StJPII For Every Saint Capital Campaign

Our School

St. John Paul II Catholic School (StJPII) has established itself as the best Catholic primary school in Houston and one of the premier institutions of Catholic education in Texas.

ABOUT StJPII:

• The only Houston area school to be recognized as a Catholic Education Honor Roll School by the Cardinal Newman Society.

• Three-time National Blue Ribbon School honoree by the U.S. Department of Education.

• Over 700 students enrolled with 3 classes per grade, Pre-K-8th. One of the largest grade schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

• More than 5,000 annual service hours, 50+ students in the National Junior Honor Society, and 33 Athletic Championships.

A Message from Mrs. Bogard

Rebecca Bogard, M. Ed. Principal

“St. John Paul II Catholic School is committed to our vision for the future, to continue to offer an exceptional Catholic education to all families.

It is our duty to continually innovate and improve our school, programming, and facilities to ensure we can provide the best spiritual formation and academic education for our students, our Saints. With input from staff, leadership, counsel, and our families, we have developed a strategic plan to enhance our campus while keeping true to our commitment to maintaining tuition.

The For Every Saint Capital Campaign will enhance our ability to provide the best Catholic education For Every Saint, now and in the future.

This initiative is about more than physical upgrades; it’s a commitment to the heart, soul, and mission of St. John Paul II Catholic School.

Through strategic improvements, we will elevate the learning experience and create a safe environment that nurtures each student's intellectual, spiritual, and social growth.

May God bless our community as we unite in a shared vision of providing an exceptional Catholic education that meets the needs of today and lays the foundation for the saints of tomorrow.”

“If He asks much of you, it is because He knows you can give much.”

-St. John Paul II

Building on Our Legacy

Since 1988, StJPII has been dedicated to its mission to prepare all students spiritually and academically to do God's will and to succeed in life.

1988

StJPII, comprised of five temporary buildings, was established as a private independent Catholic school. The first year opened with 56 students ranging from prekindergarten through third grade.

1994-1998

In 1994, permanent classrooms were opened, and in 1997 the first half of the Dee Building was constructed. In 1998, the Bramanti Athletic Center was also added to the campus.

Building on Our Legacy

1998 & 2004

Construction continued on the Dee Building in 1998 and 2004 when facilities were expanded with more classrooms, a library, and a space dedicated to fine arts.

2011

In 2011, StJPII increased facility space again with a 20,000 sq. ft. facility which included the Gutierrez Student Center with a full kitchen, cafeteria, stage, and choir classroom. The gym was also remodeled with a PTO workroom, PE offices, athletics storage, and girls’ and boys’ locker rooms. New offices, a science lab, and an art room connected the main building to the gym.

with the addition of the beautiful All Saints Chapel.

Today

We are Saints today thanks to the generosity of those who have come before us.

For Every Saint Capital Campaign

The first 35 years have been a period of tremendous growth and blessings for the StJPII community. It is now time to look to the future of StJPII with the For Every Saint Captial Campaign.

Together, as a family of Saints, we will confidently build upon our strong foundation to bring about the next level of success at StJPII. The campaign objectives will enhance StJPII’s ability to provide the best in Catholic education For Every Saint, now and for generations to come.

“When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ ”

- Matthew 9:36-37

“I believe more good comes from Catholic education than anything else. A Catholic education takes a child and helps him fall in love with the Lord and stay in love with Him for his whole life. Those precious souls who truly love our Lord are the "labourers" that Jesus told us to pray for. For 35 years, Jesus has used our humble school to get "labourers." Be certain of one thing: without Jesus, there would never have been St. John Paul II Catholic School. He did have helpers, though. He had the generous souls who have come before us, who have come every step of the way. He had generous souls of those who have sacrificed in order to provide for His school so that we would continue to draw children to Him. Please join us in thanking God for those that came before and please pray that you will be one of the generous souls that future generations will say prayers of thanksgiving for.”

- Theresa Bramanti, Board Chair and Founding Family, STJPII

For Every Saint Capital Campaign

Campaign Objectives

This $4 million capital campaign will secure StJPII’s position at the forefront of Catholic primary schools for years to come.

The objectives accomplished by the For Every Saint Capital Campaign will allow us to elevate our facilities to the dignity and excellence of the spiritual formation and education we provide.

Catholic Faith/Living Faith

The StJPII community is blessed to have a sacred chapel space, All Saints Chapel, which is the spiritual heart of the school. It’s here that students nurture their intimate relationship with Christ.

Through this Campaign, the All Saints Chapel will be updated to create an even more prayerful environment for the StJPII community.

The chapel will receive a new entrance and new beautiful stained-glass windows with images of saints such as St. Dominic Savio and St. Bernadette, who will remind students that they should be saints, too.

Finally, a new presider’s chair will be installed to match the chapel pews.

New Stained Glass Windows

Below are painted renderings of what the stained glass windows will look like.

St. Bernadette

St. Dominic Savio

Academic Excellence

StJPII is committed to academic excellence for all students. The school is excited to announce that the For Every Saint Capital Campaign will transform and reimagine the library area into the state-of-the-art Aquinas Center for Excellence that will equip every student for success at StJPII and beyond.

The current library will be re-configured into a multipurpose flexible center of learning where teachers and students interact in smaller groups and employ different approaches to fit the needs of each student. While a traditional library will be retained, we will be efficiently repurposing space to provide a variety of custom areas to better reach students ‘where they are’ along their learning process.

Aquinas Center for Excellence

Floor Plans

Rendering of Instructional Media Center & Collaborative Learning Area

Floor Plan Legend

1. Instructional Media Center

a. Collaborative Learning Area

b. Flexible Learning Area

2. Resource Materials Area

3. Early Childhood Area

4. St. Thomas Aquinas Statuary Niche

5. Entry Hall

6. Meeting Rooms (4) – Small Group Learning

7. Office

8. IT Storage

9. Work Room

10. Conference Room

11. Technology/Media Classroom

Floor plan of the Aquinas Center for Excellence

Technology Upgrades

The For Every Saint Capital Campaign will also allow StJPII to continue integrating technology into all academic programs. All thirty-three classrooms will be fitted with interactive display boards to allow multiple students to engage simultaneously. Chrome Carts will be added for one-to-one applications, and the main computer server will be upgraded. Younger students will be provided with the latest technology tools, such as iPads, to be used as extensions of learning for both remedial and learning enhancement purposes.

Academic Upgrades Include:

 Classroom Smart Boards for all classrooms

 Upgraded Computers for Lab

 Additional Chrome Carts

 Technology Infrastructure Update

 Renovated Classroom Cabinets

"Young people especially are rapidly adapting to the computer culture and to its ‘language.’ This is surely a cause for satisfaction. Let us ‘trust the young.’ ...They have had the advantage of growing with the new developments, and it will be their duty to employ these new instruments for a wider and more intense dialogue among all the diverse races and classes who share this shrinking globe."

- St. John Paul II

Extra-Curricular/Athletics

Quality extra-curricular and athletic programs foster interpersonal skills, teamwork, health, and happiness. These programs cultivate school spirit and good character, whether in triumph or disappointment. Through sports activities, StJPII strives to help each student learn important lessons rooted in the teachings of Christ that will stay with them throughout their lives.

The For Every Saint Captial Campaign will help to accomplish this by updating the playground adjacent to the Fischer Pavilion, providing lights for the athletic field, safe seating and secure storage in the Bramanti Activity Center (BAC) and Gutierrez Student Center (GSC), and a new base for the Gaga Ball Pit.

Lighting the Field

The For Every Saint Capital Campaign will enable lights to be installed on the multi-sport athletic field to greatly expand its use, making more practice and game times available throughout the year for the 45 teams that call this field home.

The installation of lights on the field will also benefit our community events allowing our us to continue to gather in a safe and well-lit area during the winter season when dusk sets earlier.

Spaces for All to Gather

StJPII holds weekly Mass in the GSC each Friday, gathering students to join in song and liturgy. The For Every Saint Capital Campaign will also install a permanent bleacher set in the GSC, which will provide seating for all choir students, replacing the current movable bleachers, which do not accommodate all students comfortably.

In addition to installing a new state-of-the-art high-performance sports floor in the BAC, the For Every Saint Capital Campaign will provide new and additional retractable bleacher seating, replacing the current bleachers, as well as new secure storage.

Building & Grounds

St. John Paul II Catholic School continually strives to provide a safe, nurturing facility and surroundings where students will thrive. The For Every Saint Capital Campaign will further this goal by replacing necessary tiles and lights in the BAC and GSC, installing wrought iron fencing on the property, making necessary repairs to the gutters and roof, and updating the outdoor picnic area.

Outdoor picnic tables, where students socialize over lunch, during after-school care and at book club, will be replaced and upgraded. The new picnic tables will be more durable and long-lasting for students to enjoy.

Enhancing Our Environment

The existing chain link fencing will be replaced with attractive, 8-foot-high wrought iron, further enhancing the beauty and security of the campus.

In the GSC and BAC buildings, we will reengineer acoustics to significantly improve the sound quality in these large spaces, which hold many important events throughout the year. The lighting in these same areas will be upgraded with LED lighting to reduce electricity and bulb replacement costs.

Endowment

St. John Paul II Catholic School seeks to assure financial security for the school by significantly increasing our endowment fund.

StJPII believes it is essential to maintain affordable tuition in order to provide a Catholic education for all who desire it. The long-term goal is to increase the endowment fund to the point where it can provide additional revenue for the school, thereby lowering (or offsetting) operation costs and allowing tuition to remain affordable.

The For Every Saint Capital Campaign will further this goal by raising $1 million for the StJPII Endowment Fund.

“Be not afraid… Open wide the doors for Christ.”

-St. John Paul II

For Every Saint Capital Campaign Objectives

Catholic Faith/Living Faith $267,000

Academic Excellence $1,000,000

Extra-Curricular/Athletics $850,000

Building and Grounds $800,000

Endowment $1,000,000

Campaign Total $3,917,000

This capital campaign will enhance St. John Paul II’s ability to provide the best in Catholic education

For Every Saint, now and for generations to come.

Our Call

The success of the For Every Saint Capital Campaign relies on the faith, confidence, and generosity of our community.

Our call to you is to pray for the success of the For Every Saint Capital Campaign so that St. John the Paul II Catholic School can continue at the forefront of Catholic primary schools for years to come, helping prepare students spiritually and academically.

Like those who have come before us, when you receive the call, we ask you to open your heart and seek God’s guidance to consider a personally challenging and transformational gift that will lead us to a successful campaign for our Saints of today and those of tomorrow.

Help us continue to step fearlessly into the future.

Join Us in the For Every Saint Capital Campaign Prayer

Almighty God, in Your love for us, You have blessed us abundantly. We glorify You and give You thanks for all the gifts You have given us. Most of all, we thank You for Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the cross is made present to us in the Eucharist.

We pray that Your Holy Spirit will guide us now as we begin this campaign for the future of St. John Paul II Catholic School.

Give us openness to listen to the needs of our donors.

Give us joyful spirits and an eagerness to engage others.

Give us strong, steadfast hearts in times of discouragement.

Give us trusting hearts, knowing that the fruits of our labors will continue to be appreciated even after our children have left this school.

We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

“Since the first time we walked into St. John Paul II Catholic School, we've been grateful for the nurturing environment it offers our children. We've come to really appreciate how this loving culture evolved over time. From its humble beginnings of five trailers, the school has expanded into a campus with multiple buildings, including the All Saints Chapel, science laboratory, spacious art area, and gymnasium. We see this Capital Campaign as an opportunity for our family to contribute to both the immediate and long-term development, modernization, and continuation of all the things we cherish most about StJPII.”

- John Zagata, Parent & Chair, For Every Saint Capital Campaign

“St. John Paul II Catholic school and the community here has provided the backdrop for our family life ever since our oldest daughter began attending over 9 years ago. I am so grateful for the previous donors who have provided for our school to make it the special place that it is today, and I’m honored to participate in this Capital Campaign to continue our school’s mission.”

- Katie Hengst, Parent & Chair, For Every Saint Capital Campaign

Zagata Family

Hengst Family

For Every Saint Capital Campaign Committee

Katie Hengst, Chair

John Zagata, Chair

Theresa Bramanti

John Fahy

Sarah Moore

Sandra Vreedenburgh

Trey Wakefield

Rebecca Bogard, Principal

Jessi Cook, Director of Development