By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Christian Schools unveiled a massive expansion project this month - a project meant to expand classroom and activity space as enrollment at the school continues to grow.
St. Joseph Christian announced what they're calling the Nehemiah Building project during their annual Faith Promise event on October 5 at Wyatt Park Baptist Church.
Glory Fagan, director of development at St. Joseph Christian, says the project will cost $9.3 million in all, with about $7.4 million in fundraising already secured through various grants and donations.
"Even the night we made the announcement, we had secured in pledges and grants all but $1.9 million," Fagan told KFEQ Radio. "So, we were pretty excited about that. We felt confident making that public and announcing that."
The Herzog Foundation donated 25 percent of the total needed, which equates to over $2.3 million.
The building project is called Nehemiah - named after a book in the Bible that chronicles the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
This comes as enrollment at St. Joseph Christian has now surpassed 500 students and is expected to surpass 700 in the next few years.
Fagan says this project includes several different parts, including a bigger playground area. Construction of that playground is already underway.
"The Nehemiah phase we're talking about includes a gymnasium, a commons area, several secondary classrooms, a locker room and kind of a covered portico for people when they drive up," Fagan said.
The new gym will have two, full-size basketball courts and seat up to 1,100 fans. There'll also be a connecting mezzanine that people will be able to stand on and see both courts at the same time.
"We're going to have the larger gym and that'll have two full-size courts also for practice space and such," Fagan explained. "There's also going to be a bridge where people can stand up on this mezzanine and see into both gyms at the same time."
This project is expected to be completed in 18-24 months. Fagan expressed gratitude for everyone who has supported the project thus far.
"Some are giving sacrificially," Fagan said. "Whether it's a small or a large amount, and we're so appreciative of that. People just want to see this go forward."
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