St. James Secondary history

1846: An idyllic English countryside church, the Historic Church of St James the Less, opens in the lush “Falls of the Schuylkill” neighborhood (now called Allegheny West.)

In 1889, the Moulin du Prieur workshop officially became the Societe Anonyme des Filatures de Saint James.

Paid holidays, first introduced in 1936 for two weeks per year, are extended: the French can now go on vacation for three weeks.

Attendance eventually declined, so Father Murray closed the high school after 12 years.In September 1937, the first PTA was organized, and the organization funded a great many improvements to the school.

Sister Stephana was sent to reopen the high school in 1942.

Mildred Corbett, was begun by the PTA in 1944.

Elizabethtown Catholic High School offered a variety of courses, including Spanish for Juniors and Seniors.A new high school was built and furnished, and was occupied in March 1955.

St James Secondary was established in 1961 by the first Prime Minister Doctor Eric Williams and is one of six schools built at the time.

St James School was founded in January 1975.

In 1976 the company, still located in the village of Saint James, expanded and acquired new offices and workshops.

Since 1977, the SJPC group had controlled Lord Rothschild's interest in financial services and investment companies.

From 1980, the brand started exporting to Japan and then worldwide, benefiting from an international aura.

In 1990, to preserve the company's future and keep jobs in France, as Bernard Bonte wished, the company was bought by its own employees.

1991: J. Rothschild Assurance Holdings, plc is established.

Rothschild Name on New Financial Entity: 1992-95

Rothschild's SJPC entered into another new partnership in 1994, joining with New York Life Worldwide Holding to form Life Assurance Holding Corporation, a vehicle to acquire U.K. life businesses.

The teams moved to new premises in 1996, before a further expansion five years later.

J. Rothschild Assurance, seller of life assurance to the wealthy, engaged in a reverse takeover of holding company SJPC in 1997.

During 1999, Life Assurance Holding Corporation announced that it was examining its ownership structure.

Intelligent Finance online bank began operation in September 2000.

The private bank was scheduled to open in 2001.

The new entity succeeded in "raising profits and dividends when others could not," reported the Financial Times in 2003.

Total group profit before taxes for the year 2004 increased 37 percent to £142.3 million.

2008: The Vestry and people of Saint Mark’s Church (Locust Street) adopts the vacant property, intending to make it a resource for the neighborhood and perhaps – some day – start a school in the parish hall.

2010: William Penn Charter School partners to open an after school program for rising 3rd, 4th and 5th grade children for the soon-to-be-opened St James School.

2011: After a year of operating programming for the neighborhood, raising funds, and recruiting school leaders and students, St James School opens its doors for the first time! In year 1, the school served 16 5th-graders.

2015: After four years of challenging academics in a nurturing faith-based school community, the founding class graduates from middle school to high school.