After delays caused by winter storms, the Immaculata Catholic School community came together to walk through its history in a presentation put together by students. (Provided and Troy C. Hull | Catholic News Herald)HENDERSONVILLE — One hundred years ago, the roaring ’20s were in full swing, Queen Elizabeth II was born, and a parish priest quietly turned a rectory into a school. Immaculata Catholic School – among the oldest school in the diocese – kicked off a celebration of its centennial with an event that offered a living look at the school’s long history.
“A Walk Through Time” offered visitors a chance to walk from classroom to classroom, where students talked about the most significant events that happened during the decade assigned to their grade. Other students explained the significance of special school artifacts.
“It was a pretty amazing event and a once in a lifetime event to celebrate our 100th anniversary,” said Principal Margaret Beale. “We’ve been working on this for close to a year, and a lot of people dedicated a lot of their time to this. It’s an honor to be able to share the story of Immaculata and to be part of that story.”
The experience meant a lot to student participants like eighth-grader Natalia Corona Montiel.
“What I love most about Immaculata are my teachers and my classmates,” she said, underscoring how much she will miss the tight-knit faith community when she begins high school in the fall.
After being rescheduled by back-to-back ice and snow storms at the end of January, two walks took place on Feb. 12, with about 50 people attending the daytime event and more than 100 turning out for the evening walk. Dr. Greg Monroe, diocesan superintendent of schools, was on hand. The trek took about 45 minutes to complete.
As visitor Joanne Savage said, “The tour was wonderful. My husband and I have been supporters of the school for years and years.”
Beale said a large team of volunteers worked behind the scenes to put the event together, including one person who spent six months going through the school’s archives and separating material by decade.
Another “Walk Through Time” will be held at 1 p.m. May 8. The school will continue to commemorate its centennial throughout this year, including a special celebration for alumni at Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Immaculata School was launched in 1926 by Father James Manley, who was pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish at the time. He received permission from Bishop William Hafey of Raleigh to turn the existing rectory into a school. With the help of a parishioner, he made arrangements for three sisters whose motherhouse was in France to come to Hendersonville and begin the school. By 1927, there were 16 students. Father Paul Termer, pastor at Immaculate Conception in 1927, saw the need for a larger school and arranged for the purchase of a large brick home known as the Keith Estate on Oakland Street to house the new school. Additional land was purchased in the early 1960s behind what was known as Allworden Estate and plans for a new school were launched. The school moved to its current location in 1961.
A series of renovations and expansions have taken place over the years. In 2024, the school served as a crucial supply hub for survivors of Tropical Storm Helene. The school has an enrollment of 174 students in pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade.
— Christina Lee Knauss
