THE JOURNEY TO Our Future BUILDING COMMITTEE

St. Catherine’s Montessori has a history of growth and development dating back to its first days in 1966. Through the vision of our foundresses, Sr. Edna Ann Hebert, OP and Sr. Shirley Owen,OP+, and the support of many families and friends over the years, we have built a long-term home on the campus at 9821 Timberside. In designing the Timberside campus, it was recognized that expansion might be necessary to support increased retention over the years. It is a community goal to accommodate all students who wish to advance to the next level and all existing students’ siblings.

Since moving into the Timberside campus in 2006, parents, staff, guides, alumni, and friends of the community have been working to evaluate future building and grounds needs as our mission expands. Over the years, our community has continued to grow through increased retention in the Elementary programs. This has resulted in the need for two additional elementary classrooms. There are additional needs to accommodate programs such as after-care, art, band, and parent-toddler classes, as well as for administrative and storage spaces.

In support of the Strategic Plan, a team was formed for Concept Development in 2011, which produced a report in 2012 outlining the future needs of the school. The next step was to form an Ad Hoc Building Committee to conduct a search for an architect and contractor to guide us through the process. The committee consists of a creative and collaborative team of guides, staff, parents, alumni, and parents who are working with Jackson & Ryan Architects and Linbeck. In the last 18 months, the committee has completed Schematic Design and is now ready to begin Design Development and Construction Design for Phase I of the expansion. When these design phases are complete, the campus will be ready for construction.

Along the way the Building Committee has worked to meet the interim needs of the community. This has included temporarily converting the library to an elementary classroom, modifying two of the existing elementary classrooms, and making improvements to the Primary Courtyard.