Frequently Asked Questions about K-8 programs
Catholic Identity
For more than 140 years, Saint Joseph School has been providing an excellent Catholic education in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Our Catholic identity truly sets us apart in the way we prepare our students to be good Christian leaders in the community throughout the rest of their lives. Through the building of a strong faith life, a firm moral character and a desire for service, our students are able to be always faithful to Christ and those around them.
Our primary goal at Saint Joseph School, above all else, is to help make saints. Thus, we strive to help each of our students encounter Jesus Christ and build a personal relationship with Him (cf. John 1:38-39). Through instruction in prayer, an intensive focus on scripture and teaching about Church doctrine, our students grow dramatically in their faith. In addition, they are given numerous opportunities to participate in the Sacraments, such as weekly school Mass and periodic penance services every year.
Furthermore, our students are taught the importance of moral character and how it must have a strong foundation (cf. Mt 7:25-25). They are encouraged to grow in virtue with each moment and each action. Each of our teachers help guide students to have a well-formed conscience and values system, beginning in preschool and continuing until they complete eighth grade. Students are taught personal discipline through their academic assignments, extracurricular activities and the normal day-to-day interactions with others so they can be who God made them to be.
Our belief in the Gospel drives us to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only” (Ja 1:22). The students live out their faith through serving others, which often leads others to do so, as well. Through a variety of service projects, activities, speakers and field trips, our students are encouraged to be young men and women for others, even when it takes them out of their comfort zone. It is this giving of oneself that allows students to live their faith and choose what is good and moral throughout their lives.
At Saint Joseph School, it is our mission to guide every student to be faithful to Jesus Christ. The school’s Catholic identity is vital to helping our teachers and students live out Christ’s commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). By firmly trusting in Christ, living out their faith authentically and teaching them to lead by example, our students, and the whole school family, are able to let their light shine (Mt. 5:16).
The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Saint Joseph School is one of the 24 schools within the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Our Catholic schools develop the whole child to live as Christ taught us. Catholic elementary schools provide the academic foundation that is necessary to succeed in secondary and higher education. Please take the time to visit the Department of Catholic Schools website.
School History
The Daughters of Charity from Emmitsburg, Maryland, established Saint Joseph School on Sept. 4, 1883, in a two-story wooded building with four classrooms on East Stephen Street. The wooded school building was moved to the west side of South Queen Street in the late 1880s.
In 1905, a four-year high school was introduced into the school system, and the wooden school building was replaced in 1913 with an eight-room, two-story, brick building. The building was dedicated on Oct. 14, 1914, by the Rev. William Anthony McKeefrey. The first class to graduate from the high school was a class of eight students in 1915.
In the late 1960s, the four-classroom high school building was completed.
A gymnasium was built and dedicated in 1938, and the Saint Joseph Crusaders basketball team brought spectators from throughout the state. The basketball team continually went to the West Virginia State Competition and came back victorious in 1967.
The high school closed in 1970, with the last seniors to graduate in the class of 1970.
In 2000, Saint Joseph School moved across Stephen Street to the current school building. The old gymnasium was torn down in 2006, and our current school building houses a new gym. In 2023, the eight-room brick building on Queen Street became home to our middle school.The four-room high school building now serves as our prekindergarten building.
Continuing the Tradition
Our school is located in the center of Martinsburg, West Virginia, a micropolitan community of the Washington, D.C., metro area. Saint Joseph School, the only Catholic school in the Eastern Panhandle, serves six Catholic parishes in the 530 square miles of the Eastern Panhandle and is one of 24 in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Currently, Saint Joseph School serves more than 400 students from infants through eighth grade. We will open a high school for the 2025-26 academic year. The plan for the school is a progressive enrollment model, meaning that beginning with the 2025 academic year (fall 2025), ninth and 10th-grade levels will be offered and based on the current school campus. From there, the high school will mature with additional grade levels being added each year. The first graduating class will be the Class of 2029.
Our teachers innovatively utilize new teaching methods and research-based strategies to inspire our students to rise to any challenge. Several of our students earn scholarships to private institutions for high school and college. Some of our graduates attend Catholic high school and most attend local public high schools. Saint Joseph School provides a strong foundation of learning, ensuring our students are given the skills they will need to succeed in a competitive, global future.

Administration

Maria Byrd

Fran Henry

Abby Hjort-Michel

Allison Bivens

Patti Maerten Hicks

Meg Partington

Nancy Goss

Jennifer Sateia

Oksana Vasyliuk

April Shwe

Jessica Hasselbach
Faculty

Jennifer Sowers

Sophia O’Malley-Heredia

Isabella Warburton

Janelle O’Meara

Pierina Torniere Martinez

Dana Curtis

Mery Pisfil Garcia

Vanessa Mercado

Dennis Dodson

Deborah Mancilla

Amanda Marquez-Johnson

Melissa Guenther

Inna McCarron

Jeannette Sharp

Russel Beach

Liz Buscema

Sarah Kaltenbaugh

Becky Mulvihill

Debbie McAboy

Skyler Wilson

Tim Iden

Cadence Stevenson

Lisa Stedman

Leslie Douglas

Carolyn Farabaugh

Makayla Russell

Lisa Galvin

Christina Hilton

Stephanie Dardaris

Sherry Monroe

Tara Leporini

Leah Torino-Holliday

Janice Fanjoy

Kristin Cushwa

Casandra Burch

Meridyth Fiorita

Nancy Guiney

Kelly Lambert Murphy

Beth Celeste

Sarah Middlemiss

Mary Martino

Katherine Halloran

Kathleen Landry

Jessica Brunnet

Salvina Michel

Peggy Mills

Brian Kaltenbaugh

Luanne Murphy

Amariliz Kelley

Marilis Rivera Collazo

Kelly Passero

Jane King

Meghan Gochenour

Annie Hales

Vic Lupis
Staff

Suzi Crowder

Rosa Perez

Emily Dunn

Mary Anne Londregan

Marlene Vilela

Waylon McGee

Jamie Hess

Rebekah Reimer

Bryan Weedon

John Comer

Carolyn Windesheim

Paulette Keene

Jerry Ricucci

William Phrampus

Christina Phrampus
Catholic School Advisory Council
Saint Joseph School is member of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Department of Catholic Schools. We are governed by our local parish priest, the Diocesan Superintendent, and ultimately the Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
In addition to our governing bodies, we have a Catholic School Advisory Council which advises our Principal and Pastor on school matters. This Advisory Council meets quarterly and consists of members from the within and outside the school and parish communities.
Michele Tost – mtost@k12.wv.us
Jamye Eells – jamye130@hotmail.com
Fran Henry – fhenry@sjswv.org
Rebecca Lewis – Rebeccalewis1011@gmail.com
Fr. Thomas Gallagher – tgallagher@dwc.org; tgallagher@sjswv.org
Bill Charmo – charmow@comcast.net
Krystal Avey – woet8922@gmail.com
Vic Lupis – vlupis@sjswv.org