But, somehow, it all worked out.
“It has taken 10 years and we are halfway done,” Beaulieu said. “It is the most complex building parish plan I have ever done. It took a lot of miracles along the way and we are not finished yet, but I think the hardest part is done.”
Beaulieu and others at Our Lady are celebrating the opening of the school’s new facilities this week. The school has brought in new technology, enough classroom space to nearly double enrollment, and a better educational platform for students and parents to enjoy. School started Tuesday and children started breaking in their new classrooms fit with SMART Boards, a new playground, lockers, a library and computer lab.
“It really brings the world to the desktop,” Principal Eileen Ryan said.
The church raised $18 million through its Cornerstone Campaign, starting in 2001 after plans to expand were brought forward in 1998. The campaign targeted the church’s parishioners, but the fundraising was not limited to just their donations. About $9.2 million of the money raised was spent on purchasing and building a property adjacent to the school.
About $9.4 million was spent renovating and building new classrooms at the school, which was originally constructed in 1961.
Parents demanded the expansion because there was no room for rising enrollment. Earning the National Blue Ribbon distinction in 2001, the school had a capacity of 350 students in 2006 and many students were denied entrance because of lack of space. A lottery was even used to determine who got in and who didn’t.
With the new classrooms, the school is now serving 450 students and has plans to have 600 students enrolled by 2010.
The new classrooms also feature study rooms, more storage space and better equipment including the SMART Boards — electronic whiteboards.
