HUNTERSVILLE — Since exceeding a $500,000 challenge match in June, Christ the King High School has continued to get closer to its initial capital campaign goal of $3.5 million. To date, the “Grounded in Faith – Building our Future” campaign to build a new Athletic and Activity Complex has received $3.28 million in gifts and pledges, including a $1 million lead gift and a $500,000 challenge match from a current Christ the King family.
When the first fundraising campaign goal of $3.5 million is reached, the school will move ahead with expanding its gymnasium to include a full-sized court and two cross courts, plus increasing seating from 120 to 690 spectators.
Also included are men’s and women’s locker rooms for home and visiting teams, coaches and trainer offices, space for a fitness center and a new main entrance from the school lobby into the gymnasium, which will also serve as an awards gallery.
“Apparently there are no ‘dog days of summer’ here at Christ the King,” said Principal Dr. Carl Semmler. “We are entering August with almost $3.3 million pledged towards our new Athletic and Activity Complex. We are well within sight of our level one goal. I am confident that the ‘back to school’ excitement will bring us to our $4.5 million level two goal. This will enable us to build the stage area, with all of the accompanying audio/visual, along with our athletic areas.”
Once the first two levels are achieved, then the campaign moves on to its final level three goal of $5.5 million.
Semmler said he “keeps on thinking about the summer day when the Fulfords (George and Pattie Fulford of Huntersville) came to see the current gym and learn about the designs for the new complex. The Fulfords are the visionaries who built the current gym. They were so elated to see how much the school has grown and were in full support of expanding the current Fulford Athletic Building.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Christ the King High School contributed.
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School is nearing the halfway mark of its “Expanding the Vision, Honoring the Tradition” capital campaign. The public phase of this capital campaign launched last April to build a new Fine Arts Center at the high school for all students in the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system to use.
“As we begin a new school year, we are thrilled to report that we have raised nearly $4 million of our $8 million goal,” said Principal Kurt Telford. “Our extended CCHS family is truly rolling up its sleeves and coming together to expand our school and provide the Fine Arts Center we’ve dreamed of since we moved to this campus in 1994.”
“It has been exciting and humbling to meet with so many people who want to be a part of this exciting time for Charlotte Catholic and our Catholic schools,” said Sally McArdle, the high school’s advancement director. The CCHS community is raising $8 million toward the $23 million project, with the other $15 million committed through the existing capital fees paid by all families in the MACS system.
The CCHS expansion will include a new, state-of-the-art building for the visual and performing arts program and a renovation of existing spaces to create updated athletic facilities and classrooms for teachers who currently do not have them. Construction is planned to start in fall of 2020.
“The new MACS Fine Arts Center will serve not only as a place for learning and growth for our high school students, but also as a place for educational programs and performances for all MACS students,” Telford said. “We are excited about this next chapter in our history, and are so grateful to the families and alumni who have already made their contributions and pledges. Our hope is that the entire community will join us in completing our fundraising effort and celebrate the groundbreaking with us very soon.”
— Carolyn Tillman
Learn more
To learn more about the MACS Fine Arts Center and the “Expanding the Vision, Honoring the Tradition” capital campaign, go to the campaign website at www.playingyourpart.org.