CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School has launched a capital campaign to fund exciting and extensive new improvements to the campus off Pineville-Matthews Road.
The campaign, called “Grounded in Tradition, Focused on the Future” seeks to raise $8.5 million for several large projects to enhance student life at the school, including upgrading the existing athletic field and sideline from grass to a premium artificial turf, renovating the media center into a multi-faceted student life center, creating the “CTE Innovation Center” with space for engineering and technology classes, and building a multi-functional fieldhouse.
The total cost for the entire project is expected to reach $10.5 million, including a $2 million contribution from the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools (MACS) Capital Fee.
Phase one of the project, which includes the new artificial turf, media center renovations and renovating the CTE building, is expected to cost $6.8 million. Phase two, construction of the field house, is estimated at $3.7 million.
The campaign was slated to formally launch Feb. 6 with a pep rally at the school.
The campaign will run through June 30, but work will begin on putting artificial turf on the school’s existing athletic field as soon as the school year ends in late May. The turf will expand daily access to the field by the school’s teams, as well as the marching band and cheerleading and dance squads. It will also improve safety by providing consistent footing and better shock absorption.
The new field will also reduce the need for Charlotte Catholic teams to travel off campus for practice, a move that would save money on rental fees.
“Having an artificial turf field will allow more teams to stay on campus both to practice and play games,” said Kurt Telford, head of school at CCHS. “With the grass field we currently have, we can’t practice there because it would cause too much wear and tear. The turf field won’t completely solve the issue of having to leave campus, but it will put a dent in the number of students who have to travel.”
In the next phase of renovations, the existing library will be transformed into a contemporary student life center featuring advanced technology, modern moveable furniture, new flooring, lighting and ceilings, a modernized computer lab, flexible meeting rooms and other spaces that can be used for a wide variety of activities.
“We want to transform the library into space that’s more up-to-date and in tune with the 21st century,” Telford said.
The next phase of the campaign will transform a small office building adjacent to the campus recently purchased by MACS into the CTE Innovation Center, which will support classes in engineering, robotics and other technologies. The building will include specialized learning labs, classrooms and makerspaces, outdoor project and work areas and flexible gathering spaces.
“The future is really the use of technology, and this building will enable our students to expand their experiences in technology and also enhance collaboration between students,” Telford said.
Finally, the new field house and flexible space complex will be designed to offer a multi-purpose hub that will include areas for sports performance, recovery and athletic training, dedicated spaces for health and wellness education and team meetings, and a flexible space with movable walls that can easily be transformed from classrooms during the day to larger spaces for after-school activities. The space will also include an integrated concession stand and space for stadium operations facilities.
“This will be a space that won’t be just limited to use by student athletes, but create more flexible space on campus that can be used in a variety of ways by all students,” Telford said.
Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, who served as principal at the school from 1980 to 2000, serves as the honorary chairperson for the campaign committee and said she was excited to be involved because of her ongoing love of the school.
“I’ve been involved in other ministries in the past 25 years, but my heart belongs to Charlotte Catholic,” she said. “This campaign will allow the school to keep up with the needs and desires of the students and will enhance their lives. It’s important to take this next big step to help the students there live out their dreams. These are all necessary improvements, and I think it’s important that we continue to progress so we can provide the best for the students.”
— Christina Lee Knauss