ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER · SJSREVIEW.COM 2401 CLAREMONT LANE · HOUSTON, TX 77019 · VOLUME 66 · ISSUE 3 · NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Designers map out campus overhaul
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by Christian Maines
- Switch location of Lower and Middle Schools - Create addition to the Fine Arts Center
- Build new Athletics Center - Construct multi-purpose stadium - Move baseball field
Skip - Remove stands Lee Field ftball - Move so field nis - Add ten courts
ew buildings, tunnels, and athletic facilities figure prominently in the recently unveiled campus plans, but even current kindergarten students might not see construction completed until they leave for college. On Oct. 21, Headmaster Mark Desjardins announced a strategic plan for the development of the Taub Campus and the relocation of the Middle and Lower School buildings. “The main thesis of the project is that we’re aiming to get the cars out of the center of South Campus as well as develop a pedestrian spine between fine arts and Caven Field,” Desjardins said. The renovation process will include developing a pedestrian walkway to Caven and Finnegan Fields and removing the Skip Lee Field bleachers. The Taub property will serve as an Upper School athletic center. The property will also have a stadium for football, soccer and lacrosse. Two new tunnels will be constructed under West Alabama Street and Buffalo Speedway. “I’m really excited about the big ideas of getting the cars off of the campus, particularly the south campus,” Desjardins said. “I like the idea that the Middle School and Lower Schools are going to be in direct relation in the Fine Arts building and that students will interact in that part of the campus without crossing parking lots.” Seven or eight tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool will be constructed as a part of the renovation. The overall timeframe for the project is uncertain. “It’s all dependent on the generosity of the St. John’s community donors,” Desjardins said. “If we had all the money today, it would probably take us ten years; there is a lot of work that goes into designing buildings.”
Designs have not been finalized, but the plan to relocate the Middle and Lower Schools is unlikely to change. “If seniors were to come back 20 years from now, they would see most of the major renovations completed,” Desjardins said. “By the time the kindergartners are seniors, they will at least see a new Lower School built.” Architectural Resources Cambridge (ARC) is the architectural firm responsible for developing the layout of the new campus. “Each individual part of the plan as it gets designed and implemented will have its own architect and design,” Desjardins said. “We will submit a bid, and we would have architects come in and present their vision of what might go there.” ARC has renovated facilities at Boston College, Harvard University, Phillips Exeter Academy and Deerfield Academy. “I think they did a terrific job leading us through that process,” Desjardins said. The campus expansion will provide space for growing class sizes. “We’ve programmed the buildings to accommodate about 1,700 students, so we will add about 400 students overall,” Desjardins said. “We will start next year by increasing the freshman class by 25, and we will do that again for the next four years.” Developing new buildings as well as the Taub land purchase will necessitate incremental increases in tuition over the next several years. “The Great Hall building itself cost $30 million, so that gives you a rough idea of what the Lower and Middle schools will cost,” Desjardins said. The overall cost of the new building will likely amount to well over $100 million. “I think other schools are playing catch-up with us since there is a lot of talk among the other schools about growth,” Desjardins said. “It’s interesting that Kinkaid has purchased new land, and I would be surprised if they had not had conversations about the size of their school.” Tuition fees are expected to climb by three to six percent each year for the next six years to help compensate for the cost of the renovations. “I feel confident that we won’t start anything that we don’t have the funding for,” said Greg Swan, Director of Finance and Operations. The total amounts collected by the fundraising campaign will be announced sometime in the spring. “I am very excited about what we’ve done,” Desjardins said. “Houston is a growing city, and it is important that St. John’s grows as well.”
DESIGNS PROVIDED BY ARC
The College Issue NEWS..................2 FEATURES...........3
CULTURE.............6 IN FOCUS.............8
College Stereotypes: Alums dispel (or admit) the validity of labels associated with their universities
SPORTS............10 BEYOND............11
OPinions..........14 ODDS & ENDS....15
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