St. Mary Catholic Community School has been known for a lot of remarkable things over the decades. Traditions of academic excellence, numerous clubs and activities such as the annual 8th grade Washington DC trip, and of course, teaching the tenants of the Catholic faith since 1872. A nice gym was NOT something St. Mary’s was known for, until now. After a long-awaited anticipation of the big reveal of the new gym floor, the day finally came! Students were called by principal, Tom Ruiz, class by class, to each experience the new gym floor in all its glory. Every student’s reaction was priceless. From dropping jaws to cheering and clapping, students expressed their appreciation they have for this improvement to their school. Some students even rushed to the floor, to test out their long-awaited wood floor, an upgrade over the old tile. A video was produced that captured the moment. I can be found on St. Mary’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2-BhbnzEW7Q
The project was funded by a small group of generous donors and was completed by JMA architects who designed the project with principal Mr. Ruiz and Father Kevin Huber. After the annual Back to School Night meeting, parents walked over to the gym as a whole and were also able to experience what their children were able to see in the morning. Surrounded by the school community, Father Kevin Huber gave a special prayer and blessed the new gym floor. The athletic director, Mr. Brad Nieman’s father, Mr. John Nieman, who is a woodworker, used the wood from the old bleachers and made crosses of various sizes. These were given to the families in attendance as a keepsake with some character.
St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point offers grade levels Junior Pre-K (for three-year-olds) through grade eight. St. Mary’s faculty teaches a rich curriculum supported by cutting-edge technology. Faith, Academic Excellence, Life Lessons, and Compassion are the pillars of the school. Students in all grades are provided with opportunities to help others by way of service projects. All students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as Academic Team, Chess Club, Craft Club, Math Bowl, Spanish Club, Science Olympiad, Scouts, Environmental Club, athletics and more. To learn more about St. Mary School’s visit school.stmarycp.org.
Aubrey Charles and Carly McGoldrick see the new floor for the first time.
Mr. Brad Nieman with his father, Mr. John Nieman who received a load of wood from the old bleachers at St. Mary’s brought down to southern Indiana by principal, Tom Ruiz over the summer.
Abygail Cervera, Maeve Scott, Annalise Alspach take a peak of the new floor for the first time.
Father Kevin Huber blessing the new floor on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
Lashawn Walke enters in front of Margaret Cappas and Ethan Tirado, with Mr. Ruiz in the background.