Educating our children has always taken a high priority in St. Joseph. The first teacher, Father Bruno Riss, used the church as his school in the early days although it wasn't until 1860 that a 24'x24' school was erected. The school was sufficient for a few years. Then in the late 1870's a new school house was built and consisted of 2 stories and 4 rooms. It was mostly taught by Sisters but was still a public school, District 9. In 1914, as a result of the State Attorney's decision that no teacher was to wear religious garb, the parish purchased the school.
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After the parish purchased the school from the district, the St. Joseph council approved the construction of a new public school. It was located on the north side of town where the BP convenience store is currently. The school was opened in 1914. It remained open until 1936, when it was renovated to an apartment complex. After 1936, the Public School Board decided to rent a room from the parochial school and pay the teacher's salary. This one-room school was able to stay open until 1965, when the State of Minnesota decided to close all one-room schools. Once again, St. Joseph was without a public school.
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St. John's moved to its current location in 1864 after moving from St. Cloud to St. Joseph, and back to St. Cloud during the prior several years. In 1883 their name officially changed from St. John's College to the current St. John's University. Students from all over the world have attended the university, fulfilling many of their dreams. Lots of activities are available for the students as well. John Gagliardi, who started his career as the Johnnies football coach in 1953, has the most wins of any college football coach in history at 489. He retired in 2012. Thank you Mr. Gagliardi for everything you have done. www.csbsju.edu/sju-archives
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The St. Benedict's Academy Sisters received a charter for the purpose of education in 1881 and changed its name to St. Benedict's Convent and Academy in 1882. In 1912 it gets accredited as a 4 year high school. One year after that the College of St. Benedict opened. The Catholic University accredited the College in 1915 and in 1917 the school issued its first bachelor's degree. 1927 marked the first time there was a separate commencement for the College and the Academy. St. Benedict's continues to be a high quality educational facility inspiring each person who attends.
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