CHEHALIS — Students at St. Joseph School are part of a tradition of growing, thinking and doing that started when the school opened its doors in 1923.

“We’re the only Catholic school in Lewis County, so we have students from towns all over the county,” principal Carissa Talley said as the school celebrated its 100th anniversary year.

The school draws from three parishes — St. Joseph in Chehalis, St. Mary in Centralia and St. Francis Xavier in Toledo — and St. Yves Mission in Harmony.

Its history began with the arrival of Father Eugene Duffy at St. Joseph Parish in 1922. Talley said he saw the need for a new Catholic school to replace the parish’s former academy, which had been operated by Dominican sisters. A piece of property was purchased, and a new building housing a school and a temporary church was dedicated in October 1923, she said.

Back then, parishioners attended Mass in what is now the school auditorium; the current school office is in the former choir loft, Talley said. The arrangement continued until the new church was constructed in 1960.

A display marks the 100th anniversary of St. Joseph School in Chehalis. (Courtesy St. Joseph School Instagram)

The first year, St. Joseph School welcomed 40 students; by the next year, enrollment swelled to 100. The first eighth-grade class, which graduated in June 1924, included Barbara Bock, who became a Dominican sister and later returned to teach at the school, Talley said.

Fast-forward 100 years and 145 students were enrolled in pre-K through eighth grade for the 2022-23 school year.

They demonstrated their school spirit in February when students gathered to sing a lively song about the anniversary. (The chorus goes: “One-zero-zero, 100 years of school.”)

“Being a small school, we don’t have a lot of special programs,” said Talley, who also teaches seventh and eighth grade. But the school offers “a robust, faith-filled education with a rigorous academic curriculum,” she said.

St. Joseph School in Chehalis was dedicated in October 1923. The school community spent the past school year celebrating the school’s centennial. (Courtesy St. Joseph School Instagram)

What does the future hold for St. Joseph School?

“If money was no object, we would love to keep our beautiful, historical building, but retrofit the space,” Talley said.

She expects the student population to continue growing, and the school remaining a place “where students feel welcomed and loved and leave with the intention to serve others and our community.”