, a new, large two-story school was built. Enrollment kept growing, and in 1931, high school courses were added to the curriculum. In 1952, a separate high school was build one block west of the grade school. In 1958, the present school was built and opened with an enrollment of 850.

Today or school continues to grow. We are now housed in the new Education Center Facility completed in the Fall of 2003. We have a faculty of forty-six teachers and support staff. St. Joseph opened its doors for its 125th year in the fall of 1998. St. Joseph School represents 134 years of Good News in education.

St. Joseph Grade School is part of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas school system. The chain of command begins with Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann. Mrs. Kathy O'Hara is the Superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Mrs. Karla Liebham serves as Associate-Superintendent. Mrs. Kathy O'Hara is assisted by the Priests' Council of Johnson County.

Father Michael Hawken is the pastor at St. Joseph. Father Brandon Farrar is the associate Pastor. Father Hawken is served by the Parish Council, School Council, School Principal, Maintenance Manager, and the Early Education Director. Assisting the principal are faculty, office, accounting, custodial, and other support staff.