BUILDING OUR FUTURE:
The Case for St. Bernard Academy’s Campus Enhancement
When it was finally the 10-year-old boys’ turn to
run, the students nervously stretched and got into
position. The starting gun sounded, and they took
off across the field. Nearly fifteen minutes later,
children began crossing the finish line. Two sets of
parents couldn’t find their sons. Moments later they
realized why.
Earlier in the race, a student from another school
tripped and went down in pain. Instinctively and
without regard to his place in the race, one of our
Bears bent down and helped him up. Neither child
knew the other before the race, but together, they
limped arm in arm across the finish line.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE:
The Case for St. Bernard Academy’s Campus Enhancement
A few years back, nearly a thousand students laced up their shoes and crowded the St. Cecilia Academy campus for the annual county-wide cross country meet. Cross country is one of St. Bernard’s most popular sports, so nearly a third of our students
were there to culminate months of practice. Race after race was run; some St. Bernard students placed, some didn’t. And then something unusual happened.
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Two distinctive traits permeate St. Bernard
Academy’s campus. Compassion—when a child
helps a stranger finish a cross country race—is the
first. Academic excellence is the second. Both are
rooted in our proud and strong Catholic tradition.
Each of our students works at least one grade level
ahead of their peers at other schools. Our teams
consistently rate highest in math, science, and
forensic competitions. High schools vie for our
students because of their preparation and
study habits.
WHY DO OUR STUDENTS EXCEL?
We’re proud of these traits, but we can’t take all the credit.
Far before they first enter our doors, our students
learn kindness, social justice, and a passion for
learning at home. As parents, you model the
behavior that we reinforce every day in all we do.
Like you, we achieve that delicate balance between
nurture and challenge, and it shows in our test
scores and in our citizenship.
It also shows in our enrollment, which has outgrown our current spaces.
We want to be big enough to field a basketball team or assemble a band, but small
enough to maintain a selective admissions process and foster close relationships with
each of our families.
But our facilities have not kept up with the outstanding education happening inside.
Classes are cramped. Students do not have the opportunity to foster their talents
outside the classroom. We want to do more for our students—your children.
We proudly launch Building Our Future, the $1 million campaign to build six
new classrooms, a new fine arts and multi-purpose building, and renovate existing
administrative offices into a student support center. With your energy and your
financial support, we embrace the momentum we feel every day and create
something special, a place where ambition and empathy share equal importance.
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We are committed to keeping our student body large enough to maintain affordable tuition while keeping class sizes small.
WE’VE OUTGROWN OUR SPACES
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“WE TALK WITH PRIDE ABOUT OUR
STUDENTS, OUR FACULTY, AND OUR
FAMILIES, BUT NOT ABOUT OUR
FACILITIES. LET’S CHANGE THAT AND
BUILD A CAMPUS WE CAN BE PROUD
OF, WHERE THE QUALITY OF OUR
FACILITIES MATCHES THE QUALITY OF
OUR FACULTY AND STAFF.”
CHUCK SABO, HEAD OF SCHOOL
Band practice integrated into the school day, giving more students the chance to join and learn to play an instrument
Band practice starts at 7 am, four days a week, immediately eliminating talented students who cannot arrive early
Students navigate the “St. Bernard River” through rain and cold to reach the music room, located in a converted garage
No space for a drama program; a school play has been performed only twice in the last eight years
No space large enough to celebrate Mass with all students, faculty, and guests without interrupting class schedules
TODAY COMING SOON.. .WITH YOUR SUPPORT
Large classrooms built for group collaborations and individual learning
Old classroom divided into two tiny classrooms
A multi-purpose building to host school-wide assemblies and Mass, without altering classes
Students develop an ear for music in a fine arts space central to the rest of campus
A thriving drama program gives our children a chance to act and hone their public speaking skills
Spacious classrooms designed for individualized and group learning, and interactive teaching styles
Students learn in classrooms between the stage and the gym, distracted by noise
New student support center with space and tools for tutoring, counseling, and family conferences
Storage closets used as tutoring spaces
The multi-purpose building increases after school space, allowing for new programming
Limited aftercare activities because of a lack of space
A multi-purpose building provides additional space for team practices
Basketball teams practice late on school nights, the only time gym space is available
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In 2011 we began a very strategic process to guide
SBA’s growth. We invited our entire community to
take part in that conversation. We learned that we
do a lot of things well, but we also learned that we
are missing opportunities. Our facility is crowded,
and many of our spaces are inadequate.
The new SBA will turn our campus from a dated
physical plant into one we treasure. Six new
classrooms along with administrative space will
be built along Bernard Avenue. A 6,000 square
foot multi-purpose building will provide space for
school-wide assemblies, Mass, performing arts,
PE on inclement weather days, and our aftercare
program. By turning the old SBA swimming pool
footprint into green space, we continue to provide
outdoor land for our children to play and exercise.
The current administrative offices will be converted
into a student support center.
The planning study revealed that more than
anything else, you want to see more classrooms
and better student support space. You also want
a building that can be configured many different
ways: for gathering, performing, worshiping,
and playing.
A DELIBERATE ANALYSIS
Building Our Future gives our school community these spaces and opportunities. As SBA looks to its next 150 years, Building Our Future
sets our school on a path for a proud future.
• Class sizes will remain small across all grade levels.
• New, large classrooms will be configured for 21st-century learning.
• Teachers will continue to have advanced technology tools to aid their lessons.
• Students have ample space for large and small group discussions, individualized study, and interactive learning.
• Fourth grade classes are moved from behind the stage and gym; no longer are students distracted by PE classes or musical performances.
• The science lab, today used as a regular classroom, is once again dedicated to science.
Small class sizes and a small student body, the
hallmark of an SBA education, are traditions we
intend to keep. It’s how our teachers get to know
your children as well as they do. It’s how they
identify and foster hidden talents, and recognize
when a student needs a little extra.
To keep class sizes small, however, we must build
more classrooms. There is no other answer.
Dolores Hackett, a fourth grade teacher, is an
expert on SBA’s need for classroom space. Her
classroom is one of two spaces between the stage
and the gym. Every day, her lessons compete
with musical notes and bouncing basketballs.
Imagine how much more effective Dolores, and her
colleagues, could be in a proper classroom.
Building Our Future provides six new classrooms
that incorporate the latest technology and are
designed to maximize learning. These new
spaces will be flexible enough for group study,
independent reading, and interactive learning.
They enhance our teachers’ ability to blend the
most current education practices with effective
traditional styles.
ROOMS TO GROW
“We definitely need more space. Some teachers have to share classrooms. The guitar and piano students take lessons in closets. The school counselor’s office is right across from the noisy gym in the school’s busiest hallway, which makes
it hard to have a meeting with her.”
– Charlotte Mays, 5th Level Student
BUILDING OUR FUTURE ADDS SIX NEW CLASSROOMS
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“OUR MUSIC PROGRAM ISN’T
STRONG, BUT IT’S NOT FOR A LACK
OF INTEREST OR TALENT. WE JUST
DON’T HAVE A PLACE FOR IT. WE
LIVE IN ‘MUSIC CITY.’ WE SHOULD
BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE
CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES ALL
AROUND US.”
MICHAEL STEWART, MUSIC TEACHER
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• 6,000 square feet of flexible space to be used for assemblies, Mass, and as additional practice space.
• Large enough to celebrate Mass for the entire student body, faculty, and guests without interrupting the academic day.
• Stage and performance space for band, choir, and drama programs.
• Additional space for the aftercare program, expanding its programming activities and opportunities.
There is no single building that can hold our entire
student body for assemblies or to celebrate Mass
without disrupting the academic day. Building Our
Future will provide a multi-functional building
large enough to hold all students, faculty, and
guests, and one that can be used to meet a variety
of needs.
SBA was founded by the Sisters of Mercy on
traditions of self-discipline and the pursuit of social
justice. We honor their legacy and the lessons they
left. A new multi-purpose building gives us a space
to hold Mass.
In a new multi-purpose building, St. Bernard can
host school-wide assemblies. Professors, scientists,
and professionals from our community can share
discoveries and theories. Musicians and industry
professionals can perform while teaching lessons
of perseverance and hard work. Having a proper
facility in which to gather gives us a chance to
take better advantage of the exceptional city that
surrounds us.
With more space, we can finally develop a
comprehensive fine arts program. Our band, which
now excludes students who cannot make it to 7
a.m. practices, can hold practices during the school
day. We can produce more programs that showcase
our students’ talents and develop their public
speaking and acting abilities. In our new multi-
purpose building, we can better take advantage
of the talent and expertise of our current staff
and volunteers.
Aftercare is essential to many of our families. Our
new multi-purpose building will provide space for
aftercare programming that meets the needs of this
growing population. Attendance at aftercare has
doubled in the past 5 years from 60 to 120 students
daily and continues to grow as we meet the needs of
two-income households joining our community.
ONE SPACE: INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
BUILDING OUR FUTURE CREATES A NEW MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING
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• Designated rooms for tutoring.
• Welcoming spaces for guidance and counseling.
• Dedicated administrative space that brings the entire administration together to work more efficiently and effectively.
St. Bernard is blessed to have extremely talented
and dedicated teachers and staff. Whatever
challenges confront our students, our teachers
and staff respond with a plan and the support of a
caring family.
Because space is at such a premium at St. Bernard,
students today meet with their tutors in closets.
Sensitive conversations take place in crowded
administrative offices.
Building Our Future will repurpose the current
administrative offices into a student support center.
Filled with resources and tools to help our students,
the center will feature rooms dedicated to tutoring
and welcoming spaces for guidance and counseling.
Part of the first floor of the new classroom building
becomes home to SBA’s administration. By being
together in a single space, the administration can
function more efficiently and effectively as a team.
EXTR A HELP IS THERE WHEN IT’S NEEDED
BUILDING OUR FUTURE REPURPOSES OLD ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES INTO A STUDENT SUPPORT CENTER
St. Bernard Academy takes seriously our fiduciary
responsibility to you, our families. We will be both
strategic and conservative in our plans, building
only what we need and what we can afford.
Building Our Future’s goal is to raise $1 million.
This amount will be coupled with reserve funds
and financing. We do not intend to raise tuition to
pay for these campus enhancements. Instead, we
will borrow only what we can easily incorporate
into our annual operating budget.
We plan to borrow minimally and responsibly, and
this is why your support is so crucial. Every dollar
we raise as part of Building Our Future is one less
dollar we borrow or remove from our reserves.
HOW WILL WE FUND THESE ENHANCEMENTS?
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The momentum spreading across our campus grows stronger every day. Because you’ve helped us achieve the rare balance between nurture and challenge, great things
are happening at SBA.
The time is now to harness this energy and turn it into real opportunities for our school family. Let’s create a world-class campus for St. Bernard Academy that matches our
enthusiasm for learning and our academic excellence. Let’s take advantage of our proud heritage and make SBA even
better because our children deserve nothing less.
WE CAN’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACT
1866Six Sisters of Mercy come to Nashville
from Dublin, Ireland, to open St. Bernard Academy in downtown Nashville adjacent
to the State Capitol.
1873Mercy Sisters halt classes and spend five
weeks caring for Nashville’s sick during a cholera epidemic. Not one Sister of Mercy
contracted the disease.
1905St. Bernard Academy and Convent moves
to its campus on 21st Avenue.
1924New wing added to the St. Bernard
Convent building on 21st Avenue including a large chapel, cafeteria and additional
sleeping quarters for the Sisters.
1960St. Bernard Academy expands to include
high school at the corner of Bernard Avenue and 24th Avenue and is considered state of
the art for its time, especially since it was air conditioned.
1988St. Bernard Academy parents purchase
the school from the Sisters of Mercy. SBA becomes the first elementary school in the country to be purchased by a nonprofit
group of parents.
2002Kate Kaplan Academic Addition is
completed providing the two classrooms behind the stage.
2004SBA completes an extensive campus
renovation and building initiative to add the James W. Carell Dining Hall, the
Catherine McAuley Chapel, and a new art room and kindergarten.
2014SBA launches Building Our Future
to expand its campus and provide new opportunities for its growing student body.
SBA CELEBRATES 150 YEARS
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4%
96%
96% OF SBA FRIENDS AND FAMILIES INTERVIEWED DURING THE CAMPAIGN PLANNING STUDY SAID THEY WOULD
SUPPORT BUILDING THE FUTURE FINANCIALLY OR CONSIDER
MAKING A GIFT.
STEERING COMMITTEE
ADRIAN RODRIGUEZ
Campaign Chair
ALICE RODRIGUEZ
Campaign Chair
MONA AND DAVID TEHLE
Honorary Co-Chairs
CHRIS BALTZ
JILL BALTZ
JIM BUSH
Campaign Consultant, Winkler Group
KELLY MCGILL-BARRETT
TYLER BARRETT
MARK BARRY
Chair-Elect, Board of Trust
KATHY BOLES
Chair, Board of Trust
CHRIS CRANE
GABRIELLA CRANE
JEROME DEL PINO
TESSA LEMOS DEL PINO
JOHN GALASSINI
MARGY GALASSINI
FRANK GRACE, JR.
BILL HAMILTON
KATHY HAMILTON
KELLEY HENRY
BRIAN LADEN
NANCY LADEN
PHILIP MATTINGLY
CARL SABO
Head of School
CHRISTINE SCRUGGS
Director of Development
CURT WINTER
Assistant Head of School
2020 24TH AVENUE SOUTH • NASHVILLE, TN 37212www.stbernard.org
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