Construction Commences on St. Mary of Gostyn's Activity Center

The initial phase of construction has begun on a new activity center and gym expansion at St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic School. While many churches and religious schools in the United States have experienced waning enrollment and membership, St. Mary of Gostyn (SMG) continues to be a vibrant and growing community of students, faculty, staff, clergy and parishioners.

As SMG celebrates the school’s momentous 122nd anniversary, it is also planning strategically to ensure a healthy future. "The addition will contribute to our sustainability as a premier learning institution," explains SMG Principal Christopher Tiritilli. "Our expanded gym and new activity center project will bring so many different safety, academic, and social/emotional benefits to our current and future students and school."

SMG has found that demand for meeting space often exceeds the space available. Other key challenges include an undersized, older gym and the lack of a school lunchroom and storage space. Currently, students are led across the street daily to eat lunch in a parish room; school assemblies in the gym are limited to several grades at a time; and sports teams sometimes need to practice late into the evening due to space constraints.

Last year, SMG became aware of the necessity for structural improvements to its existing gym, including a new roof, air conditioning and new flooring. The realization that implementing these major renovations would be expensive and impact the school for months without solving its space issues prompted discussions about the feasibility of an addition. Fortunately an improved economy, the enthusiasm and support of student families and parishioners, and the encouragement of the Diocese of Joliet led to the decision to expand. A major donor campaign for the renovation project began soon after.

Hundreds of parishioners, student families and alumni made donations, and some businesses matched the individual donations of their employees. These generous donations provided the majority of the funding for the project; together with some parish savings and a withdrawal from the school’s endowment fund, the construction project could begin. St. Mary’s Reverend James A. Schwab emphasizes that the new activity center will serve many purposes for the church, school and community. "We are aptly referring to this activity center as 'A Place Where All Are Welcome,'" he shares, “since it will be the gathering space for various types of activities."

Two existing gym walls will come down and the existing building will be extended east and north. The 6,000 square foot addition, designed by architectural firm DLA Architects, will consist of an entry area, two main rooms – the activity center and gym – and storage. In the design, the activity center wall facing Prairie Avenue features a row of tall windows and exterior lighting to give the space an open and welcoming feel. Inside, a wall divides the physical spaces of the activity center and gym, but will be lined with a row of interior windows designed to visually connect the spaces and increase natural light in the gym. Construction, expected to be complete by the end of this calendar year, will solve a number of issues and provide many benefits.

The Activity Center will serve as a multi-purpose space where:

• SMG students can eat their lunches together in a central well-supervised space within the school
• Small group educational activities will be held
• The parish will use it for a variety of meetings and activities outside of school hours
• New storage space will provide SMG band instruments and sports equipment an appropriate home

The Gym expansion will make it possible for SMG to:

• Host school assemblies for the entire school (K-8)
• Provide more space for sports teams to practice
• Host basketball playoff and tournament events for the first time in many years
• Increase visibility (large windows facing the street, exterior lighting and security cameras) for coaches in the gym to better observe players entering the facility after hours
• Welcome any overflow of parishioners on Christmas and Easter when attendance at Mass can exceed seating in the church

A "Demo Party" held this past spring gave students, families and parishioners an opportunity to sign a commemorative Donor Wall, share memories and say goodbye to the old space while viewing plans and discussing the new space. Construction has begun and will continue until the end of the year; the biggest portion of the project is expected to take place now while the students are on summer break.

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