Construction expands classrooms at St. Joseph elementary and high schools in Ogden

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This diagram shows the addition to St. Joseph Catholic Elementary.

OGDEN — St. Joseph Catholic Schools are starting the new calendar year with an almost complete elementary school addition and a brand-new laboratory for high school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classes.  

The addition to the elementary school includes a full-size gymnasium with kitchen, a dedicated space for the extended day program, a science lab, an art studio and dedicated space for speech therapy, literacy programs and special-needs interventions.

The addition “is crucial for Saint Joseph Elementary School to continue to provide excellent academics and other services outside of school,” Principal Jean Synowicki said.

In addition, the new extended day program area will have its own entrance/exit and its own bathroom, which will increase security and safety, she said.   

Construction on the addition started in April and is scheduled to be complete by the end of spring. Funds for the project come from a capital campaign that began several years ago, when the Diocese of Salt Lake City gave the school the green light to move forward with the construction.

“We thank all of our supporters for your patience and generosity over these past couple of years and for making this dream a reality,” Synowicki said.

The fundraising is ongoing; to donate, visit https://www.stjosephutah.com/capital-campaign

At St. Joseph Catholic High School, completion of the STEM lab “is going to allow us to expand our curriculum for students to be exposed to some real-life problem-solving skills,” said Principal Clay Jones. “The primary goal of the lab is to allow for out-of-the-box thinking, problem solving, and entrepreneurship opportunities.”

In addition, the STEM lab will help the St. Joseph students by opening opportunities “for additional curriculum to complement our current offerings,” Jones said; the intention is to offer courses such as business management, entrepreneurship and programming/advanced programming.

“These courses will allow our students to learn real-world lessons, problem solving and technical skills, and additional programming skills that will continue helping St. Joseph students to stand out in our community and beyond,” Jones said.

The high school is “continually trying to improve its offerings to all students in and out of the classroom to ensure that we provide a quality education that fits all students and develops whole person education,” he added.

The STEM lab was made possible through a grant from the ALSAM Foundation.

“ALSAM has been a wonderful foundation to work with over the years and has made possible multiple improvements and projects around our entire campus,” Jones said.