Apr 17, 2024

St. Joseph Christian secures needed funding to begin Nehemiah project

Posted Apr 17, 2024 9:06 PM
Glory Fagan points out the different portions of the Nehemiah Building Project at St. Joseph Christian. Stock photo by Tommy Rezac.
Glory Fagan points out the different portions of the Nehemiah Building Project at St. Joseph Christian. Stock photo by Tommy Rezac.

By TOMMY REZAC

St. Joseph Post

St. Joseph Christian School unveiled a significant expansion project this past fall - a project meant to increase classroom and activity space as enrollment at the school continues to grow.

The school has secured the $9.3 million necessary to start and carry out this project. The Herzog Foundation donated 25% of the total needed, equating to over $2.3 million.

Glory Fagan, director of development at St. Joseph Christian, says there's still a bit more money to raise.

"We have secured the original goal in terms of our fundraising," Fagan told KFEQ Radio. "We have a little bit more to raise, because the plans have changed slightly, but we are ready to break ground and move forward."

One of the changes to the original project is the addition of an elevator. The project is called the Nehemiah Project, or Nehemiah 2.0 - named after a book in the Bible that chronicles the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.

It includes a new gymnasium, five new classrooms, new locker rooms and an expanded playground area. The playground portion has been completed and opened.

The new gym will seat up to 1,100 people. It'll have two, full-size basketball courts, a mezzanine with a walking track, two locker rooms and a large commons area.

Fagan says the project will allow for a higher number of students from Pre-K through 12th grade, as enrollment at the school continues to grow.

"We're at about 517 students enrolled now," she said. "This will allow us to increase our capacity to around 700 students."

Nehemiah 2.0 is expected to be completed by the start of the 2025-26 school year.

A blueprint of the new 1,100 seat gym that's set to be complete in the next 18-24 months at St. Joseph Christian.
A blueprint of the new 1,100 seat gym that's set to be complete in the next 18-24 months at St. Joseph Christian.
A view from above at the Nehemiah Project at St. Joseph Christian. Stock photo.
A view from above at the Nehemiah Project at St. Joseph Christian. Stock photo.

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.