OGDEN — Saint Joseph Catholic High School (SJCHS) is small, but those who attend the school remain friends for a life time. The school has 194 students this year. The graduating classes average about 35 to 40 students, and often those who graduate from the high school begin school at Saint Joseph Elementary and Middle Schools. In 2003, Claudia Raab, then principal of SJCHS called a group of alumni together to plan a 50 year anniversary celebration. The school opened in 1953. From the 50th anniversary celebration of the school, the Saint Joseph Alumni Association was formed. Bob McConaughy from the class of 1980, is currently the president of the Alumni Association. Each year the Alumni Association holds a weekend celebration. This year it was held July 18-19. The weekend always begins with a barbecue for all alumni from all classes, as well as to honor the class celebrating its 50th reunion. The class honored was the class of 1958. The weekend continued with the Fourth Annual Hall of Fame Banquet. Joe Loffredo, class of 1966 and chairman of the Hall of Fame committee said those honored were Carrie Lemieux Vernieuw, an outstanding athlete in cross country and track from the class of 1991, the Saint Joseph High School Booster Organization as significant contributors to the school, and Mary and the late Robert Evans as significant contributors to SJCHS. Vernieuw attended SJCHS from 1991 to 1995. She earned All-State honors in both cross country and track. She set school records in the 100 meter dash, the 300 meter hurdles, 400 meter dash, was on the 4 by 100 meter relay, and was on the 1993 State Champions All State team. She was student body president, held a seat on Orin Hatch’s Youth Advisory Council, and was captain of the cross country team. As co-salutatorian she maintained a 3.97 grade point average. Vernieuw was awarded a scholarship to Gonzaga University where she competed in cross country and track and received the female Senior Athlete Award. She graduated cum laude in 1999. She earned an M.S. in Exercise and Movement Science from the University of Oregon. Vernieuw served five years in the U.S. Army where she worked as a research assistant at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass. She won the Soldier of the Year competition in 2004 for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. She married Chase Vernieuw, SJCHS class of 1995, and they have two children. The Saint Joseph Booster organization has been in existence since the early 1970s. It was Jesuit Father Neale Herrlich who visualized an organization that parents and supporters could come together for the sole purpose of supporting athletes. They have built life-long friendships and tight bonds to the school as a result of being boosters. In the early days the boosters held carnivals to raise funds and bring the outer community together. Now they raise funds through seasonal events and private donations. Since its inception, the boosters have generously offered monetary support and donated immeasurable amounts of time to help build the athletic program. "For more than 45 years, the Evanses have been involved with Saint Joseph Schools, donating a great deal of time, talent, and treasure to assure the success of the school and its mission," said Loffredo. "They have long been known for their generosity and SJCHS will always be grateful for their many gifts, which they preferred to bestow anonymously." They made it possible for many students to attend through tuition assistance. The Black Box Theater and the addition to the weight room in the gym are two of the many contributions they have made. These gifts acknowledge their support of both athletics and academics, their desire to encourage a well-rounded student, and their belief in the importance of a Catholic education. The Alumni Association holds two fund raisers a year. Lou Ann Kamigaki, of the class of 1965 and a past Alumni Association president, said the fund raiser held in March is a phantom fund raiser where they send out excuses why you should not attend. The association sponsors four writing scholarships in May. Two are awarded to the freshmen and sophomores and two are awarded to juniors and seniors. The scholarships are in honor of Jesuit Fathers Neale Herrlich, Louis Kern, and Joseph Devlin, and Holy Cross Sister Elizabeth Marie O’Conner, who all taught at SJCHS. Each student is awarded $1,200, which is put toward his or her tuition at the high school. The Alumni Association has an endowment with the Catholic Foundation of Utah to provide an annual source of income for scholarships at SJCHS. The Alumni Association would like all alumni to be involved in their organization.
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