Photo courtesy of Carrie Edelstein.
On August 28, 2015, the Chapel bells rang for the first time in more than 50 years at St. Joseph’s Academy (2307 S. Lindbergh Blvd.), signaling the school’s 175 anniversary and a yearlong celebration kick-off. Frontenac Mayor Keith Krieg provided a proclamation and Principal Jennifer Feise Sudekum (Class of 1993) spoke of the school’s continuing mission to provide quality Catholic education to young women. Winifred Adelsberger, 90, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, was the honorary bell ringer.
SJA's original campus was located at 6400 Minnesota Ave. Later, it moved to grounds previously used for the World’s Fair at Wydown and Big Bend Blvds., the current site of Fontbonne College, which is also sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In 1946, the school moved to its current location in Frontenac.
After the bell ceremony, confetti canons were launched, and students marched to the athletic field to create a formation reading, “SJA 175.”
