History of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School

 A substantial gift from Mrs. Mary Ann Robertson of New York City to Raleigh's Bishop Waters made possible the establishment of a girls' college preparatory school, the Villa Marie Anna Academy, in 1954 on which is now Country Club Road in west Winston-Salem. The Villa's initial enrollment was a total of five students; however, the school began to experience substantial growth with the admission of boys in 1956. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill (five in number, led by Principal Sister Eileen Patrice) were responsible for the entire high school program, and under the care, two classes graduated from the Villa before its closure in 1959 to make way for the new inter-parochial high school, named for Raleigh's Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness. It opened its doors on September 8, 1959. The faith and determination of the Sisters came to fruition with the building of this new school, the Villa's successor, which enrolled 96 students to start. "Phase I" gave way to "Phase II" in 1959. In August of 2001, "Phase III" of the school's history began at its new central Triad 42-acre site, with a plant designed to eventually house more than 800 students in a state-of-the-art facility. Faithful to its education in the central Triad, Bishop McGuinness will continue to offer the very best in Catholic High School opportunity for generations to come.