Born out of Service & Community
In the fall of 1996, Hurricane Fran directly hit Wilmington, North Carolina. Several schools throughout the region were left devastated and submerged underwater, including Wrightsville Beach Elementary School. In response, St. Mark Catholic Church opened its doors to students, faculty and staff, allowing them to resume classes in their building and facilities.
For nearly six months, 200 students and staff continued their instruction using the faith formation classrooms, the Parish Hall, and the parish office and meeting rooms.
Hearing the Call
Through this experience, St. Mark Catholic Church felt the call of a mission. The presence of the students and families deeply impacted the parish community in positive ways, and as a result, the Church began the process of developing St. Mark Catholic School.
After several meetings and consultations with the Diocese of Raleigh, it was affirmed that Wilmington and the Catholic community in Wilmington could sustain another elementary/middle school. Soon after, parishioners and community members began making pledges. Through their prayer, commitment, and generosity, pledges from the 2000 Capital Campaign exceeded $2 million! As a result, the Media Center, which included a library and other state-of-the-art technology, was incorporated during the initial phase of construction.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place in April of 2001 and construction began. St. Mark Catholic School officially opened its doors in the fall of 2002! In the beginning, the school only offered Kindergarten through 6th grade, but began adding one grade each year until the first 8th grade class graduated in 2005.
St. Mark Catholic School Today
Almost 20 years ago, St. Mark Catholic School welcomed over 250 students onto their campus. Today, there are over 500 students and their families enrolled at the school. For the past two decades, the school community has continued to uphold the highest standards and embody excellence in service, academics, and faith.
St. Mark Catholic School was born out of compassion, faith, and service to others, and it is our mission to ensure our students grow into excellent leaders who embrace and live by these same founding values.
