HENDERSONVILLE — This summer Immaculata School is getting a makeover, including important updates to critical technology and safety systems.
The $900,000 remodeling project is made possible thanks to an Immaculate Conception Parish capital campaign and a grant from the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign.
Updates to the 94-year-old school include a new security vestibule and visitor check-in system, upgrades to the school’s technology infrastructure and the addition of an intercom system. Restrooms are also being remodeled, and the front sidewalk is being refurbished with the addition of a Marian blue canopy.
“Making things more efficient and structured will help the day-to-day running of the school easier,” said Principal Margaret Beale, adding that the intercom system and keycard access will add security and convenience for teachers, families and office staff.
Beale noted that the school is used by groups from Immaculate Conception Church and the community, so “it will be good to monitor, even remotely, people coming in and using the facility.”
With the technology overhaul, she added, “we are laying the foundation of future expansion and future projects. We have Chromebooks and smartboards already, but we are building the structure for future technology.”
Father Christian Cook, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church, is pleased with the shared fundraising efforts that are making this project possible.
The money for the school improvements is coming from the parish’s successful $2.3 million capital campaign, which included $475,000 from the diocese’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign.
The parish is using $900,000 from its capital campaign to fund the school project. The remaining $1.4 million from the campaign was used to pay for an office building.
“This has been a parish and a diocesan partnership to upgrade the school,” Father Cook said. “We want to give the parish more pride in the school because the school is not just a business, but a mission of the parish.”
“We are the stewards of the school since the 1920s. We must modernize to prepare our students academically and spiritually,” he added.
The work is scheduled to start June 8.
“Right after instruction is done, we are relocating the school office to underneath the church to use as a temporary office,” Beale said. “We are hoping to have everything done by the beginning of August so teachers can come back in to prepare for the new academic year.”
Cely Construction of Greenville, S.C., is the general contractor on the project.
“We liked them (Cely) because they had worked with churches and schools,” Father Cook explained. “We have great confidence that they know how to work with school calendars and how to work with students on campus should the timeframe be extended.”
The hope is to have everything completed by the first day of school, Aug. 19.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — St. Gabriel School fifth-grade teacher Meghan Hader received the “Fr. Frank O’Rourke Award for Excellence in Teaching” June 5 for her dedication to Catholic education.
This award, in its fourth year, is presented to one outstanding full-time St. Gabriel School teacher at the end of each school year. Nominated by school families, staff and fifth-grade students, Hader was recognized for being passionate about her students, going the extra mile to make learning fun and to build their confidence, and for the qualities of our Catholic faith that she exhibits in her work.
She is a graduate of the University of Dayton and has a master’s degree in elementary education from Wingate University.
St. Gabriel parishioners Herb and Tess Verbesey established this $10,000 award in honor of former pastor Father Frank O’Rourke, who retired in 2019.
The late Tess Verbesey had been a guidance counselor at Charlotte Catholic High School for many years. The Verbeseys have been longtime supporters of Catholic education and created a similar award at the high school in 2007.
To be eligible for the award, a teacher must teach full-time and have taught at St. Gabriel School for at least five years. Nominees must demonstrate a positive impact on students; exceptional dedication to Catholic education; commitment to the school’s overall mission and success; faith and mercy in their interactions with students, families and faculty; and best teaching practices.
One nomination for Hader noted, “She is passionate about her students, goes the extra mile for making learning fun and supporting her students.”
Another said, “She seems to have a way of building students’ confidence.”
— Catholic News Herald