Ellinwood School marks 120th anniversary of its founding

In the fall of 1885, St. Joseph School opened its doors for the first time. Now, three buildings and 120 years later, that dream of a Catholic quality education for the children of St. Joseph Parish is still flourishing.

In the early and middle 1870s, the Homestead Act and the development of the railroad brought immigrants from southern Germany to the area now known as Ellinwood. Many of these immigrants were devout Catholics who wished to continue to worship God publicly. By 1876, the Ellinwood Catholics had organized a parish and began constructing a house of worship.

Less than 10 years later, the 50 families that comprised the parish contracted for the construction of the first Catholic school in Ellinwood. This was a one-story brick building that served the educational needs of the parish for almost 20 years.

Not surprisingly, the first teachers in the Catholic school were school masters from Germany. All instructions and lectures were presented in German. When the school first opened, August Smithausen taught the 35 students in attendance. He continued teaching for three years and was followed by other German school masters.

A newspaper account of the time, indicates that classes were discontinued in 1890, presumably because no teacher was available. When Mr. Smithausen returned to Ellinwood as teacher in 1893, there were 60 students in attendance.

In 1894, summer school classes were conducted. Classes in German speaking, reading, and writing were held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. The tuition was 50 cents a month.

By the early part of the 20th century, it was evident that a larger school was needed. The little brick schoolhouse was no longer large enough for the growing student population. After a new stone church was built the old frame church was converted into two classrooms with a long hall down the center. Classes were held in this building, from 1903 to 1905 until a new two-story frame school was erected. In the beginning, the janitor lived on the upper floor, but later by 1918, that floor was needed for classrooms.

By 1903, a group of Dominican Sisters from New York had established a foundation in Great Bend. The Great Bend Dominicans taught in the school from 1903 to 1909. A German instructor taught until 1911.

Father Werner Emmerich asked the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ from Wichita to staff the school in 1911. These Sisters started teaching at that time and continued at this educational mission until 2003.

The present school building was constructed in 1926 when the parish numbered about 400 people. This two story brick structure not only contained six classrooms, but also an auditorium, a lunch room and a kitchen. This building still served adequately the educational needs of the parish children, although changes and improvements have been made. The large auditorium was sectioned for an office, staff room, cafeteria, and classroom. One of the original classrooms now serves as a spacious library room. Fire escapes were added to the building in 1958. The only other structural change was the addition of a computer room in 1991.

From 1927 until the early 1970s enrollment numbered well over 100 students each year; between 1954 and 1961 there were 200 students in attendance. The all time high came in the 1957-58 school year with an enrollment of 231. During this period there were between five and nine Sisters teaching at the school each year.

From its inception, St. Joseph School included grades one through eight, Kindergarten was added in 1937. Twenty years later when enrollment hit its all time high, the kindergarten class was discontinued because of lack of space. This class was reestablished in 1982 and continues to the present.

Today the student body consists of 58 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. There are five full-time teachers (one of which serves as lead teacher), three part-time teachers, one teacher aide, and a volunteer librarian. Through community involvement, the adoption of a child through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, and other charitable acts, St. Joseph students are learning the role of stewardship along with lessons of being a servant to others. These lessons, along with our academic curriculum, are shaping strong Christian leaders for the future of our community and our world.

Despite the changes in school population, in curriculum, in methods of teaching, and in the school building itself, the mission of St. Joseph School remains basically the same as that envisioned by those 50 families in 1885. It remains a school where intellectual achievement can be experienced in conjunction with religious education. After 120 years, the present 340 families remain committed to that same vision and willingly make sacrifices in order to provide a Catholic education for the children of the parish.