Athletics

Historic Groundbreaking:

After 20 years of no major construction projects, SD breaks ground on the Sister Gervaise Valpey Community Center and Aquatic Complex

Phase I Aquatic Complex groundbreaking on November 2, 2020 with honoree Sister Gervaise, Head of School Cecily Stock, Board Chair Richie Goldman, and Director of Aquatics Mark Anderson.

The new complex has been named in honor of Sister Gervaise Valpey, President Emerita. Sister Gervaise is a beloved and influential member of the San Domenico community who was instrumental in moving the 171-year old school to its current location in San Anselmo and continues to be invaluable to our program. In the midst of these challenging times, we are excited to share that San Domenico has begun construction on the Sister Gervaise Valpey, O.P. Community Center and Aquatic Complex. While our timeline was disrupted due to the pandemic and subsequent impacts at the Marin County Planning Office, San Domenico has been blessed with a remarkable team of individuals who have been working tirelessly to move this project forward under highly unusual circumstances.

The new complex will be located on the west side of campus on the site of the existing pool, which was tagged as end-of-life by the county of Marin several years ago.

This long-awaited project will be the first major new building project on campus in 20 years. The complex will provide best-in-class facilities for San Domenico’s interscholastic swimming program as well as physical education and cross training for all K-12 students. Interscholastic water polo will also be offered beginning in 2021.

“This facility will usher in a new era of Aquatics for San Domenico, a huge step toward being a leading program in

aquatics in Marin County,” shares Director of Aquatics, Mark Anderson. “To have a state-of-the-art pool to train in, for all

sports, is a game changer for the School. The ability to work with students K-12 is what excites me the most. To be able to coach children from development to competitive, college-bound JV and Varsity players is really a huge opportunity for the future athletes of San Domenico. As Aquatics Director I would like to personally thank all the donors and the behindthe-scenes people who are making this dream come true.”

San Domenico intends to move forward with Phase II of the project, construction of our new Community Center, located adjacent to the pool, which will begin once we are able to safely resume fundraising efforts. We are exploring creative, safe alternatives to meeting with donors and friends in support of this exciting project.

“To be here today on this beautiful land, to have the birds singing nearby, and the generous community members who are making all of this possible, it is an honor and I am so grateful.”

-Sr. M. Gervaise Valpey, O.P.

We are grateful to our generous supporters for investing in this linchpin project. Thank you for believing in San Domenico, and the promise of what we can accomplish together.

To learn more about the aquatics project and how you can become involved, please contact Anna Heidinger, Director of Advancement, at aheidinger@sandomenico.org or 415.258.1990 ex 1141.

For updates on construction progress visit www.sandomenico.org/AquaticsAndCommunityCenter.

AQUATIC COMPLEX FACTS

•Competition size pool •30meters long •25yards wide •12swimming lanes • Showers, pool deck, & bleachers •4,300sq ft outdoor community gathering & event space

MEET SD’s DIRECTOR OF AQUATICS, MARK ANDERSON

•An All-American water polo player, Mark Anderson has been coaching both swimming and water polo in Marin County for over 30 years.

•25-time Marin Swim League Champions Sleepy Hollow Swim Team Head Coach

•Co-Head Coach and founder of Sleepy Hollow Aquatics (SHAQ) Water Polo

•7 MCAL Championships for Drake High School Water Polo team, under his coaching

•36 of Mark’s athletes went on to play for Division I colleges and universities in 2017 and 2018

•2014 Year Mark was inducted into the Marin County Athletic League Hall of Fame

Coach Anderson and his wife, Coach Julie Anderson, both grew up in Marin and are local residents of Sleepy Hollow.

ATHLETICS

Athletic Training: Running, Soccer, and Basketball Conditioning

“Watching our athletes come out to train, even knowing that competition may be far off on the calendar, has been inspiring. They want to get outside and sweat; they want to see their teammates; and they want to get better at their sport in any way that is safe. I could not be more proud

of our Panthers!” -Mark Churchill, Athletics Director