S P O N S O R E D F E AT U R E
Mike WHye
Mount Michael Benedictine School will formally open the David “DJ” Sokol Learning For Life building on Monday with a Mass, ribbon cutting and tours. The public is invited.
STORIES By Dan McCann // Special to Mount Michael Benedictine School
Leading-edge EDUCATION Sokol family’s gift in memory of son, DJ, positions Mount Michael for ‘exciting’ future phenomenal he was. I can only tell you how phenomenal his parents have been. “We know this place is very close to them in their hearts. David and Peggy are proud of everything we’ve done and continue to do.” Over the years, the Sokol family has donated funds to renovate the chapel, the student union and other spaces on the campus. They were the single largest donors to the new wing of the Abbey Building, which was completed in 2007. The school broke ground for the new building in September 2015. Meco-Henne Construction began work the following May. Jim Classe, a 1984 graduate of Mount Michael and an architect with Prochaska & Associates, played a key role in the project design. “Jim really captured the feel of the campus so that the new building just fits in beautifully with the structures that are already here,” said Abbot Michael Liebl of Mount Michael Abbey. Also involved were architects from BCDM, including 2000 graduate Greg Stieren. The two-firm team incorporated tributes to the school’s Benedictine tradition throughout the design. A Benedictine cross, laid in brick, is a prominent feature of the walkway between the old and new buildings. Five precast concrete arches – each inscribed with a Benedictine value – lead visitors into the David “DJ” Sokol Learning For Life Building. Once inside, “if you look, you’ll see the Benedictine cross in the stair rails,” Peters said. Gracefully bridging tradition and technology, the building includes multi-gig wireless Internet. Classrooms
have the latest interactive projectors and whiteboards. “All of the teachers have their own devices that will interface with the boards. Most of the classrooms are mobile, so you have the ability to change up the room. It used to be everything was very stationary,” Peters said. “It’s just amazing.” Omaha Archbishop George Lucas will be among those helping to dedicate the new building on Monday. He will celebrate a Mass in the school gym at 9 a.m. The archbishop said he believes the David “DJ” Sokol Learning For Life Building “will contribute in a significant way to the high school’s overall mission of equipping young men to be disciples of Christ.” “I’m proud of the Mount Michael community for its forward-looking efforts in providing a learning environment that will prepare students to take important leadership positions in the Church and society,” the archbishop said. As an added benefit, the opening of the new building will allow for upgrades to the current building. “Eventually, we want to renovate the dorms, and we might expand into some of the areas that we empty out,” Peters said. “If we have the space, we’re not going to let it languish. We want to use it.” For now, school officials plan to expand the dining room in the current building, add a study area to the freshman dorm space and create an area for the robotics team. Peters said the changes to campus send a clear message: “New means new life. Things are being invigorated here.”
Building’s namesake remembered as ‘thoughtful and caring’ devotee to Mount Michael
David “DJ” Sokol
David “DJ” Sokol, for whom the new Learning For Life Building is named, graduated from Mount Michael in May 1999. Just two weeks later, the 18-year-old son of Peggy and David Sokol died of Hodgkin lymphoma. He had battled the disease for two years. Abbot Michael Liebl, OSB, who taught physics, remembers DJ as a conscientious student who lived the Benedictine values of community, hospitality, moderation, integrity and service. “After
football games, most of the kids would get off the bus, shed their uniforms, shower and head right home. But DJ actually took the time to help our equipment manager unload those trunks of dirty clothes. Nobody asked him to do that. He did that on his own. That’s the kind of thoughtful young man he was,” the abbot recalled. As a testament to his love for Mount Michael, DJ asked to be buried in the abbey cemetery.
Campus atmosphere like ‘mini college’ (about 30 percent of the students are not Catholic.) Diversity is fostered. International students hail from China, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Nigeria, Venezuela and Vietnam. “The world is different colors, races and faiths. We want that to be represented here,” Peters said. In the interest of further cultivating well-rounded students, all freshmen must participate in a fall sport: tennis, cross country or football. “I’ve seen guys play tennis or football for the first time. It puts them in a community setting. They have experiences beyond the classroom right away,” Peters said. The remainder of their freshman year, students are required to do “something else.” “That could be a winter sport. That could be a role in the play. That could be any of our extracurriculars. That instills a sense of community above and beyond the classroom,” he said. Everyone is encouraged to suit up. “We need the boys on every team,” Peters said. “Many times, we have kids doing things they might not have the ability to do in larger schools. They love being part of the team.” The school’s athletic/academic teams have won 25 state championships and have been runners-up 14 times in the past 43 years.
Serenity surrounds Mount Michael Benedictine School’s 440-acre campus near Elkhorn. But on the property itself, there’s a crackling energy within the reddish brick and precast concrete buildings. Something holistic and future-focused is happening — a dynamic approach to spiritual, intellectual and social development that dates to 1954. “We focus with the boys on community and brotherhood,” said Head of School Dr. David J. Peters, Ed.D. “We want them to be well-rounded.” Originally founded as a seminary, Mount Michael Benedictine School – the all-boys college preparatory high school we know today – emerged in 1970. The Benedictine monks of Mount Michael Abbey decided that was a better use of their talents and resources. The school’s original enrollment of just more than 100 has grown to a record of almost 240 today. Most of the students – 59 percent – live on campus. “It’s like a mini college in many respects,” Peters said.
Comprehensive core curriculum Mount Michael offers a comprehensive core curriculum. All students are required to take four years of math, science, English, social studies and theology, plus two years of a foreign language. “We are classical here. If you talk to Abbot Michael Liebl, OSB — he teaches physics and calculus, but he wants the student to be able to do it all with pen and paper,” Peters said. “We’re not over-relying on technology. We’re into process and how you got the answer. We want to give you the tools to solve problems.” The majority of Mount Michael students earn college credits – 15 on average – by taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Student demand means learning opportunities are continually evolving. “We keep increasing our math offerings,” Peters said. “We’ve added organic chemistry and forensic science. One of our new teachers wants to bring AP environmental science. We’ve also hired an engineer. We’re going to start an engineering program next year.”
Elevated learning experience The new engineering program will be housed in the David “DJ” Sokol Learning For Life Building, an addition to campus that will modernize and elevate the learning experience for the school’s 237 students and generations of students to come. “There was a reason why we did every single thing in that new building as it aligns with our mission, which is college prep within the Benedictine rule and framework,”
Mike WHye
Mount Michael is a National Blue Ribbon School for academics. Its student-to-teacher radio is 7:1, and 82 percent of its faculty holds a master’s degrees or higher.
Peters said. Mount Michael will formally dedicate the two-story Learning For Life Building on Monday. Encompassing 47,350 square feet, it includes stateof-the-art chemistry, physics and biology labs, math and engineering classrooms, a library/media center and administrative offices.
True to Benedictine mission Even as it grows, Mount Michael remains steady at its core. That includes the school’s concerted focus on spiritual development. “Faith formation is part of our Benedictine Mission. It’s foundational,” Peters said. “We start every week by coming together in chapel. We have a very strong theology program. We have a very strong campus ministry program.” Students of all faiths are welcome at Mount Michael
National accolades That’s only the beginning of the accolades. Mount Michael is a National Blue Ribbon School for academics – the highest honor the federal government can bestow on a school. Mount Michael also has earned the No. 1 ranking from “Boarding School Review” for All-Boys Boarding Schools in the country in two key categories: ACT/SAT score and affordability. More than 80 percent of Mount Michael faculty hold master’s degrees or higher. Adding to the school’s uniqueness factor, six members of the school’s monastic community serve as classroom teachers. Twenty monks still live on campus. “When I go to visit alums, they’ll always want to know, ‘What’s this brother doing or that brother doing?’ ” Peters said. With the new David “DJ” Sokol Learning For Life Building poised for dedication, Peters said this is a thrilling time for Mount Michael – a standout in Catholic college preparatory education that is making some noise in an otherwise-quiet rural setting. “People are talking about Mount Michael, and it’s been awesome,” Peters said. “I want people to hear our name and know the good things we’re doing.”
Mount Michael Benedictine School
Tour the new David “DJ” Sokol Learning For Life Building at Mount Michael Benedictine School near Elkhorn with Head of School Dr. David J. Peters, Ed.D., and the enthusiasm is palpable. “We’re very excited,” he said. “The boys are very excited. Everyone is. It’s been a long time coming.” The two-story, 47,350-square-foot building, which makes its official debut in ceremonies Monday, gives the nearly 65-year-old campus near Elkhorn 20 new classrooms for math, engineering, science and other subjects; leading-edge chemistry and physics labs; a biology lab with an attached greenhouse; a large study hall and a library/media center with a coffee bar and three study rooms. “The building has such a modern feel to it,” Peters said. “The students are very proud that their school is doing this.” Featuring geothermal heat and lots of natural and LED light, the new building also houses the college guidance center and offices for the head of school, director of admissions, dean of students and campus ministry. For now, the main focus is on the $10 million ground floor. The $1.2 million second floor, to be completed this semester, will include classrooms for history/social studies, world language and English. David and Peggy Sokol – parents of late Mount Michael alum DJ Sokol, class of ’99 – and their daughter, Kelly Sokol, donated more than $5 million for the building. The donation is the school’s largest single gift since its inception in the 1950s. “The Sokols are extremely generous,” Peters said. “I was not here when DJ was here, but I’ve heard how