Dedication planned for new Father McGivney Catholic High School
As last-minute school supplies are purchased and Facebook is blowing up with back-to-school photos, no one is more excited for the first day of school this year than the families of Father McGivney Catholic High School.
Opened in 2012 in the north wing of St. John Neumann Catholic School, McGivney outgrew its space as planned. Thanks to a successful capital campaign that raised over $5.1 million from more than 1,600 local families, a state-of-the-art new high school building is McGivney’s new home at the corner of Bouse and Old Troy Roads in Glen Carbon.
This year, the first class of students who started as freshmen at SJN will be seniors, and they will graduate from the new building in May.
“The new school is awesome,” McGivney Principal Mike Scholz said, “It will provide our students endless opportunities. Thanks to all who have contributed to make this possible.”
In order to thank the community, Father McGivney is planning a Dedication Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2:30 p.m. Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield will lead the festivities by blessing all aspects of the building, including the building, grounds, and parking lots. The dedication is open to the public, and all are welcome to tour the school and meet the families of McGivney.
The first day of school is Aug. 20, where McGivney’s doors will open to freshmen through seniors who come from 10 local Catholic parishes (Holy Family and St. Elizabeth in Granite City, St. Mary and St. Boniface in Edwardsville, St. Michael in Staunton, St. Cecilia in Glen Carbon, St. Paul in Highland, Sts. Peter & Paul in Collinsville, Mother of Perpetual Help in Maryville, and St. Jerome in Troy) as well as the communities of O’Fallon, Fairview Heights, Belleville, and Fairmont City. Students come from Catholic and public grade schools.
About Father McGivney
The new Father McGivney Catholic High School facility is 53,000 square feet that includes state-of-the-art classrooms, science labs, art room, gymnasium, chapel, and student lounge. Financing for the building was supplied by First Cloverleaf Bank. Hurford Architects designed the facility, and Holland Construction served as the construction manager. The school sits on an 80-acre lot with plenty of room for a planned athletics complex and future expansion.
Heralded as a “laptop school,” Father McGivney has an emphasis on technology, faith formation, and strong academics. Father McGivney offers challenging AP and dual credit classes and a unique “house” model, where students form friendships and learn leadership in an academic and service-oriented environment.
Beginning its fourth year, McGivney offers a variety of IHSA sports and will field its first varsity boys and girls soccer teams this year. In addition, the number of clubs and student organizations is booming with the growth of the school and new facility. Other opportunities range from fine arts and robotics to Scholar Bowl and Green Griffins environment club.
Visit www.mcgivneygriffins.com to learn more.
This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Dedication planned for new Father McGivney Catholic High School."