When students at St. Pius X Classical Academy and St. Joseph School return for the start of the new school year, they will find the school buildings and grounds have been upgraded with several renovations.
All the exterior windows at St. Pius X have been replaced with more energy efficient windows that will give the school a more modern and clean appearance.
A new decorative 6-foot-high fence will line the perimeter of the campus and make the outdoor spaces more functional for student use. Also, all driveways and parking lots will be resurfaced to improve the use of the campus grounds and enhance its overall appearance.
Inside the building, all classrooms were freshly painted and hallways were touched up from last year’s paint upgrade.
There are also changes to the school’s academic program. St. Pius X’s new electives program will promote students’ interests in engineering and design-thinking, the arts and music with the purchase of violins, ukuleles, and robotics kits.
At St. Joseph in Madison, new wood flooring in the hallways and new, modern blinds have been installed, and the classrooms have been freshly painted.
The library was renovated to create a Maker’s Space for students, and an outdoor garden has been installed to teach students about gardening and food sustainability.
St. Joseph has also added to is academic program with a new electives program from grades four through eight.
The improvements were paid for with funds from various sources, including the schools’ accounts with the diocesan Advancement of Catholic Education endowment, diocesan grants, parish school savings, personal donations, gifts, and volunteer hours.
The total cost of the work at St. Pius X was an estimated $463,000 and at St. Joseph $244,000.
“The diocesan schools are encouraged to plan for capital improvements as part of their strategic planning process, which occur on three- to five-year cycles,” said diocesan Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rebecca Hammel. “We revisit these plans regularly and update them annually. Both St. Pius X and St. Joseph were each due for new strategic plans; their work started at the beginning of last school year and are bearing fruit during the coming year.”
