Cathedral works toward $16.5-million goal

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

The board of directors, national volunteer chairs Bob and Kathy Lahr, president Mike Mullen and many others involved with the success for Cathedral High School hope to finish raising $16.5 million in the months ahead as part of its Campaign for Cathedral Master Plan 2018.

Student enrollment at Cathedral for 2016 is 661 students who attend grades seven to 12. That enrollment includes 67 students from the St. Joseph area and 61 students from the Sartell area.

In 2010 and looking toward 2018, 11 goals were established as the school’s Master Plan working towards “greater strength, stability and value for stakeholders.” The plan was formally adopted on Nov. 17, 2011.

The plan included goals of “new capital held as cash or converted to facilities will be not less than $18 million,” and “at least one new facility addition or major renovation will add dramatic function and form to programs determined most in need.”

Currently, about $10 million of that $16.5 million has been raised, with $6.5 million still remaining.

The Campaign for Cathedral is expected to generate capital for students, faculty, facilities and the future of the school.

The funds are to go toward keeping the school thriving; offering more design elements to improve educational experiences; updating science labs, music areas and physical education areas; improving communication; and more.

Once the goal is met, building improvements to the school would include new science labs, high-quality technology, 21st-century learning spaces, art, music and better incorporation of the Mississippi River into the campus design.

The school hopes to have the improvements in place before the end of 2018.

“If we are able to complete the fundraising phase, we will begin to draw up final plans almost immediately and then begin to build,” Mullin said. “But we still have lots of work to do and need to engage thousands more donors if we’re going to reach our goal. That’s what all of our effort is directed toward right now.”

Cathedral High School is governed by the bishop, 13 pastors, a board of directors and a board of trustees.

“In recent years, we have also added a significant number of international students to our enrollment mix,” Mullin said. “These students, from a dozen or more countries, enrich us culturally while giving our local students a glimpse into the greater global society.”

The staff-to-student ratio at Cathedral is 5:4, teacher-to-student ratio is 15:1 and typical class sizes are about 25.

The school has a per-pupil operational cost of $10,851, with 90 percent of students receiving some type of scholarship. Tuition per pupil for 2017 is $8,995 and $6,995 for seventh- and eighth-graders respectively, with a maximum of $19,000 for a family with three or more children enrolled concurrently.

Cathedral was founded in 1884 by then-Bishop Rupert Seidenbush, OSB, as The Holy Guardian Angels Cathedral School.

The mission of Cathedral is to “educate people while inspiring them to virtuous lives.” Many changes have occurred during the 132-year history of the school. A timeline of some of them include the following:

• Ground breaking for a school expansion took place in 1914.

• A cornerstone was laid for a new building south of the 1914 building in 1938. This three-structure building included 15 classrooms, science laboratories, a library, cafeteria, gymnasium and music rooms.

• A new building, south of the 1938 building, was added in 1957. This building included a new cafeteria, kitchen, library, two large-group rooms, a home-economics department, office space and 18 classrooms.

• The north gym was built in 1967 and included a modern gym floor, locker rooms, bathrooms, coaches’ offices, a small classroom and seating capacity of 3,500.

• Enrollment at the school was at a high of 1,621 students, serving grades nine to 12, in 1964. During that time, students in grades seven and eight were assigned to neighboring Catholic schools

• Enrollment decreased greatly during 1969-1971 and grades seven and eight were returned to the Cathedral campus.

• The Cathedral High School Education Foundation was established in 1978. The first gift was $10. The original fundraising goal was $1 million and about $800,000 was raised.

• The school established its first development, alumni and admissions’ office in 1981. Rockin’ Round the Clock, a fundraiser musician Bobby Vee and his family played a large role in developing, began that year and continued for 25 years.

• The Holy Angels Church was renovated into Holy Angels Performing and Fine Arts Center with a large stage, small lobby, an elevator, two large music classrooms, faculty offices, private music practice rooms and theater seating for 400 in 1993.

• In 2005, the “Investing in Our Future” campaign generated $4.6 million new capital dollars for building improvements and Foundation growth. The money was used to add a passenger elevator to the 1957 building, do major renovations and add air conditioning to the kitchen and cafeteria, install new bleachers in the 1965 gym and purchase the former food-shelf building located at the corner of Second Street and Seventh Avenue.

• Staffing and strengthening the school’s development function and office took place in 2009.

• The names John XXIII and Sts. Peter, Paul and Michael were retired in 2011 as the school returned to its roots to serve seventh- to 12th-grade students for all parishes in central Minnesota metro and outlying areas.

• The Education Foundation had net assets of $10 million in 2013.

• A Laptop for Learners improvement, providing Apple laptop computers to all students and teachers, took place in 2014.

• The Campaign for Cathedral was launched in 2015.

• The Cathedral High School campus covers five-plus city blocks, with 500 feet adjacent to the Mississippi River.