Shea Gift and Community Input Spell Success for Two School Renovations
North Park News
November 2007
by Christy Scannell

Students at two North Park parochial schools are reaping the benefits of major construction projects on their campuses. St. Patrick’s School received a $610,000 makeover courtesy of a Shea Homes grant. St. Augustine High School wrapped the first phase of its master plan, including two new buildings over parking and a revamped classroom building.

Principal Dan O’Neal calls the St. Patrick’s 90-day project “unbelievable.” “Since we do not receive tax funding we are limited in how much long-term maintenance we can do and still keep tuition affordable,” he says. “This school was old but not rundown. It was just tired and in need of a facelift. It got much more, like a miracle.”

It all started earlier this year when O’Neal found out 180-student St. Patrick’s was one of two San Diego Catholic schools chosen for the Shea gift (the other was St. Rita’s in Valencia Park). O’Neal says he feels St. Patrick’s was selected because Shea officials were impressed with parent and volunteer involvement in the school’s upkeep.

“Also, we are really a middle class school in that we’re not as attractive to donors who support challenged inner city schools yet we don’t have access to donors who do not know us,” he says. “As the saying goes, we have too much for people to help but not enough to help ourselves.”

Teachers, parents and other volunteers raced to empty the building after school ended on June 15, packing supplies and furniture into large containers on the school playground. Construction crews arrived June 17 and finished Sept. 9 so classes could begin Sept. 1.

"“The parents and kids were really excited” to see the results, says O’Neal. Improvements included a new tile roof with sub roof, gutters, double-glazed windows, new flooring, new carpeting in the offices and library, refurbished bathrooms, new cabinets, new heaters, ceiling fans, interior and exterior painting, new electrical outlets, new drinking fountains, a fence—and even new maps, white board and crucifixes. A redesigned, air-conditioned main office allows for better use of space, while school-purchased security cameras provide a safer environment.

“Even out parents were involved, stripping and refinishing all the teacher desks so they look as good as new,” says O’Neal.The interior design has lavender bathroom tile, warm classroom color schemes, and green exterior paint.“We were especially pleased with the outside color because we felt it reflected the Craftsman style of the neighborhood well,” O’Neal says. “This is a great community and we think this upgrade will have a positive effect not only on our kids and staff but on our neighbors as well.”

St. Augustine High School opened the school year with two new buildings, Villanova and Mendel Halls, and renovated Vasey Hall. Construction began in June 2006, but much of the finish work occurred during the summer, an effect that surprised returning students.

“It blew me away. I didn’t expect all of this,” says Steve Quinn, a Saints senior from El Cajon. “Before we were really cramped but now it’s easier to move around. The teachers can use PowerPoint, and we have movies with surround sound.”

Mark Best from North Park, another senior, says even though he passed by the under-construction campus frequently during the summer, actually arriving the first day of school was remarkable.
“I was definitely shocked,” he says. “They did an amazing job. It’s like a mini-university. The first week of class I didn’t feel like I was in classrooms because they were so nice.”

State-of-the-art laboratories, high-tech classrooms, a library and other student services are housed in the new buildings that have a total square footage of 39,575 with parking for 98 cars underneath.

Architecturally, the exterior includes Craftsman and Spanish features similar to those on nearby homes, an aspect important to neighbors, says Steve Chipp, Saints’ executive director of finance and facilities.
“A lot of thought and planning went into how to lay out and design what we needed to have minimal impact on neighbors,” he says. “We wanted the style to fit the neighborhood and complement our Requa building (Vasey Hall).”

The school involved the community in its plan, starting two years before construction with informational meetings and design charrettes.“Neighbors asked for more height to come down and more setback, which we did,” he says. “But eventually everybody understood the challenges and the limited opportunities we had (due to constricted space).”

Chipp says neighbors’ buy-in to the plan, gained from their broad input, was key to its success.
“We took those steps early in the process to bring them in as stakeholders,” he says. Evidence of the neighborhood’s acceptance was a lack of complaints during what Chipp calls a “very intense” digging and initial construction period.

“I feel we’ve gained credibility with the neighborhood because we did what we said we would do and we corrected it if we didn’t,” he says. “This new school is an asset not only to the students but to the North Park community as a whole.”

Phases two and three of the school’s master plan—a new gymnasium and athletic fields—is on hold pending funding, Chipp says, with no construction scheduled.

St. Augustine will dedicate Villanova and Mendel halls in ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 24. The whole school will have an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 28.

St. Augustine High School
3266 Nutmeg Street, San Diego, CA 92104
Phone: (619) 282-2184 | Fax: (619) 282-1203 | www.sahs.org