Balloon release marks school’s 50th anniversary

Fifty purple balloons have been released into the air above a Huyton school to mark the school’s 50th anniversary.

Staff at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School also marked the golden milestone with a Mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Liverpool and a party for governors, staff and students.

The 50th anniversary theme continued including featuring a museum of artefacts and stories from the 1960s; the children also studied the history of 1966 and buried a time capsule in the hope that it will be dug up in another 50 years’ time.

Five decades ago, Colette Wilson (then Mulcahey) was among the first children to start school at St Joseph’s. Now her dad, John Mulcahey, is chair of governors.

Colette said that although there have been changes to the building and staff, the spirit of the school remains: “It was always a happy school with the teachers expecting us all to do our best. I remember wooden desks in rows, much bigger class sizes and the teachers including Mrs O’Keefe, Miss Beesley and the headmaster Mr Walsh.”

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon had an excellent first impression of the school and congratulated headteacher Mr Charlie Newstead and all the staff noting impeccable student behaviour and uniform along with the welcoming and positive atmosphere of the school.

“St Joseph’s,” said the Archbishop, “is truly a school based on Jesus’ teaching.”
Gary Senior, the school’s archdiocesan officer said: “When anyone visits St Joseph’s, the children’s and staff’s love for their school and the care and support provided for each other shines through.

“There is a wonderful atmosphere and Christian ethos to the school where a purposeful and happy environment is in evidence everywhere you go – a truly uplifting Catholic family community!”

At the end of Mass, the Archbishop thanked everyone for inviting him and said he would remember this day for a long time to come. He then joined the children to release 50 balloons, one for each year the school had been open.

Laila, a pupil in Year 4, summed up the day by saying: “We had a fun, enjoyable day releasing 50 balloons, learning about what my school used to be like 50 years ago, having a party box and meeting the archbishop”.