“May the love and grace of God unite us forever to the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary!”
Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, our foundress, to the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, June 1847
INTRODUCTION
Dear Alumni, Parents, Grandparents, and Friends,
For more than 140 years, the Academy of the Holy Names has faithfully served the children of Tampa with an unwavering dedication to Catholic education, honoring the spirit of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher and guided by the vision and values of the Sisters of the Holy Names. Generations of alumni have graduated from the Academy with servant hearts, each deeply rooted in faith, service, and integrity.
That legacy lives on today. With Sisters of the Holy Names still serving as trustees, and a student body of more than 1,000 students in Pre-K through 12th grade, the Academy is a thriving, Catholic community, comprised of dedicated teachers and curious learners who aspire to make a positive difference in the world. During the past decade, we have made nearly $40M in capital improvements to our academic spaces, arts facilities, and parking needs. These upgrades have ultimately enabled us to expand our academic programs, while significantly modernizing teaching and learning standards to reflect the contemporary needs of our students today.
After gathering input from all school constituencies, we published AHN’s next five-year strategic plan, Light the Way, in 2023. In fall of the same year, Partners in Mission conducted a formal feasibility study for AHN, interviewing dozens of families to determine how we should proceed in the years ahead. The strategic plan, the feasibility study, and careful consideration by the Board of Trustees have informed this Case for Support. We are now building on Light the Way’s vision and momentum as we work to see its initiatives come to life. As you will see on the following pages, our goals include strengthening our Catholic liturgies and faith formation, enhancing health and wellness facilities and programs, increasing parking capacity, bolstering our instrumental music program, and growing our endowment and scholarships for students with financial need.
This process has been strategic, purposeful, and thoughtful. And now, we are excited to get started. Thank you, in advance, for your commitment to the mission of the Academy of the Holy Names. May God bless you and your family.
With gratitude,
Kevin P. Whitney President
MISSION/VISION
The Academy of the Holy Names is a Catholic, independent school, founded and guided by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM). In a faith community of exceptional love, the Academy empowers students to be authentic individuals who, in pursuing their highest academic potential, engage in critical thinking, are inspired by creativity, and lead culturally aware, spiritually rich lives.
We are rooted in our SNJM Core Values:
• Education in the Faith
• Full Development of the Human Person
• Hospitality
• Dedication to Women and Children
• Dedication to Justice
• Service to People Who are Poor or Marginalized
• Commitment to Liberating Action
• Love for the Names of Jesus and Mary
MOTTO
Esse Quam Videri, which means “To be, rather than to seem.”
OUR STORY
Founded in 1881, the Academy of the Holy Names, sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, is a Catholic school for boys and girls in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade and an all-girls high school. The Academy is located on 19 acres, fronting scenic Bayshore Boulevard, close to downtown Tampa, and within easy access to major highways serving the suburban communities of the Tampa Bay area. The Academy empowers students to be authentic individuals who engage in independent thought, are inspired by creativity, and lead culturally aware, spiritually rich lives.
CAPITAL AND STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECTS
CONSTRUCT A NEW HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
To remain competitive in the private school market, we will transform our existing one-story 5,000 sq. ft. athletic building into a beautiful two-story 13,000 sq. ft. Health and Wellness facility. New spaces will support player development of our student-athletes, enable AHN to add new health and wellness programs for all students, as well as provide attractive new spectator areas to build community.
The first floor includes:
• Expanded fitness/weight room
• Larger training room
• New, updated fitness equipment
• Dedicated locker rooms by sport
• New restrooms for spectators
• A flex space/meeting room for teams to study film
• An Athletic Commons for events and health/wellness student programming
• A nutrition learning space (including a full kitchen) that could double as a concessions area for home games
• Significant natural light streaming through glass walls and two slide-up “garage doors,” creating openness between the fitness/weight room and the outdoor field
A second-floor addition includes:
• Covered, “open-air” spectator areas overlooking both fields with seating and tables
• Two dedicated press boxes for the soccer/lacrosse field and the softball field
• New golf simulator
• Esports video room
IMPROVE THE REVERENCE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR CATHOLIC LITURGIES, PROGRAMS, AND WORSHIP SPACES.
At the core of school life is our Catholic mission and charism of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. A core value of the Sisters is “Education in the Faith.” This is the foundation for everything we do.
Due to space constraints, all-school masses are celebrated in the Brady Center, which also serves as a cafeteria and multipurpose space for all divisions. The Chapel of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher contains 250 seats. Our current enrollment is four times that quantity.
Our first projects are the renovation and upgrading of our existing spaces, to improve the reverence, beauty, and functionality of our Catholic liturgies. We will also build a formal and robust altar server program, as well as strengthen our retreat programming.
CAPITAL AND STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECTS
PARKING
We have depleted available parking for our employees, which impinges upon the availability of student parking spots for our high students. Campus events held during school hours also pose a tremendous parking challenge for visitors. We are greatly in need of additional parking and must rework and augment our existing layout.
REPLACE THE TURF FIELD
The artificial turf on our athletic fields and recreation areas is nearing the end of its usefulness and needs replacing. The turf field provides many benefits, including reduced injury risks and increased playability year-round.
BUILD A LEADING INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PROGRAM
We will build a leading instrumental music program, to complement our visual, vocal, and performing arts programs. By growing our music program, we will increase student engagement and potentially develop an orchestra as well as ensembles for the middle and high school divisions.
ANNUAL GIVING
Annual giving is the lifeblood of a school, and the annual fund is critically important for the daily operations of the institution. Ensuring the growth and health of our annual fund during the Light the Way campaign is a top priority. We ask our benefactors to view their support of the annual fund as complementary to our capital and strategic goals and hope they will renew and possibly increase the annual giving commitment.
ENDOWMENT
$2,000,000
ENDOWMENT
Growing the endowment not only contributes to AHN’s long-term financial stability, but also provides reliable financial support for our neediest students. Endowments support an investment in human capital by providing professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff. Endowment gifts may come in the form of planned giving commitments or outright cash gifts.
CAPITAL AND STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECTS
• HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER
• LITURGICAL PROJECTS
• PARKING
• TURF FIELD
• INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PROGRAM
ANNUAL GIVING (OVER 5 YEARS)
$6,800,000
$3,500,000
ENDOWMENT (OVER 5 YEARS) $2,000,000 TOTAL $12,300,000
LIGHT THE WAY CAMPAIGN PRAYER
Most Gracious Holy Spirit,
You inspired the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary to build a community of faith and education for the children of Tampa.
We thank you for the blessings of the past and the gifts that You continue to shower upon us.
As we look to the future of the Academy of the Holy Names, we ask that you shape our hearts anew to be generous people.
May we also be faithful people bringing Your light and love to all, both now and for generations to come.
Grant us the grace to remember that we are your holy temple being built together into a dwelling place for God.
