By Gretchen Keiser

Building is underway at St. Joseph’s parish in Athens for a new educational building that will house the school and parish religious education offices.

The one-story structure is rising behind the historic columned building known as the Cobb House, a 150-year-old Greek revival style house which is now the St. Joseph’s rectory.

When finished, the new building will have 12 classrooms, a library and offices for the school and for adult, high school and elementary religious education staff. Ground was broken last fall and the building is expected to be finished in time for the opening of the new school year this fall. Dedication will take place at the annual St. Joseph’s fall festival in October.

“This is a building for the total parish – school during the week, religious education on weekends and, we hope, a lot of adult programs at night,” said Father Richard Kieran, who is pastor of St. Joseph’s. “It is education for the total community.”

At the moment, classes are held in a building which was built at St. Joseph’s in 1912 as a priest’s residence and a place for some students at the University of Georgia to live. The school began in the late 1940s under then-pastor Father Walter Donovan and was expanded to include seventh and eighth grades by Father Michael Woods in the 1970s. Since then trailers have been used to provide classroom space for the overflowing student body and the rectory has long since been moved to the adjacent building.

“In a sense, from the very beginning the school has been in a makeshift facility,” Father Kieran said. “There were times when priests were living in the house with the school going on at the same.”

The new school building will be connected by walkways, some covered, to other areas which will be reutilized: a small building, which is now used for the seventh and eighth grades, will become the kindergarten; the parish hall will be used as the school cafeteria during the day; and the trailer will be used for music and art classes. The school is staffed by Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters from Pennsylvania and lay teachers.

The new school is designed for a student body of 400, which includes room to expand beyond the present school population of 270 students; it is designed to provide two classrooms each for grades one through four and one classroom each for the four upper grades.

The new building will bring St. Joseph’s school into line with classroom size and library needs specified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the school accreditation association for this region.

“Without any luxury, it will be a first rate educational facility by modern standards,” Father Kieran said.

In addition, he said, the building will provide offices for the religious education staff, directed by Ginny Bell, which includes three part-time coordinators to oversee adult, high school and elementary programs. Plans call for the equipment and materials to be shared by the school and religious education programs. “The two are equally important to us,” Father Kieran said.

In the meantime, the parish is studying means to reutilize the present school building as a rectory and parish center.