History of Holy Rosary
Holy Rosary Parish School is a Catholic school within the Catholic Diocese of Memphis and is an integral part of the parish ministry of Holy Rosary Church. Holy Rosary offers a co-educational experience for students in two-year-old preschool through grade eight. Located on Park Avenue in East Memphis, Holy Rosary serves students from West Tennessee and the surrounding area.
Founded in 1954, Holy Rosary School opened its doors in September with four classrooms and a cafeteria. The school had six grades and 170 students that were taught by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky. The school grew rapidly under the direction of Fr. J. William Wiley, first pastor of Holy Rosary Parish and Sr. Sheila Ann Madden, S.C.N., first principal of Holy Rosary School.
Four additional classrooms were added to the original building in 1956. Four more were added in 1958, and in 1960, a third addition was made to the school, consisting of a separate building of eight classrooms. In 1967, a new gymnasium was dedicated. Construction of a new two-story building began with a five-year plan for the church and school in 1987. In Spring 1991, the new facility opened. It consisted of twenty-six classrooms, a library, a media center, a computer laboratory, a science lab, a music room, an art room, gymnasium, a Girl Scout and a Boy Scout room, a cafeteria, a guidance office, a resource room, and administrative offices. In 2010, Holy Rosary completed its latest addition, consisting of new church offices, a meeting room and a second gymnasium.
Holy Rosary School provides a solid foundation in academic and faith-based studies. When our students leave Holy Rosary, their level of preparedness is evident by their many successes. Our graduates continue to be valedictorians and salutatorians of area Catholic High Schools such as St. Agnes Academy, St. Benedict at Auburndale, and Christian Brothers High School. In the last 18 years, there have been 18 alumni of Holy Rosary who have received the title of valedictorian or salutatorian.
Holy Rosary Mission Statement
The mission of Holy Rosary is to provide a foundation on which students build their spiritual and academic life according to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
In partnership with Jesus Christ, we serve, we learn, we respect, we teach and we grow.