Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s Academy,                                                                                                                 

Ours is an increasingly diverse society facing daunting challenges spawned by technology and globalization. As our world becomes even more “high tech,” research shows the corresponding need for “high touch” learning experiences. While cultivating a strong academic and religious environment which addresses the needs of a whole person, SJA has conducted surveys since 2003. Data gathered from these surveys underscore the need to create more balance among the three pillars of the school’s mission statement: faith development, academic excellence and personal growth. Developing a program of visual and performing arts to complement the core academic curriculum will serve to achieve this greater balance.

The Master Plan for St. Joseph’s Academy includes: 1) construction of an Academic Performing Arts Center containing a studio theater and accompanying specialty classrooms; 2) renovation of Mother Alice Hall for additional classrooms and office space; 3) expansion of the Dining Hall; 4) installation of a covered porch/walkway between Medaille Hall and the Activity Center; 5) acquisition of contiguous properties for parking and athletic needs; and 6) growth of the endowment.

The current focus is construction of an Academic Performing Arts Center with a studio theater, space for set construction, costume and prop storage and classrooms for drama, dance and choral music; and extensive renovation of Mother Alice Hall from residential use to school use. The goal for these two projects is $6 million with a pledge period of up to three years.

The benefits of these improvements and their attractiveness to students in the coming decades are significant. St. Joseph’s Academy graduates will continue to move out into a world with a perspective that more strongly integrates faith and science, the fine arts and humanities, service to the dear neighbor and personal responsibility. No one can describe with certainty the lives these future graduates will be called to live. One thing we do know: St. Joseph’s Academy must uncover and develop as many of the God-given talents and skills of each student as possible so that each graduate is poised and ready for the adventure in living that lies ahead.

God bless,


Sister Adele Lambert, CSJ
St. Joseph’s Academy President