CHICAGO (January 22, 2004) – The superintendent of the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools today disclosed preliminary details on two capital programs at schools in the inner city.

Nicholas M. Wolsonovich, Ph.D., superintendent of schools, announced that St. Stanislaus Kostka School, 1255 N. Noble St., Chicago, will receive a $4.3 million grant for capital improvements from the Big Shoulders Fund, a not-for-profit organization established to financially assist inner-city Catholic schools.

The Academy of St. Benedict the African, which has campuses in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, is launching a $6.1 million capital campaign to improve its existing facilities, including the addition of a primary wing, and ensure its presence in one of the city’s more economically challenged communities.

St. Stanislaus Kostka School Receives Facelift

St. Stanislaus Kostka School, visible from the Kennedy Expressway, will undergo a facelift this spring – just in time to celebrate its 130th anniversary.

According to Sr. Susan Curtin, S.S.N.S., principal, the exterior of the school building will be replaced with glass and metal and a new roof will be added. In addition, improvements will be made to the parking lot and the interior of the school as well as additional exterior stairways.

“St. Stanislaus Kostka is a landmark school with a rich history of reaching out to immigrants from Eastern Europe. Because of the current regentrification in the neighborhood, the school today serves a diverse student population. St. Stanislaus Kostka was selected to receive support from the Big Shoulders Fund partly because of its strategic location and high visibility from the Kennedy Expressway,” said James J. O’Connor, chairman of the Big Shoulders Fund. “The Big Shoulders Fund and the Archdiocese want to send a strong message to Chicago about its commitment to quality Catholic education and the inner-city students and families served by our schools.

“The new improvements will enhance the high quality of education that has been a part of the school’s tradition for 130 years. Upgrades made to the school facility will ensure that St. Stanislaus Kostka will be a flagship school as we move forward in 2004,” O’Connor said.

Curtin said many improvements already have been accomplished within the school building including new lighting, a computer lab and wiring to connect all classrooms and their computers.
“I feel like our children are really blessed by what is available to them,” she said.
On Feb. 1, 2004, the St. Stanislaus Kostka community will celebrate the 130th anniversary of the school with a special 10 a.m. liturgy that coincides with the end of Catholic Schools Week. All alumni of the school are invited to attend as well as the many School Sisters of Notre Dame who have served the school over the years. Refreshments and tours of the school will be available following the liturgy.

Academy of St. Benedict the African Launches Capital Campaign

Though the Academy of St. Benedict the African was formed in 1989, it represents the consolidation of seven Catholic schools on Chicago’s south side that have served mainly immigrant families since the late 1890s.

Economic and demographic forces have combined to shape the school’s present day structure: a single, independent archdiocesan elementary school with three campuses located at 7033 S. Honore St., 6020 S. Laflin St., and 6547 S. Stewart Ave. The Academy was named for a 16th century Franciscan monk born into slavery.

The three campuses are housed in buildings all more than 60 years old, and each has a single class of preschool through eighth-grade students.

In addition to expansion and renovation of the three campuses, a major goal of the campaign is to establish a $1 million endowment that will enable all families to receive need-based tuition assistance and will ensure the Academy’s future fiscal solvency.

The capital campaign will finance the addition of a primary wing at the Honore Street Campus that will house four preschool classrooms, two kindergarten classrooms, two first-grade classrooms and additional bathroom facilities. Construction of a new science lab and resource center with computer labs and a library, a lunch room with a commercial kitchen, large meeting/physical education room and a counseling office is also part of the Honore Street Campus improvement project, which will cost approximately $4.5 million.

Improvements at the Laflin Street Campus will include a proposed window and boiler project to address climate control and offer a long-term solution to more efficiently heat the building. The project is expected to cost approximately $350,000.

The Stewart Avenue Campus improvements will enable the school to offer more extracurricular activities and also strengthen the school’s technological competence. Among the goals are the renovation of the stage area in the gymnasium, the development of the science lab and the addition of new computer software. These improvements total $250,000.

This, plus the $1 million for an endowment fund, bring the campaign total to $6.1 million.

Some monies have already been raised: $370,000 pledged locally for capital projects and a bequest of $95,000.

In addition to school parents and the Academy’s school board members, the campaign will be served by an advisory council. The council consists of graduates of one of the Catholic elementary schools in Englewood before the Academy was formed, as well as Catholic business leaders and professionals. They will be assisted by American City Bureau consulting firm of South Barrington, Ill.

“We desire to clasp hands with others who share our vision of graduating responsible, articulate and contributing youth for a future we relish together,” said the Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop. “If the future will hold promise for the young and if our fundamental institutions and public services will have qualified and value-based people, a value-based education must lace their formation today. This is where the Academy of St. Benedict the African comes in.”

In addition, the three administrators who guide the Academy on a daily basis will assist the advisory council. Ruth A. Douglas, principal of the Honore Street Campus, has been part of Catholic schools in the Englewood area since 1972 when she began serving as a teacher at St. Bernard (Stewart Street Campus) and later became principal of the Englewood Catholic Schools in 1987, a precursor to the Academy. Patricia A. Murphy, principal of the Laflin Street Campus, has been a part of the Englewood schools for more than 25 years, beginning in 1975 as a teacher. She became assistant principal at St. Raphael School (Laflin Street Campus) in 1986 and was named principal in 1991. Zenza Laws, principal of the Stewart Street Campus since 1999, has been involved in Catholic school education since 1980 as a teacher at Holy Angels, St. Mel/Holy Ghost, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Martin de Porres schools, all located in Chicago.

Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by providing academic excellence and faith formation for approximately 111,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 283 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 6,400 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 242 elementary and 41 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Web site at www.archchicago.org/schools