In celebration of St. Joan of Arc School's 95th birthday, which is being marked in September, the school will host several community events, including Father Al's Beef and Beer Social on Friday, Oct. 14. For more information and to make reservations, visit http://school.stjoanhershey.org. On Friday, Oct. 21, the school will host its annual Race for Education, the first of three fundraising events. A donation link may be found on the aforementioned website. For information on how to send a contribution by mail, contact Deb Rizzotto, director of development, at 717-533-2854.

St. Joan of Arc School, or SJA, as it is known to the families whose children attend, had its beginnings in September 1927 on Chocolate Avenue when four members of the Daughters of Mercy came to live at the newly completed convent to provide religious education to families. The Daughters of Mercy were an international religious congregation founded in Savona, Italy, in 1837 by St. Mary Joseph Rossello; the congregation was headquartered in Newfield, N.J.

Enrollment grew at SJA, and on Nov. 23, 1947, the school broke ground for a new facility on what is now West Areba Avenue. Nine Daughters of Mercy organized their classes with 225 children, more than doubling the previous year's enrollment of 90 children. In 1953, the school was expanded with the addition of four new classrooms.

SJA continued to expand, and in December 2019, papers were signed to purchase the former Lancaster Mennonite School Hershey Campus for use in the 2020-21 school year. The new school sits on 36 acres of land at 1525 Sand Hill Road, Hummelstown, and has more than 500 students. St. Joan of Arc School is currently the largest Catholic school in the Diocese of Harrisburg and welcomed the 2022-23 school year with the newly completed third-floor middle school area due largely to the school's donors and the vision of the Rev. Al Sceski.

The school has received recognition for its excellence in education, earning the Middle States accreditation in 2015, the National Blue Ribbon accreditation in 2016, and STEM accreditation in 2019. In 2022, SJA principal Sister Eileen McGowan was recognized by the National Catholic Educational Association for her outstanding work in Catholic school education and faith formation.