Bishop McGuinness High School celebrates 60 years
Mass of the Holy Spirit kicks off school year, anniversary activities
KERNERSVILLE — The past few months at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School have been joyful ones as faculty and staff reminisce about the past while looking forward to a bright future as they planned activities surrounding the school’s 60th anniversary.
“It’s been really nice. We’ve been pulling out old yearbooks and meeting with alumni and hearing stories of the previous campus on Link Road in Winston-Salem and those that have graduated from our current building,” said Principal Tracy Shaw.
Director of Advancement Katie Williams is spearheading the anniversary celebrations. Hired during the 50th anniversary by the late George Repass, principal for 25 years, Williams explained what the anniversary means to her: “As I start my 11th school year, there has literally not been a day that I walked into work and didn’t thank God that I have the opportunity to practice my faith, be an example of faith to young people and a good servant with this as my vocation. It’s a loving, kind place and I’m so lucky to be here to celebrate 60 years of excellence. I hope there’s 60 more.”
To open the school’s diamond anniversary year, Bishop Peter Jugis celebrated a Mass of the Holy Spirit Aug. 28 in the gymnasium full of students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, interim superintendent Debbie Mixer, and several principals of Triad Area Catholic Schools, a group that includes Our Lady of Grace and St. Pius X in Greensboro, Sacred Heart in Salisbury, Our Lady of Mercy and St. Leo in Winston-Salem, Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point, and Bishop McGuinness. Participating clergy included parochial vicars Father Felix Nkafu of St. Leo the Great and Father Peter Nouck of Holy Family in Clemmons as well as Father Noah Carter, the pastor of Holy Cross in Kernersville and chaplain of the high school.
In his homily, Bishop Jugis explained the liturgical significance of this Mass and how it applies to those present.
“It is appropriate, of course, that we use red for a Mass of the Holy Spirit, which reminds us of the fire of the Holy Spirit, which came upon the apostles and the Blessed Mother at Pentecost,” Bishop Jugis said. “We pray that same fire of love and dedication to God may be present not only now as we’re inaugurating this anniversary year and this academic year but remain with us always – the fire of our devotion to God – the fire of God’s love to remain with us like it was at the beginning of the life of the Church with the consecration of the apostles and their apostolate.”
Enkindled more than 60 years ago, that fire still burns at Bishop McGuinness High School. In 1954, Villa Marie Anna Academy for girls opened as the successor to the Villa grade school on Country Club Road in Winston-Salem. Under the leadership of the Sisters of St. Joseph from Philadelphia, the school had only five students the first year. Two years later, it opened to boys and reached an enrollment of 46, which included 23 boys. Thanks to the dedication of the sisters and $30,000 from Mary Ann Robertson of New York, each year the enrollment grew, and a new school was in the works. On Sept. 8, 1959, just two days after the birthday of its namesake – the Most Reverend Eugene McGuinness, the second bishop of Raleigh – Bishop McGuinness Memorial High School opened its doors on Link Road with an enrollment of 96. The school mascot, the Villains, is a nod to the school’s origins at Villa Marie Anna Academy, more colloquially called the Villa.
Monsignor Joseph Showfety was the school’s first diocesan priest director. In a recent interview, he recalled his time at the high school during which he taught three classes a day in addition to his administrative and spiritual roles. He also noted a friendly basketball rivalry between the school and Greensboro’s Notre Dame High School. Today, the basketball program at Bishop McGuinness is still going strong after the boys’ team won the NCHSAA Class 1-A championship earlier this year.
Sister Eileen Patrice, S.S.J., was the school’s first principal. Four Sisters of St. Joseph joined her: Mary Hermann, Ernestine, Irma Mildred and Rose Madeleine. Two Sisters of St. Joseph are now on staff at the school: Sister John Christopher Tate, attendance coordinator, and Sister Anne Thomas Taylor, spiritual counselor, a new role for her and the school in which she’ll be support to students going through a difficult time.
“Our charism, to put it very succinctly, is that we’re ready for any and all good works,” she said of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who have a combined 112 years of service at Bishop McGuinness, St. Leo and Our Lady of Mercy, where Principal Sister Geri Rogers, S.S.J., has served for more than 35 years.
Through the years, the school has excelled in academics, the arts and sports while putting faith first. More than 98 percent of graduates attend four-year colleges, and the other two percent attend two-year institutions or have access to college courses during military service. In 2001, the current, state-of-the-art, 42-acre Kernersville campus opened with the capacity for 800 students.
“Bishop does such a wonderful job of preparing their students so that transition to college from an academic standpoint is just so easy,” said alumni board member Natalee Anderson Wyatt ’04, who married alumnus George Wyatt. “We had such a wonderful network of teachers and staff to help us in all of the programs we have between the arts and theater program and the science programs. I couldn’t speak more highly of it, which is why we’re getting back involved now that we’ve moved back, because we want our kids going here.”
The primary distinguishing factor of the school, however, is its focus on the teachings of Christ.
“I so enjoy coming to Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School because all around there are signs of our Catholicism. Right as we enter the entrance, there we see the statue representing Jesus the Teacher. It’s all about Jesus. That’s why we’re here. We’re His followers. We’re His disciples. We want to grow and become like Him,” Bishop Jugis said.
“It’s very important for us to have that religious piece,” Wyatt added. “I don’t think there’s enough of that in the world.”
The students agree. A group of juniors and seniors were inducted as peer ministers during the Mass of the Holy Spirit in a commissioning ceremony led by Father Carter.
Joey Clampett, a junior, was one of the inductees. “I wanted to be a peer minister for the leadership opportunity and to be able to plan what the school does for our ministry, like the canned food drive. Last year, we did a drive for battered women and their families, collecting supplies for them. It’s neat to be able to plan that in class. We’re helping plan the ninth-graders’ retreat right now,” he said.
Sister Anne, who started working at the school 22 years ago, praised the efforts of the peer ministers and the theology teacher who leads them.
“Mr. (Martin) Mata deserves a lot of kudos. The kids are really respectful. It’s not something you can do and just put on your resumé. They really have to come through,” she said. “It’s a great school. It’s an important part of our young people’s lives because they have the opportunity to learn about service. One graduate is now working in medicine with mechanical limbs; another is teaching in poor schools because she knows they need good teachers. We, as a school, are an important part of the puzzle. We help them put the pieces together, so they know who they are.”
Many things have changed at the school over the years, yet the Sisters of St. Joseph and the mission remain.
“We’re equipping our students to go out into a world that’s in need of peace, love and justice,” said Principal Tracy Shaw. “And our motto – “Excel that you might better serve,” “Praesis ut Prosis” – that’s still at the core of what we do.”
Referencing the motto, Bishop Jugis added, “It means service out of love for Christ and imitation of Jesus who said, ‘I have come not to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.’ That’s what we do out of love for Christ, following that motto that has a Christian, spiritual overtone to excel, to lead – not for the purpose of dominating over others but so that we can use those talents to serve.”
In light of this historic anniversary, Shaw said, “The fact that our school is 60 years old shows that it has a strong hold in the Catholic community. I’m expecting it to be around forever, and I’m excited to see where it goes and what our students do.”
— Annie Ferguson, correspondent
Anniversary events planned
Several 60th anniversary celebrations are planned this school year for Bishop McGuinness High School, including: gala socials on Sept. 25 at The Club House at Brookberry Farm, Winston-Salem, and Oct. 5 at High Point Country Club; an Alumni Hall of Fame Induction and Luncheon followed by an Alumni Homecoming Game and Tailgate, Oct 18; a 60th Anniversary Gala Nov. 16; Alumni Basketball Reception and Game, Dec. 17; and a Young Alumni Breakfast, Jan. 6.
For details, contact Katie Williams, the school’s director of advancement, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
