About St. Anne Catholic School

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St. Anne School has a very long and rich history of which we are very proud. From our very humble beginnings, St. Anne School has served our community for more than 70 years, providing a solid foundation in Catholic Christian education to some of Memphis’ most prominent citizens. We value our heritage and continue to promote the finest in Catholic education in the same spirit as our predecessors.  

In 1917, Sunday Mass was celebrated in a little store at the corner of Southern and Baltimore, which was the beginning of the Catholic mission that served the Catholic families in the area.  Very soon the congregation outgrew the room provided in the store, and a chapel was built at the corner of Carnes and Pine, which is now called Goodwyn. This chapel was called St. Sebastian. The first church service was held there on June 10, 1917.  The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, came out from Sacred Heart Church to teach catechism after Mass each Sunday.  St. Sebastian remained a mission out of Sacred Heart until 1937, when Father Thomas F. Nenon was named Pastor.

By this time, the parish had once again outgrown the facilities, and property was purchased on Highland.  The property had a house at 682 South Highland, which was converted to a three-room school building, and a house at 706 S. Highland became the rectory.  The Sisters of Charity started St. Anne School.  The Sisters were transported back and forth each school day from their home at St. Peter Orphanage.  A church was built just north of the school, and when dedicated on September 5, 1937, became St. Anne Catholic Church.  

In 1938, four students graduated from the eighth grade.  By 1940, enrollment in the school made it necessary to add a fourth classroom. In 1945, the graduates increased to fifteen, six of whom were the first eight-year students to graduate from St. Anne School.  The school had an enrollment of approximately 150 students by then and the school colors of blue and gold had been selected.

The football team played in the parochial league, and the drivers who took the Sisters back to St. Peter Orphanage were  known to detour through Overton Park, so they could watch the football team play!  Such things were considered less than dignified at the time; however, the Sisters came to know one of the most faithful fans of the team, Tubby, a bulldog who came to almost every game. Because of Tubby’s faithful attendance at the games, the Class of 1947 voted the bulldog as the official school mascot.  The Bulldogs have been playing at St. Anne School ever since!

On May 31, 1948, Father Nenon began construction of a combination church and school. This was completed in July, 1949.  The church was located on the ground floor, which is the present day Nenon Hall, and the school occupied the middle and half of the top floors.  The Sisters lived on the south side of the top floor, thus eliminating the daily trips to St. Peter. In 1953, a convent building for the Sisters, now known as the Joachim Center, located at the rear of the present church site, was completed. The entire top floor of the school building was then available for use as classrooms.

Father John A. Walsh was appointed pastor of St. Anne in 1956.  He started construction of the new church and rectory building, which were completed in 1962. The bottom floor of the school was converted to a cafeteria and social hall.  That same year, the largest class ever graduated from St. Anne. Twenty-four years after graduating the first students, the school had a class of seventy-seven graduates.

In 1970, Father Edward O’Dell Heymer was appointed as the third pastor of St. Anne. Under his superior leadership, the school continued to grow and expand.  The school was certified by the State Department of Education in 1976 under the leadership of the principal, Mr. J.G. Griesbeck, Jr.  The Kindergarten program was started also that year.

On March 3, 1986, Fr. Heymer signed the contract for the innovative WICAT Educational Computer system, and St. Anne School served as a pilot school for the City of Memphis, as well as the first Catholic elementary school in the nation to implement this system.  The introduction and pioneering of advanced computer assisted instruction was due, in large part, to the initiative, dedication, and hard work of Sr. Madeline McCune, the principal.  Another significant growth spurt for St. Anne was the addition of a modern pre-school building that was completed in 1993. The building is now the location of the main office as well as the Principal’s and Vice Principal’s office. Again, St. Anne grew and expanded its capability to support its students and the community, through the initiative and leadership of Sr. Madeline, who served with distinction for over 25 years at St. Anne School.

In 1994, Fr. James Pugh became the fourth pastor of St. Anne Parish. A teacher, educator, and school administrator for nearly all of his lifetime, Fr. Pugh continued the tradition of constant improvement and expansion of St. Anne School. Under his dynamic management, major renovations and repairs have been accomplished at a rapid pace. A new library and science lab were constructed, and Nenon Hall was refurbished.  His dedication and impressive efforts to provide the very best for St. Anne students were unceasing.

In 1999, a grant from the Assisi Foundation provided the funding necessary to replace the WICAT computer system with state of the art educational technology equipment to meet the needs of St. Anne students. Again, St. Anne is at the forefront of the educational technology revolution.

After more than twenty years of education, the last of the Sisters of Charity left St. Anne School. On December 4, 1998, our beloved Sr. Bernadine DeArio passed away after a long bout with cancer.  The Sisters of Charity remain fixed in our memories and are the cornerstones of our school heritage.  

Today, we continue as a parish school with approximately 120 students, staffed by qualified lay personnel under the direction of the pastor, Fr. J. David Graham. In June 2005 we welcomed Fr. David as pastor and spiritual Shepard of our students, faculty, staff, and parents of the St. Anne community. In 2006, our much anticipated Family Life Center, St. Sebastian Hall, was opened and serves both the Parish and School for special events, sporting events, and physical education classes. Our Principal, Mr. Gary Buda, came to us in 2006 and has instituted a number of changes to keep St. Anne in the forefront of education. We are licensed through the Southern Association of Catholic Schools, SACS.  

In 2004 Nenon Hall was refurbished, and the conference room was dedicated to Fr. Walsh.  The school addressed the changing needs of the school by adding an Early Intervention program.

St. Anne School received a generous donation allowing a technological advancement in all classrooms, laboratory, distant learning, electronic communication, PowerSchool (a computer generated grading system), and projector to enhance science lab instruction. In 2007 the library was moved to the Joachim Center creating a music classroom in the main school building.

In the spirit of those who have gone before us, we continue to work together to make St. Anne School one of the best possible learning and growing environments for our students.