Made in the Image of God

The 2021 Senior Class Gift Campaign broke the record for the most dollars raised by any graduating class to help fund Rockhurst High School’s “Discovery Pond,” a component of the new Outdoor Classroom and Lab. The class raised $6,708 with 53% percent participation.

“We were excited about the Discovery Pond,” commented Bobby Hummel ’21, a member of the Senior Class Gift Leadership Committee. “It was our way of expressing appreciation to the teachers who helped us on our Rockhurst journey and pay it forward for classes in the future.”

The Outdoor Classroom is an area immediately to the south of the school’s main entrance. Students will experience and enjoy a wide array of diverse natural habitats when it is completed for aesthetic and educational purposes. The Discovery Pond will be an aquatic ecosystem and key component of the overall curricula for Life Sciences. While some parts of the Outdoor Classroom will open in late 2021, most of its components will be finished in 2022.

The Senior Class Gift Leadership Committee included Josh Frerker, Thomas Holmes, Bobby Hummel, Sam Kanatzar, Jack Kelly, and Sam Muehlebach, all members of the great Class of 2021. The team led a fundraising push that concluded just before graduation in May.

“I am very proud of this senior class,” reflected Kim Brown, senior class Moderator and Rockhurst Guidance Counselor. “Even during such a challenging time as a pandemic, they never lost heart, focus, or spirit. They truly are an exceptional group of young men.”

The Senior Class Gift Program started in 2008. Working with the school administration, leaders from each class select a project to support. More than $65,000 has been raised by the 13 classes who have joined the program, with interests ranging from campus beatification to scholarship development.

RENDERING

SEPTEMBER 2021 RENDERING

RENDERING

Entryway Outdoor Commons $300,000 $250,000

Interior Courtyard Gardens (2)

$200,000 $175,000/each Walkways (3) $75,000/each Jack Nestor ’34 Memorial Courtyard SOLD Regional Native Grasslands Area SOLD African Tortoise Habitat $50,000 Greenhouse $50,000 Missouri Native Orchard $50,000 Windows to the World (6) $25,000/each Art Installations (8) $10,000/each Class of 2021 Discovery Pond SOLD

Naming rights are designed to cover the cost of physical construction as well as to create an invested fund to generate revenues for ongoing maintenance and upkeep. For additional information about the Outdoor Classroom & Lab, or to inquire about making a naming gift, please contact Diane Marty at 816.363.2039 x538 or dmarty@rockhursths.edu.

The Spectacular 2021 Co-Chairs led a record-breaking auction: (L-R) Patrick & Courtney O’Farrell, Jim ’88 & Christian Brown, Lisa & Mike Connor ’88, Courtney & Rob Sprague, with President David Laughlin.

For the second consecutive year, Rockhurst’s Spectacular auction was presented as a virtual event. And also for the second consecutive year, Spectacular raised record-breaking funds for the education and formation of young men in the Jesuit tradition! Thanks to the generous support of the Rockhurst community, more than $1.5 million was raised for students and families who rely on financial assistance to make the Rockhurst experience possible for their son(s).

Many thanks are due to our amazing Spectacular 2021 Co-Chairs: Christian & Jim Brown '88, Lisa & Mike Connor '88, Courtney & Patrick O'Farrell, and Courtney & Rob Sprague. Their leadership, counsel, and willingness to go all-in for the cause is greatly appreciated. Rockhurst also wants to thank its sponsors, underwriters, item donors and volunteers. Without their generosity, Rockhurst wouldn’t be able to provide ever-increasing tuition assistance to deserving young men and their families.

Through the generosity of Heartland Chevrolet and the Chris Igoe ’93 Family, Rockhurst raffled off a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer. This was the third car that Heartland Chevrolet has provided to the Spectacular Car Raffles in recent years. Igoe, president of Heartland Chevrolet, understands the importance of support to keep Rockhurst a diverse environment, available for all families who want to attend.

“We give because it's for the greater glory of God and if our generosity allows for additional young men to be educated by the best faculty at the best institution, then it's worth every penny knowing what it has provided for me and my family,” said Igoe.

Students sold raffle shares for the car to earn the option to wear sweatpants to school for a month. Larry Houlton ’59 spoke to one of those students, and purchased raffle shares over the phone. Houlton was the lucky winner of the Trailblazer, when his name was drawn during the livestreamed, virtual Spectacular on April 17, 2021. When Houlton was informed of his good fortune, he remarked that he already owned a relatively new car, and didn’t see the need for a newer one. He asked that Rockhurst donate the car to someone in need. Truly, a “man for others”!

At the same time, the Saint Peter Claver Jesuit Community here in Kansas City was in dire need of another vehicle. After discussing the prospect of giving his car to the Jesuit Community, Houlton agreed it was a fitting match.

“The St. Peter Claver Jesuit Community, which has 13 Jesuits serving the greater Kansas City region, is very grateful to be on the receiving end of the gift of the Chevy Trailblazer, which has already been put to good use in many and various ways,” said Fr. Vincent Giacabazi, SJ, Rockhurst Principal and member of the St. Peter Claver Jesuit Community. “Our alumni and other benefactors believe in Rockhurst's hope for each of its graduates, that is, that they be ‘men for others’. Whenever a generous Rockhurst alumnus gives back to his community, he is creating a ripple effect that inspires others toward the same.”

Be sure to mark your calendar for the next Spectacular, set for April 9, 2022.

Lawrence J. "Larry" Houlton '59 passed away peacefully on September 18, 2021. We give thanks for the life of Larry and pray for his eternal rest.

Car Raffle 9% Giving Tuesday Challenge Gifts 9% Giving Tuesday Donations 13% Underwriting 17%

Fund a Future 20%

Rock the Masters Item Sales 4% 28%

GIVING TUESDAY

ROCK THE MASTERS

CAR RAFFLE

ITEM SALES

FUND A FUTURE

UNDER WRITING CHALLENGE GIFTS

After 13 years of faithful and dedicated service to Rockhurst High School, Rev. William T. Sheahan, SJ, has been called by the Jesuits to begin a new role. Fr. Sheahan was reassigned to Fordham University in New York to work with young Jesuits in formation beginning in July.

Fr. Sheahan joined the Rockhurst High community in 2008 when he entered as a faculty member. Throughout his time at The Rock, in addition to teaching Theology and English, he served as the Rector of the Rockhurst Jesuit Community, and stepped in as Interim President of Rockhurst High School in 2017. He continued teaching through the 2020-21 school year.

“Rockhurst High School has played a very special role in my life. Most significantly, it was my first assignment following my ordination to the priesthood in June 2008,” said Fr. Sheahan. “In short, Rockhurst taught me how to be a priest. Whether teaching English and Theology, working administratively, or engaging in explicitly Pastoral and Sacramental ministries, I grew in understanding of what it means as a Jesuit to be a priest. I will always be grateful to the Rockhurst community for having played such an important role in my formation.”

Fr. Sheahan also co-founded the Hurtado Scholars Program in 2012, along with then-principal, Greg Harkness. This program partners with three inner-city diocesan grade schools, which help identify rising 6th graders who have great potential, but for whom a Catholic, college preparatory education may not otherwise be attainable. The selected group of young men spend Saturdays during the school year and eight weeks of summer receiving tutoring and cultural experiences to prepare them for high school. They are enrolled as Hurtado Scholars from their 6th grade through their 8th grade years.

Upon graduation from the Hurtado Scholars Program, these young men have the opportunity to attend Rockhurst with minimal tuition cost. There are 31 Hurtado Scholars Program graduates currently enrolled as Rockhurst students, and 35 Scholars are currently in the middle school program. The first two classes of Scholars, a total of 14 students, have graduated from Rockhurst, including five members of the Class of 2021 who graduated with honors, and are now in college.

The program is able to continue its mission through the generosity of the Rockhurst community. The Rev. William T. Sheahan, SJ, Scholarship Fund, established in June, will help make the Rockhurst experience possible for current and future Hurtado Scholars. The fund was created by family and friends of Rockhurst in honor of Fr. Sheahan’s commitment to the school and to the Hurtado Scholars Program. On June 17, 2021, the fund's founding balance in excess of $250,000 was announced to the crowd gathered for the annual Hurtado Scholars Program celebration. The announcement was a surprise to Fr. Sheahan, who was spontaneously contacted by phone by David Laughlin from the podium as the fund total was announced. “AT FIRST, I WAS VERY SURPRISED. I NEVER EXPECTED SUCH A GESTURE TO COINCIDE WITH MY REASSIGNMENT. I FEEL VERY HONORED TO HAVE A ROCKHURST HIGH SCHOLARSHIP BEAR MY NAME. THIS SCHOLARSHIP, ALONG WITH ALL THE FUNDS DONATED BY SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LOVE ROCKHURST AND SUPPORT THE HURTADO PROGRAM, WILL MAKE A PROFOUND DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE HURTADO SCHOLARS AND THEIR FAMILIES BY MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR THESE BOYS TO ATTEND ROCKHURST. THE GROWING SUPPORT FOR THE HURTADO PROGRAM AND TUITION ASSISTANCE OVERALL AT THE SCHOOL TESTIFIES TO THE GREAT AND OBVIOUS GENEROSITY OF THE ROCKHURST COMMUNITY.”