Our History
Guardian Angels School
Guardian Angels School has been a landmark in West Point for over 120 years, providing academic excellence within a caring community since 1885. Construction of Guardian Angels was started in 1883 under the direction of Fr. Nicholas Horn. Fr. Horn died in 1884 and the task of completing the school was left to Msgr. Joseph Ruesing. The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity came from Manitowoc, WI, to staff the school. The school officially opened March 5, 1885, with an enrollment of 90 students. Guardian Angels was the first Catholic coeducational school in Nebraska.
A new building was constructed and dedicated September 1, 1918. It had an enrollment of 222 students in grades 1-12. The first high school student graduated in 1921. The old school building became the convent for the sisters and boarding house for students. In 1955, the old gym, located on the top floor of GA school, was converted into six classrooms; and the new auditorium located across the street was dedicated in April.
In 1958, plans were made to build a new high school. Land was also purchased for a new convent, which was completed in 1960. The original school building was razed to make room for the new high school. Central Catholic High School was completed in 1964.
During the 1970′s and 1980′s the surrounding communities closed their Catholic schools, which increased Guardian Angels’ enrollment. St. Anthony’s in St. Charles Township, St. Boniface in Monterey and St. Aloysius in Aloys were the schools that brought the largest enrollment increase to Guardian Angels. The school continues to serve these parishes in addition to Holy Cross in Beemer, St. Joseph’s in Wisner, and St. Leo’s in Snyder.
During the 1980′s and 1990′s the enrollment of Guardian Angels grade school was over 350 students. Kindergarten began in 1981 and a preschool program was added in 2002. A gradual decrease in rural population has affected the enrollment at Guardian Angels.
The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity still serve GACC. Today, however, the majority of teachers and staff at GACC are lay people and many of them are alumni of GACC.
A renovation committee was formed in 1997 to determine what improvements were needed for the Guardian Angels school building. Since then the bathrooms were remodeled and a state-of-the-art computer lab was installed. Various improvements have been made in classrooms and hallways including carpeting, new lights, lowered ceilings, new windows, and electrical updates. Many classrooms were also supplied with new TVs, DVD players, and computers. New entry doors on the
building were installed to improve security and energy efficiency. Fire doors were installed and Fire Rated Kits and door closures were installed on all the classroom doors. A state-of-the-art camera security system was installed in December, 2007 and fall of 2008.
Ours is a proud heritage and one we do not take lightly. We are proud of our past and we look forward with hope to a future that will continue to offer our famililes a choice of quality Catholic education.
We continue that endeavor as we meet the educational, spiritual, and developmental needs of our children in the 21st century.