History of Atchison Catholic Elementary School

Beginnings.  Benedictine monks founded St. Benedict’s Priory in Atchison in 1857.  Benedictine sisters founded St. Scholastica Convent, also in Atchison, in 1863.  Both the monks and the sisters provided Catholic grade school education for boarders and day students for a number of years.  Atchison Catholic people owe thanks, especially to the Benedictine sisters.  Many gave their lives for the education of our children.

The Little “Brown” School.  By 1870 there was an influx of boarding students at St. Benedict’s College.  This compelled St. Benedict’s Parish to make other arrangements for the Catholic education of youngsters; soon the little “Brown” school was serving girls and boys of the area.

St. Louis College.  St. Louis College, a combination grade and business school, opened Sept. 1, 1887, in downtown Atchison.  After the school served area children for 33 years, planning began for a new school closer to St. Benedict’s Church.

Sacred Heart School.  Meanwhile the first school for Sacred Heart Parish in west Atchison had a cornerstone dated Oct. 15, 1882.  This building, which served as church and school, was razed in 1929.  A new school building, the one that stands today, has a cornerstone dated June 30, 1929.  From early May to Sept. 8, 1929, Sacred Heart parishioners razed the old school building and erected this new one.  What a feat!

New Schools Planned.  In 1922 parishioners negotiated the purchase of a school building site on Division Street, near St. Benedict’s Church.  Controversy arose about the actual location of a new school.  The Most Rev. John Ward, Bishop of Leavenworth, decided there should be two new school sites, one near St. Benedict’s Church and the other in south Atchison.

Two New Schools.  By 1928 there were two new schools, St. Benedict’s and St. Joseph’s, providing Catholic education for boys and girls of the area.  St. Joseph’s School operated in south Atchison for two decades before the opening of St. Joseph’s Parish in 1949.

Consolidation.  In 1970 the grade schools of the three Atchison parishes – St. Benedict’s, Sacred Heart, and St. Joseph’s -- consolidated to form Atchison Catholic Elementary School, continuing to use the three parish school buildings.  A bus system transported students between the school buildings.

Further Consolidation.  In 1984 student enrollment was consolidated to two locations, St. Benedict’s and Sacred Heart.  The St. Joseph’s School building was razed in 1995.

Kindergarten.  ACES began offering kindergarten in fall 1988.   Both half and full day programs were offered.  Today, only full day kindergarten is offered.

New Home for the Primary.  In 1995 parishioners renovated the former Academy of Mount St. Scholastica Academic Building on the west side of the Maur Hill campus at a cost of $400,000.  In fall 1995 these new quarters housed kindergarten through 4^th grade, replacing the now empty Sacred Heart School building.  This became the ACES Primary School.  Students in grades 5 through 8 attended the St. Benedict's school, known as ACES Upper School.

Preschool.  The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica began the Mini-Mount preschool in 1984.  ACES took over operation of the preschool in fall 1997.  The ACES Mini-Mount Preschool operated on the ground floor of the Mount Community Center Administration Building and served about 70 students, 3 and 4 year olds, until Fall 2001 when the preschool moved to the primary building.

ACES Upper School Renovation.  The Atchison parishes, St. Benedict’s, St. Joseph’s, Sacred Heart, and St. Patrick’s, began an improvement fund for the St. Benedict’s School, housing grades 5 through 8, in 1998.  This program paid for a new roof, intercom and fire alarm systems, and the retirement of loan funds that renovated the ACES Primary Building.

From the Ashes: Summer, 2004.  Fire destroyed the ACES Primary Building on June 26, 2004.  The decision was made to consolidate operations to the St. Benedict’s School at 201 Division Street, which had previously housed grades 5 through 8 only.