Families of current Saint Joseph School students may start the re-enrollment process beginning Friday, Jan. 30, for the 2026-27 school year. They also may enroll children who are not currently attending.

Enrollment for new families who are active in area Catholic parishes opens Friday, Feb. 6, and all other families may start applying Friday, Feb. 13.

The only Catholic school in the Eastern Panhandle, Saint Joseph School serves toddlers through children in 10th grade. Math, language arts, science, social studies and religion are core subjects, and students attend Mass weekly. Students participate in academic competitions, engaging extracurriculars, projects and hands-on learning, and take field trips.

West Virginia Hope Scholarship funds of $5,437 per student are available. For more information, go to hopescholarshipwv.org.

CLICK HERE to apply or re-enroll.

For more information, contact Patti Maerten Hicks at pmaertenhicks@sjswv.org or call 304-267-6447.

This building at 415 Wilson St. in Martinsburg, West Virginia, is being purchased by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to house St. Joseph High School.

MARTINSBURG, WV — St. Joseph High School and the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston are partnering to expand its campus footprint in Martinsburg. The expansion includes the diocese’s purchase of a building near the school’s current campus that would provide the high school’s first stand-alone facility.

The diocese’s total commitment of $1.3 million will support the purchase of the building and help fund necessary upgrades. Saint Joseph School will contribute an additional $400,000 toward renovations. Together, these investments are expected to bring the total project cost to approximately $1.7 million, with the goal of welcoming students into the new facility for the 2026–27 school year.

Using a gradual growth model, the high school currently consists of ninth-grade students and will grow to incorporate grade 10 next year and subsequent grades each year thereafter.

“Under the talented leadership of our local clergy, school staff and parishioners, Saint Joseph School has grown dramatically in recent years,” said Bishop Mark Brennan, leader of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. “Opening St. Joseph High School this year and moving to its first campus in 2026 reflects our diocesan commitment to the area, confirms our continued partnership with local school and parish leadership, and highlights our appreciation for local families who seek a quality Catholic education for their children. Not only will this building provide our high school students the opportunity to grow and thrive in a Christ-like setting, it also allows our grade school and middle school to expand to serve Catholic and non-Catholic families in the region.”

This facility at 415 Wilson St. in Martinsburg, West Virginia, offers immediate functionality, as well as the capacity for renovation and growth to house St. Joseph High School students in grades nine through 12.

The Rev. Thomas Gallagher, pastor of St. Joseph Parish and School said, “From the time in which I arrived at St Joseph Parish, many of the school parents asked me when we would be able to start a high school. To me, this feels like fulfillment of the many prayers of our school parents.”

The building, located at 415 Wilson St. in Martinsburg, was formerly the site of the WVU Medicine Crisis Support and Recovery Center. Officials said the building offers immediate functionality, as well as the capacity for renovation and growth to house students in grades nine through 12. In August 2025, the high school welcomed its first freshman class since the original one closed in 1970.

“This acquisition of this property that will become the permanent home for our high school is a definitive turning point for Catholic education in the Eastern Panhandle,” said Jennifer Hornyak, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. “It is a joy to witness such vibrant growth in the Eastern Panhandle and especially at St. Joseph, and we are profoundly grateful to Bishop Brennan for his providential support. He shares the vision of local leadership of having a Catholic high school in the Eastern Panhandle, and he has encouraged the school community to push forward to make this dream become a reality.

“By investing in this new home for our high school, the bishop is ensuring that our students have the specialized environment they need to excel academically and grow into the leaders our Church and world so greatly need,” Hornyak added.

Saint Joseph School Principal Maria Byrd said moving to a dedicated campus is just one of several projects being planned for the upstart high school.

“With continued support from our loyal families and generous benefactors, we hope to complete three phases of renovations/additions on this site to transform it into the ‘Home of the Crusaders,’ a special place where we seek to provide a high-quality education, demonstrate service to others and form disciples of Christ,” Byrd said.

“It is necessary for the future of the high school to have its own building,” she said. “It tells our parents and the community at large that we and the diocese are committed to providing a high school Catholic education in the Eastern Panhandle and are here to stay.”

Byrd said the new high school building will also allow its other grade levels to expand.

“Moving our high school program to its new location allows us to regroup our middle school program (grades six to eight) in our historical Queen Street building, and since our recent pre-K expansion, this opens up four more classrooms for our elementary school program,” she said.

The new high school building offers convenient highway access for students’ families and to nearby colleges and universities, with whom St. Joseph High School plans potential partnerships. The school and local churches are raising funds to purchase two buses to serve students traveling from regional Catholic parishes and to transport students for extracurricular activities and school liturgies.

Saint Joseph School is again participating in the Weis 4 School program to raise funds for educational technology and other academic needs.

If you want to participate, please register your Weis Rewards card at weis4school.com and select St. Joseph School, 86909, as the one you want to support. You also can scan the QR code shown on the flyer here to register.

By participating in this program, you can earn money for our school by simply shopping. Once you register, you’re in the program and you do not need to sign up again this school year.

Feel free to share the code with friends and relatives!

Saint Joseph School is participating in the Box Tops for Education program. Box tops are collected through the app, with which you scan receipts from stores. Our school is listed as St Joseph School [TA/PTO]; you can search for it by that name or by location (Martinsburg, WV).

Some basics:

• The app is available for android or iPhone. If you do curbside pickup for your groceries, make sure the email you use to set up your account for the app is the same as the email address that you use for curbside. Get family, friends and co-workers involved!

• Connect your Walmart and Box Tops accounts so you can earn cash for your school when you purchase Box Tops products in-store or online using your saved Walmart payment method — without scanning or submitting your receipts.

For more information, go to btfe.com.

St. Joseph School is again taking part in the Kids Heart Challenge, which kicked off March 26 with energetic assemblies led by Crystal Cook from the American Heart Association!

Through this program, we will learn about heart health and raise funds to protect all hearts – especially those of other kids. Through fun activities, we’ll discover ways to take care of our hearts and brains while practicing kindness, gratitude and learning ways to destress.

Plus, we have the chance to earn equipment for our school’s gym. As a bonus, children will get a free wristband for joining at http://www2.heart.org/goto/StJosephWV or using the AHA Schools app.

Donations can be made at the site through Thursday, April 16.

For more information, please visit the website or email our physical education teacher, Meghan Gochenour, at mgochenour@sjswv.org.

SJS is selling discounted Hersheypark tickets again! Save nearly 50% off admission by ordering tickets by April 17.

Single-use meal deal vouchers are also available for $21.19 each.

New this year are early season tickets for $43, which are valid from April 3 to July 31, 2026. Any-day tickets cost $48 and are valid through Jan. 3, 2027.

We earn a free admission ticket for every 10 sold, and our goal is to have enough of them to send all of our eighth-graders to the park to celebrate their graduation.

Tickets are expected to arrive in early May.

Please email mpartington@sjswv.org if you have any questions or need an order form.

Thank you for your support!