BUILDING OUR FUTURE: The Case for St. Bernard Academy’s Campus Enhancement
BUILDING OUR FUTURE: The Case for St. Bernard Academy’s Campus Enhancement
Earlier in the race, a student from another school tripped and went down in pain. Instinctively and without regard to his place in the race, one of our Bears bent down and helped him up. Neither child knew the other before the race, but together, they limped arm in arm across the finish line.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
When it was finally the 10-year-old boys’ turn to run, the students nervously stretched and got into position. The starting gun sounded, and they took off across the field. Nearly fifteen minutes later, children began crossing the finish line. Two sets of parents couldn’t find their sons. Moments later they realized why.
St. Bernard Academy
A few years back, nearly a thousand students laced up their shoes and crowded the St. Cecilia Academy campus for the annual county-wide cross country meet. Cross country is one of St. Bernard’s most popular sports, so nearly a third of our students were there to culminate months of practice. Race after race was run; some St. Bernard students placed, some didn’t. And then something unusual happened.
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WHY DO OUR STUDENTS EXCEL? Two distinctive traits permeate St. Bernard Academy’s campus. Compassion—when a child helps a stranger finish a cross country race—is the first. Academic excellence is the second. Both are rooted in our proud and strong Catholic tradition. Each of our students works at least one grade level
ahead of their peers at other schools. Our teams consistently rate highest in math, science, and forensic competitions. High schools vie for our students because of their preparation and study habits.
We’re proud of these traits, but we can’t take all the credit.
It also shows in our enrollment, which has outgrown our current spaces.
St. Bernard Academy
Like you, we achieve that delicate balance between nurture and challenge, and it shows in our test scores and in our citizenship.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
Far before they first enter our doors, our students learn kindness, social justice, and a passion for learning at home. As parents, you model the behavior that we reinforce every day in all we do.
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We are committed to keeping our student body large enough to maintain affordable tuition while keeping class sizes small. WE’VE OUTGROWN OUR SPACES
We want to be big enough to field a basketball team or assemble a band, but small enough to maintain a selective admissions process and foster close relationships with each of our families. But our facilities have not kept up with the outstanding education happening inside. Classes are cramped. Students do not have the opportunity to foster their talents outside the classroom. We want to do more for our students—your children. We proudly launch Building Our Future, the $1 million campaign to build six new classrooms, a new fine arts and multi-purpose building, and renovate existing
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
St. Bernard Academy
administrative offices into a student support center. With your energy and your
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financial support, we embrace the momentum we feel every day and create something special, a place where ambition and empathy share equal importance.
“WE TALK WITH PRIDE ABOUT OUR STUDENTS, OUR FACULTY, AND OUR FAMILIES, BUT NOT ABOUT OUR FACILITIES. LET’S CHANGE THAT AND BUILD A CAMPUS WE CAN BE PROUD OF, WHERE THE QUALITY OF OUR FACILITIES MATCHES THE QUALITY OF OUR FACULTY AND STAFF.”
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
St. Bernard Academy
CHUCK SABO, HEAD OF SCHOOL
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St. Bernard Academy BUILDING OUR FUTURE
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T ODAY
C O M I N G S O O N. . . W I T H YO U R S U P P O RT
Old classroom divided into two tiny classrooms
Large classrooms built for group collaborations and individual learning
Students learn in classrooms between the stage and the gym, distracted by noise
Spacious classrooms designed for individualized and group learning, and interactive teaching styles
Storage closets used as tutoring spaces
New student support center with space and tools for tutoring, counseling, and family conferences
Basketball teams practice late on school nights, the only time gym space is available
A multi-purpose building provides additional space for team practices
Band practice starts at 7 am, four days a week, immediately eliminating talented students who cannot arrive early
Band practice integrated into the school day, giving more students the chance to join and learn to play an instrument
No space large enough to celebrate Mass with all students, faculty, and guests without interrupting class schedules
A multi-purpose building to host school-wide assemblies and Mass, without altering classes
Students navigate the “St. Bernard River� through rain and cold to reach the music room, located in a converted garage
Students develop an ear for music in a fine arts space central to the rest of campus
No space for a drama program; a school play has been performed only twice in the last eight years
A thriving drama program gives our children a chance to act and hone their public speaking skills
Limited aftercare activities because of a lack of space
The multi-purpose building increases after school space, allowing for new programming
A DELIBERATE ANALYSIS
In 2011 we began a very strategic process to guide SBA’s growth. We invited our entire community to take part in that conversation. We learned that we do a lot of things well, but we also learned that we are missing opportunities. Our facility is crowded, and many of our spaces are inadequate.
The planning study revealed that more than anything else, you want to see more classrooms and better student support space. You also want a building that can be configured many different ways: for gathering, performing, worshiping, and playing.
PE on inclement weather days, and our aftercare program. By turning the old SBA swimming pool footprint into green space, we continue to provide outdoor land for our children to play and exercise. The current administrative offices will be converted into a student support center.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
The new SBA will turn our campus from a dated physical plant into one we treasure. Six new classrooms along with administrative space will be built along Bernard Avenue. A 6,000 square foot multi-purpose building will provide space for school-wide assemblies, Mass, performing arts,
St. Bernard Academy
Building Our Future gives our school community these spaces and opportunities. As SBA looks to its next 150 years, Building Our Future sets our school on a path for a proud future.
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ROOMS TO GROW Small class sizes and a small student body, the hallmark of an SBA education, are traditions we intend to keep. It’s how our teachers get to know your children as well as they do. It’s how they identify and foster hidden talents, and recognize when a student needs a little extra. To keep class sizes small, however, we must build more classrooms. There is no other answer. Dolores Hackett, a fourth grade teacher, is an expert on SBA’s need for classroom space. Her classroom is one of two spaces between the stage and the gym. Every day, her lessons compete
with musical notes and bouncing basketballs. Imagine how much more effective Dolores, and her colleagues, could be in a proper classroom. Building Our Future provides six new classrooms that incorporate the latest technology and are designed to maximize learning. These new spaces will be flexible enough for group study, independent reading, and interactive learning. They enhance our teachers’ ability to blend the most current education practices with effective traditional styles.
“We definitely need more space. Some teachers have to share classrooms. The guitar and piano students take lessons in closets. The school counselor’s office is right across from the noisy gym in the school’s busiest hallway, which makes it hard to have a meeting with her.” – Charlotte Mays, 5th Level Student
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
St. Bernard Academy
BUILDING OUR FUTURE ADDS SIX NEW CLASSROOMS
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• Class sizes will remain small across all grade levels. • New, large classrooms will be configured for 21st-century learning. • Teachers will continue to have advanced technology tools to aid their lessons. • Students have ample space for large and small group discussions, individualized study, and interactive learning.
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Fourth grade classes are moved from behind the stage and gym; no longer are students distracted by PE classes or musical performances.
• The science lab, today used as a regular classroom, is once again dedicated to science.
“OUR MUSIC PROGRAM ISN’T STRONG, BUT IT’S NOT FOR A LACK OF INTEREST OR TALENT. WE JUST DON’T HAVE A PLACE FOR IT. WE LIVE IN ‘MUSIC CITY.’ WE SHOULD BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES ALL AROUND US.”
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
St. Bernard Academy
MICHAEL STEWART, MUSIC TEACHER
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ONE SPACE: INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
SBA was founded by the Sisters of Mercy on traditions of self-discipline and the pursuit of social justice. We honor their legacy and the lessons they left. A new multi-purpose building gives us a space to hold Mass.
With more space, we can finally develop a comprehensive fine arts program. Our band, which now excludes students who cannot make it to 7 a.m. practices, can hold practices during the school day. We can produce more programs that showcase our students’ talents and develop their public speaking and acting abilities. In our new multipurpose building, we can better take advantage of the talent and expertise of our current staff and volunteers.
In a new multi-purpose building, St. Bernard can host school-wide assemblies. Professors, scientists, and professionals from our community can share discoveries and theories. Musicians and industry professionals can perform while teaching lessons of perseverance and hard work. Having a proper facility in which to gather gives us a chance to
Aftercare is essential to many of our families. Our new multi-purpose building will provide space for aftercare programming that meets the needs of this growing population. Attendance at aftercare has doubled in the past 5 years from 60 to 120 students daily and continues to grow as we meet the needs of two-income households joining our community.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE CREATES A NEW MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING
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6,000 square feet of flexible space to be used for assemblies, Mass, and as additional practice space.
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Large enough to celebrate Mass for the entire student body, faculty, and guests without interrupting the academic day.
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Stage and performance space for band, choir, and drama programs.
• Additional space for the aftercare program, expanding its programming activities and opportunities.
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take better advantage of the exceptional city that surrounds us.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
There is no single building that can hold our entire student body for assemblies or to celebrate Mass without disrupting the academic day. Building Our Future will provide a multi-functional building large enough to hold all students, faculty, and guests, and one that can be used to meet a variety of needs.
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EXTR A HELP IS THERE WHEN IT’S NEEDED St. Bernard is blessed to have extremely talented and dedicated teachers and staff. Whatever challenges confront our students, our teachers and staff respond with a plan and the support of a caring family. Because space is at such a premium at St. Bernard, students today meet with their tutors in closets. Sensitive conversations take place in crowded administrative offices.
Building Our Future will repurpose the current administrative offices into a student support center. Filled with resources and tools to help our students, the center will feature rooms dedicated to tutoring and welcoming spaces for guidance and counseling. Part of the first floor of the new classroom building becomes home to SBA’s administration. By being together in a single space, the administration can function more efficiently and effectively as a team.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE REPURPOSES OLD ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES INTO A STUDENT SUPPORT CENTER
• Welcoming spaces for guidance and counseling.
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Dedicated administrative space that brings the entire administration together to work more efficiently and effectively.
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Designated rooms for tutoring.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
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HOW WILL WE FUND THESE ENHANCEMENTS? St. Bernard Academy takes seriously our fiduciary responsibility to you, our families. We will be both strategic and conservative in our plans, building only what we need and what we can afford. Building Our Future’s goal is to raise $1 million. This amount will be coupled with reserve funds and financing. We do not intend to raise tuition to
pay for these campus enhancements. Instead, we will borrow only what we can easily incorporate into our annual operating budget. We plan to borrow minimally and responsibly, and this is why your support is so crucial. Every dollar we raise as part of Building Our Future is one less dollar we borrow or remove from our reserves.
WE CAN’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACT
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
St. Bernard Academy
The momentum spreading across our campus grows stronger every day. Because you’ve helped us achieve the rare balance between nurture and challenge, great things are happening at SBA.
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The time is now to harness this energy and turn it into real opportunities for our school family. Let’s create a worldclass campus for St. Bernard Academy that matches our enthusiasm for learning and our academic excellence. Let’s take advantage of our proud heritage and make SBA even better because our children deserve nothing less.
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SBA CELEBRATES 150 YEARS 1866
Six Sisters of Mercy come to Nashville from Dublin, Ireland, to open St. Bernard Academy in downtown Nashville adjacent to the State Capitol.
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1873
Mercy Sisters halt classes and spend five weeks caring for Nashville’s sick during a cholera epidemic. Not one Sister of Mercy contracted the disease. 1905
St. Bernard Academy and Convent moves to its campus on 21st Avenue. 96% OF SBA FRIENDS AND FAMILIES INTERVIEWED DURING THE CAMPAIGN PLANNING STUDY SAID THEY WOULD SUPPORT BUILDING THE FUTURE FINANCIALLY OR CONSIDER MAKING A GIFT.
1924
New wing added to the St. Bernard Convent building on 21st Avenue including a large chapel, cafeteria and additional sleeping quarters for the Sisters. 1960
St. Bernard Academy expands to include high school at the corner of Bernard Avenue and 24th Avenue and is considered state of the art for its time, especially since it was air conditioned. 1988
St. Bernard Academy parents purchase the school from the Sisters of Mercy. SBA becomes the first elementary school in the country to be purchased by a nonprofit group of parents. 2002
Kate Kaplan Academic Addition is completed providing the two classrooms behind the stage.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
St. Bernard Academy
2004
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SBA completes an extensive campus renovation and building initiative to add the James W. Carell Dining Hall, the Catherine McAuley Chapel, and a new art room and kindergarten. 2014
SBA launches Building Our Future to expand its campus and provide new opportunities for its growing student body.
STEERING COMMITTEE
ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ
Campaign Chair ALICE RODRIGUEZ
Campaign Chair MONA AND DAVID TEHLE
Honorary Co-Chairs CHRIS BALTZ
GABRIELLA CRANE JEROME DEL PINO TESSA LEMOS DEL PINO JOHN GALASSINI MARGY GALASSINI FRANK GRACE, JR. BILL HAMILTON
JILL BALTZ JIM BUSH
Campaign Consultant, Winkler Group
KATHY HAMILTON KELLEY HENRY BRIAN LADEN
KELLY MCGILL-BARRETT TYLER BARRETT MARK BARRY
Chair-Elect, Board of Trust KATHY BOLES
Chair, Board of Trust CHRIS CRANE
NANCY LADEN PHILIP MATTINGLY CARL SABO
Head of School CHRISTINE SCRUGGS
Director of Development CURT WINTER
Assistant Head of School
2020 24T H AVEN UE SOUT H • NA S H V I L L E , TN 3 7 2 1 2
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