Poised to provide students with an education in some of the fastest-growing careers, St. Patrick School in Carlisle broke ground April 4 for a 12,000-square-foot STEAM wing in a celebratory ceremony with the entire student body.
Bishop Ronald Gainer blessed the ground where construction on the wing commences toward the goal of opening in January 2024.
The bishop was joined by Father Donald Bender, pastor; Father Jerome Kleponis, parochial vicar; Antoinette Oliverio, principal; students and members of Pyramid Construction Services, LLC, in pitching their shovels into the ground, as the entire school community erupted in cheers.
The $3.9 million project will provide elementary and middle school classrooms dedicated to hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
The wing will offer state-of-the-art STEM rooms, and give the art and music programs their own dedicated spaces; currently, these programs share space in the school.
“Pope Benedict once said, ‘Art, along with science, is the highest gift God has given,’” Oliverio remarked. “Today, we see firsthand a gift that has blessed us tremendously, a gift that begins on this day but will last a lifetime.”
St. Patrick School, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, serves students in grades PreK-8. For more information, visit www.spscarlisle.org.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
