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Saint Joseph High School (Denver, Colorado)

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Coordinates: 39°43′33″N 104°59′43″W / 39.725698°N 104.995205°W / 39.725698; -104.995205
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St. Joseph's High School
Address
Map
601 Fox Street

Denver
,
Colorado
80204
Coordinates39°43′33″N 104°59′43″W / 39.725698°N 104.995205°W / 39.725698; -104.995205
Information
TypePrivate, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1908
Closed1973
FacultyRedemptorist Priests, Sisters of Mercy, civilian teachers, coaches, and administrators
Grades9–12
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)Royal Blue and White   
Fight songThe Bulldog Song
Athletics conferenceDenver Metro League
Team nameBulldogs
NewspaperThe Santa Fe Trail

St. Joseph's High School (commonly referred to as St. Joe) was a fully accredited Catholic high school located at 601 Fox Street in Denver, Colorado. It was one of several parochial high schools in the Denver Metropolitan Area. Saint Joseph High School served students in grades 9 through 12. The entire student body averaged less than 300 students. This small school size may have contributed to their tremendous pride. It was built in one of the original settlement areas of historic Denver. The adjoining Saint Joseph Church is on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

Saint Joseph's High School

Earliest History

In the early 1900s, Saint Joseph Parish was one of the largest parishes in Denver. It served the area south of Colfax Avenue and west of Cherry Creek. “St. Joseph School, which had been squeezing kindergarten through ninth-grade pupils into the church basement, built a $29,000, brick, three-story facility at 601 Fox Street in 1908. A high school program initiated that fall featured a practical business curriculum designed to make its graduates employable.” In later years, Saint Joseph Parish was split into Saint Francis to the south and Presentation to the west.[2]

The first graduation class from St. Joseph's High School was the class of 1911. There were five students that graduated that year, all girls. Records indicate that there were two graduates in the class of 1913, three from the class of 1915, and five from the class of 1916. The class of 1917 had four graduates, 1918 had one, 1919 and 1920 had three graduates each. The class of 1921 was the largest to date with nine graduates. It was also the first class with a male graduate. The class of 1929 was the first to publish a year book. It featured photographs of the twenty graduating seniors, ten boys and ten girls.

Academics

Saint Joseph's academic year followed the semester system. This provided for the school’s core of college prep, honors, basic courses and a selection of academic electives. The school also offered foreign language classes in Spanish, German, Latin, and French. There were also music and performing arts classes along with concerts and plays. Its journalism class produced the school newspaper and yearbook “The Santa Fe Trail”.

Sports

Parishioners donated much of the labor and materials for the gymnasium, which was constructed in 1950. Saint Joseph earned many team and individual championships in their history. They participated in the Denver Parochial League and then later in the Denver Metro League. Notable achievements were earned in football, basketball, baseball, boxing, and wrestling. The school also had track, cross-country and golf teams.

Saint Joseph Church and Gymnasium

Alumni

Alumni of Saint Joseph's High School have gone on to pursue a broad spectrum of careers and entrepreneurships in many areas. Those areas include business, entertainment, environmental, government, information technology, health care, law, law enforcement, military, telecommunications, and travel.

Alumni facts:

  • All of the graduates from 1911 through 1921 were female.
  • The most common last name for students was "Martinez". There were fifty-two Martinez graduates.
  • Twenty-one of the graduates would go on to be nuns.
  • Four of the graduates would go on to be priests.
  • Eight would go on to be doctors.

God & Country

“During World War II, St. Joseph parish more than proved its patriotism. The church made itself a center for USO activities to comfort and entertain the military. Nuns and parish women taught school children to knit, quilt, and make scrap books that were sent to fighting men overseas. The school's Genes Club, made up of future secretaries and stenographers, sent letters of encouragement to the many men of St. Joseph's at the front. Students also worked on scrap metal and war material drives as well as war bond sales.” [2] Saint Joseph alumni have fought and served in the armed forces in every American conflict from WWI to the Persian Gulf War.

Closure

The Redemptorist parish funded the high school expenses not covered by tuition until its last few years when the Archdiocese of Denver took over responsibility. Saint Joseph's High School was closed by the Archdiocese of Denver in 1973. Saint Francis High School was closed at the same time. Saint Joseph, Saint Francis, and Cathedral High School were merged into a new school, Central Catholic High School. Central Catholic High School closed in 1982.[2] Over the years, St. Joseph High School alumni were asked to do little for the school, which perhaps contributed to its closing.

Notable Students and Coaches

  • Bob Burns (basketball coach) is recognized as being one of the elite coaches from the Denver Parochial League.[3]
  • Bob Cortese (football coach) started his stellar head coaching career at Saint Joseph and went on to have numerous successes at other high schools and at the college level.[4]
  • Sonia Choquette is a best selling author and renowned consultant in her field.
  • Danny Hermosillo fought in the Golden Gloves, for the Denver Rocks boxing club, and as a professional boxer.
  • Christopher Kelly is a retired Air Force three-star general, an accomplished pilot, and commander.[5]
  • Frank Filchock (football coach) was the first head football coach of the Denver Broncos. He coached the Broncos in 1960 and 1961. Unfortunately, both were losing seasons and he was dismissed after his second year. His next job was head football coach at St. Joseph.
  • Kevin Kelly is a retired Captain with the Denver Sheriff Department.
  • James Leprino is Chairman and CEO of Leprino Foods. Leprino Foods is the largest manufacturer of mozzarella cheese in the world. James Leprino is a self-made billionaire. In 2016, Forbes Magazine listed his net worth at around $3.3 billion. He is also listed as the 211th-richest person in world.
  • Dan O’Hare is a retired Division Chief with the Denver Police Department.
  • Janice (Galla) Payan is a professor at the University of Northern Colorado. She was awarded the Fulbright - Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration Distinguished Chair.[6]
  • Richard Yribia was a news director for KMGH television station in Denver. His news team was nominated for an Emmy.
  • Jim Welte is a high school principal with Fountain Fort Carson School District 8 in Colorado Springs. He has had such a positive impact that the district's newest high school, the Welte Education Center is named after him.

References

  1. ^ National Historic Register
  2. ^ a b c Colorado Catholism by Thomas J. Noel
  3. ^ 50 years of Colorado Sports: the 1960s by Irv Moss, the Denver Post
  4. ^ Bob Cortese biography from ArenaFan Online
  5. ^ Christopher Kelly biography from www.af.mil the official website of the US Air Force
  6. ^ Janice (Galla) Payan biography from the University of Northern Colorado
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