Montgomery Catholic Holds Sign the Slab Event to Herald New Gym

On Wednesday, April 17, supporters of the Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s capital campaign, “Building on Faith, Family and Tradition,” turned out at the future site of center court in the nearly-completed gym at the main campus for a “Sign the Slab” event. Over 100 faculty, alumni, parents, and supporters gathered to sign their names and write prayers and messages of encouragement and congratulations on the foundation that will be the new home for Montgomery Catholic athletics.

Anne Ceasar, President of Montgomery Catholic, had a very personal reason to give thanks for this new building. “As a parent of three graduates of MCPS who had many remarkable experiences in the Father Pat Delahunty Gym, I am thrilled that our new facility will be the venue for future occasions for our students.”

Among those who came to sign the slab was Dean Delongchamp, the first Athletic Director to serve at Montgomery Catholic. During his tenure as AD in the early 1990s, he dreamed of a larger gym with more seating for fans to watch their teams. While he knew that the current construction was going to be an improvement, he was not prepared for what he experienced.

“I was stunned,” said Delongchamp. “I knew that we were building a gym, but I wasn’t expecting an entire fieldhouse equipped with offices, conference space, laundry, weight training, and rehabilitation facilities. It’s unbelievable what they’ve put together.”

“I’m so glad that we could show this off to our community,” said Aubrey Blackwell, head coach for both football and baseball. “This will be one of the best facilities in the state of Alabama and absolutely the premier facility in Montgomery. We’re looking forward to our students using all of the amenities we’re equipping.”

Also present was the Reverend Monsignor Charles Troncale, an ardent supporter of Catholic education who has seen tremendous growth at MCPS since the time when he worked there in the early 1970s.

“I congratulate the Catholic community of Montgomery on their efforts to make this seemingly impossible project a reality,” said Troncale about the construction. “It is through the sacrificial attitude of the supporters of Montgomery Catholic that this has been possible, and I look forward to the great things that will come from this facility.”

Lainie Cleghorn, a Montgomery Catholic alumna and parent of a graduate and current student, also spoke to the enthusiasm and commitment of the MCPS community.

“This project came to life much faster than any of us had ever imagined that it would,” said Cleghorn, who served on the strategic planning committee that worked on this building project. “Supporters of Montgomery Catholic recognized that the new gym and new performing arts facility are needs and not wants for this school, and they rallied together to make it happen.”

The capital campaign raised over $3.5 million dollars in just eleven months, allowing MCPS to look towards the future and realize the dream of a new 33,000 square foot gymnasium with stadium seating and capacity for over 800. The gym will have two regulation basketball courts, a weight room, concession area, offices, locker rooms, and conference rooms. The Montgomery community will find much comfort in knowing that the facility will be air conditioned—a luxury the current Fr. Pat Delahunty Gym, which was built in 1968, does not have.

Following the completion of the new gym, the Fr. Pat Delahunty Gym will be converted into a performing arts building, dedicated to elevating the entire MCPS performing arts program. This facility will be completely remodeled to create state-of-the-art band and choral/drama classrooms, practice rooms, office space, and storage for the award-winning band program and emerging choral and drama program. This will allow for students to be able to focus on all aspects of their practice by providing a vibrant and supportive environment for current and future students with an affinity for the performing arts. Also, the addition of a high school student lounge and meeting space facing the courtyard will give students a comfortable place to gather on campus.

Montgomery Catholic Student Honored in Statewide Magazine

Montgomery Catholic Student Honored in Statewide Magazine

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Arthur Murray, a student at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, is honored as a Teen Spotlight in Potential Magazine for excelling in his academics and leadership.

Jasmine Murray and Arthur Murray

photo by Shelby Shubird

Arthur has a passion for robotics. He explained, “My grandfather started giving me LEGO sets at the age of 3, and by the time I was 6 I was putting together K’NEX building sets with over 300 pieces. I’ve been interested in building and designing things ever since, and that’s what sparked me to join the robotics club my 8th grade year.” He’s an instrumental part of Montgomery Catholic’s robotics club, and has been awarded champion status at six different robotics tournaments. He has a great deal of pride in his school— he shared, “My favorite part about attending Catholic is that I’m getting a good education and learning how to grow closer to God. MCPS inspires you and makes you feel like family.” When asked to share the most important lesson he’s learned in life so far, Arthur answered, “I’ve got to put something into life before I can expect to get anything out. Hard work pays off!”

Potential Magazine is a multimedia resource for parents of college-bound teenagers. In each issue, high achieving students in the 7th-12th grade are featured and entered to win the $500 "Reach Your Potential" scholarship awarded in January and May.

Teens are recommended by their school or community leaders for excelling in one or more of the following areas: academics, business, leadership, philanthropy, overcoming adversity, citizenship and community service, athletics, and the arts. Potential Magazine's advisory board chooses teens to feature in each issue and select the scholarship winner in May from each of the finalists.

Read the full article on Arthur at https://www.potentialmagazine.com/teen-spotlight-arthur-murray/

Montgomery Catholic High School Students Serve the Community

Faith, excellence, and service are three key characteristics shared by every Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School student. Each campus participates in various community service projects throughout the year, and there are many clubs that are dedicated to community outreach. Each year during Lent, every student from the high school campus participates in a Lenten Day of Service. Groups of students head out into the community to spend the day working on a service project. The needs of the organizations in the area are many, and each project is unique. Through their labors, the students not only learned about the important role each organization plays in the community, but also, they got to experience the amount of time and effort that is put into keeping these groups running.

The types of projects were varied and served many different organizations. A group of girls headed to the E.A.T. South community farm to clean chicken coops and plant seedlings. One group of boys cleared bush and cleaned signs at the Lanark Alabama Nature Center while another scrubbed wheelchairs at the Montgomery Public Schools Children’s Center. Another group of boys assembled furniture at the Family Sunshine Center while a group of girls assembled care packages for Footprints Ministry, an organization that helps to comfort mothers whose newborns are in intensive care.

“It is important that our students use their hands to serve in the community around them,” said history teacher Stefanie Nelson, who organizes community outreach at the Montgomery Catholic high school campus. “All of our faculty get involved in this project, and it’s through their leadership that our students learn the importance of community service.”

Montgomery Catholic's National Junior Honor Society Welcomes New Members

The Montgomery Catholic Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society inducted 58 new members into its ranks. These students exemplify the five characteristics required of each member: scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. Many of these students serve in the Student Government Association and act as Student Ambassadors for the middle school. Montgomery Catholic is proud to recognize these students for their achievements and leadership.

The eighth grade inductees are Michael Algarin, Erik Azar, Cannon Bach, Max Barranco, Will Belsterling, Grace Anne Berck, Brennan Binns, Andrew Bosch, Evy Bosko, Nicholas Calandra, Hannah McCormack Chitlik, Liam Cook, Kayleigh Everage, Alex Fleet, Michael Galvin, Esa Gancayco, Ainsley Harrison, Hunter Hodges, Kaylee Holmes, Harrison Howell, Gabriel Russo, Josie Smith, Alan Stevenson, Maggie Stewart, Mason Sylvester, Audrey Trant, Amy Treloar, Alex Villena, Alana Wilkinson, Danielle Willcox, and Laura Thomas Zhvania.

The seventh grade inductees are Kaitlyn Ankersen, Mally Barranco, Aidan Blum, Bernard Byrd Jr., Megan Cabral, Ella Castanza, Lily Coulombe, Cooper Davis, Dalton DeRamus, Jehle Dickson, Jessica Hankins, Josh Hildebrand, Tristan Huffman, Nate Izer, Eli Kindle, Joseph Malizia, Nicasio Montelara Demick, Abby O'Donnell, Philipa Parker, Ryan Parker, Kathryn Reardon, Wilson Samuels, Sarah Souriya, Owen Thompson, Hannah Grace Traff, Emi Tuttle, and Michael Ann Williams.

Established in 1929, the National Junior Honor Society is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. Chapter membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments, but also challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service. Five main purposes have guided chapters of NJHS from the beginning: to create enthusiasm for scholarship; to stimulate a desire to render service; to promote leadership; to encourage responsible citizenship; and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. These purposes also translate into the criteria used for membership selection in each local chapter.