EXPLORER - La Salle College High School

2 Explorer Fall 2009
From The Hip
One of my favorite titles is “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”,
the award-winning short story by Joyce Carol Oates. Although the plot has no
connection or correlation to La Salle College High School, the title certainly
applies to changes and developments at the school over the last few years.
I remember my father telling me stories about La College High School students
who occupied the second and third floors of Wister Hall on the campus of
La Salle College in the late 1950’s. In 1960, the school made the historic move
to a new building located in the rolling hills of Wyndmoor. As a student in the
late 1970’s and early 1980’s, I experienced firsthand a school that was head and
shoulders above the rest; however, never could I have imagined the La Salle
College High School of today.
Over the last twenty years, the school has acquired adjoining properties and
homes – Alumni House, Dunleavy Center, and Allinson House – have created a
bona fide campus. In September of 1993, St. Michael Hall opened. The five-level
addition featuring the McShain Library and state-of-the-art classrooms brought
art and technology to the forefront of the school’s curriculum. Nine years
later, the West Wing was built and provided much needed space for music
and athletics.
In 2004, the Board of Trustees adopted a Strategic Plan that identified the key
needs and priorities of the school over the next five years. The Board’s vision and
overall commitment to the school’s mission launched Fulfilling The Promise, a
$25 million capital campaign for land acquisition, construction, renovations, and
financial aid.
In 2007, the school acquired the 34-acres adjacent to Route 309 and Paper Mill
Road. Shortly thereafter, the land was developed into Ward Field, a baseball
complex that rivals some minor league ballparks, along with McCarthy Trail, the
Brother Gratian of Jesus Environmental Center, and two additional practice fields
for football, soccer, and/or lacrosse.
In the spring of 2007, construction began on a 40,000 square foot, four-level
academic wing that houses a counseling center, campus ministry area, study
commons, two laboratories, six classrooms, and a technology center. At the
center of the new addition is the Marian Chapel, which for the first time,
provides a dedicated place of worship within the school. Upon completion of the
new wing, renovations began to McLean Hall. All of the original academic areas
were sequentially renovated as were the administrative areas. New walls, ceilings,
floors/carpeting, windows, HVAC, etc. brought new life to an aging building.
The final pieces of equipment moved out in late August and 1,069 boys moved in
on September 9, 2009. The facilities that these boys occupy are nothing short of
magnificent. Visitors stand in awe of new buildings and the technology operating
within. Nothing is outdated and everything shines, including the faces of the
faculty and students.
I walk the hallways and grounds and marvel at our accomplishments. La Salle
College High School has a long and storied history – one that makes us proud
of what we have and where we have been. Where are we going? Let’s just say
that the vision is clear and the future is bright. More importantly, it is a future in
which everyone will want to have a part.
Christopher M. Carabello ’82
Editor
EXPLORE R
The Official Magazine of La Salle College High School
President
Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ‘60
Principal
Joseph L. Marchese
Vice President of Institutional
Advancement
Daniel L. McGowan
Editor
Christopher M. Carabello ’82
Editorial and Production Assistance
Barbara Franks
Cathleen P. Winning
Contributing Writers
Christopher M. Carabello ‘82
Brother Richard Kestler, FSC ’60
Benjamin J. Ventresca, Jr. ’70
Photography
Greg Bobowski
Braden J. Bonner ’07
John J. Burns
Christopher M. Carabello ’82
Gary Donnelly
Drexel University
Mike Maicher
Brother James Rieck, FSC ’57
Artwork and Design
John Burns Graphic Design
Address
Explorer
La Salle College High School
8605 Cheltenham Avenue
Wyndmoor, PA 19038
215 233 2350 Phone
215 836 4502 Fax
alumni@lschs.org
The Explorer is published by
La Salle College High School.
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