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T H E H I S T O R Y O F S T. A N N E CATHOLIC SCHOOL S
t. Anne Catholic School has a particularly rich history that begins in 1951 with 17 students enrolled in kindergarten and first grade. In 1954, St. Anne became the first racially integrated school in the state. Over the years, the school has grown tremendously, and while many things have changed, others have stayed the same. “For seven decades we have held onto our foundational traditions like our May Crowning and our Saints Program,” says Principal Shaileen Riginos. “Over the past 15 years, we have broadened who we serve tremendously. Our school community reflects the increasing diversity of the church and our growing Vietnamese and Hispanic populations.” Today, St. Anne Catholic School serves over 300 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The mission of the school is to serve the whole person when educating students. “Spiritually, we serve students with faith formation throughout the school day, and emotionally, we have very small class sizes and nurturing teachers and staff,” Principal Riginos says. “Academically, we balance the tradition of Catholic education with current instructional practices, and physically, we have opportunities for students to play sports from 3 years old through high school. Finally, culturally, our students are learning through music, band, liturgical choir, art, and other ways.” Principal Riginos joined St. Anne in 2010 as a parent and a former educator in public schools. She became a teacher at the school in 2011 and then Associate Principal for a year before becoming Principal in 2013. “My children led me to St. Anne School, but once I saw the incredible things they were doing, I couldn’t wait to get a job here,” Principal Riginos says. “I appreciate all our traditions like our Kindergarten Graduation, the sweatshirt our eighthgraders design every year, and the mural our sixth-graders create for the school.” This unique school spirit — rooted in faith, family, and tradition — has been an important part of life at St. Anne’s for many generations. Sister Maryanne Winterberg, IHM, served as our Principal from 1986 to 1992. During her time at our school, there was one class for each grade — up to sixth. “It was very nice for a fire drill because every class opened up to a porch!” she laughs. Sr. Maryanne recalls that she initially felt overwhelmed when she received the assignment to serve at our school — it was her first assignment as Principal, and it required her to move from her home in Philadelphia to South Carolina. “But it was a wonderful experience,” Sr. Maryanne says.
