Campus enhancements

While many traveled and enjoyed the time off and wonderful weather, our Maintenance Department worked tirelessly to execute Father Willie’s vision.

The most symbolic of the changes was the remodeling of Our Lady’s Chapel. “Located in the Garrido Family Plaza, Our Lady’s Chapel is at the very heart of our school and has for years been the home of our prayers and petitions,” said Father Willie. “Now, this sacred space has a new look that will help strengthen our Catholic identity, Jesuit character, and lifelong devotion to the Blessed Mother.”

 

The D, E, and F sections went through classroom reconfigurations which resulted in improved and reimagined spaces. The Offices of the Dean of Men and Campus Ministry were created in the D section where classrooms once stood. The strategic placement of those offices in the center of the campus allows for students to easily access to two areas of extreme importance to their educational and spiritual lives. The E section, which includes the College Counseling Offices, now includes an additional office for a new counselor and additional classrooms. The Senior Section had new carpeting installed, walls were painted, and the lockers were removed.

Moving from its cozy corner adjacent to the cafeteria, the Campus Store is now located in the main school lobby.  Gone is the design of the past where all items were located behind a counter; now students, parents, and alumni can walk around a beautiful store to purchase items branded with the school logo and colors. “We’ve worked hard to develop a new store concept and new merchandise that looks great so that everyone that loves Belen can support the school,” said Mr. Thomas de Quesada, Dean of Men. “Every item is tagged with a ‘B Genuine’ tag so that everyone knows that their purchase is helping to support the school.”

Additionally, the offices of the Alumni Association moved into the Administration Building and the Office of the Principal has a new home in the school’s Main Office along with the Assistant Principals. Three new encased trophy cases and LED monitors were placed on the second floor of the main school building. The new displays now showcase the accolades of our students that were once displayed in the Cafeteria.  The LED monitors will display up-to-date content about student activities, sports scores, and other pertinent information.

Of course, the greatest transformation on campus has been the completion of the first phase of the Kitchen and Cafeteria project. The new kitchen includes state of the art cooking equipment and custom cold and dry storage areas. Stationary food stations will allow for better flow and accommodate students, faculty, and staff. The temporary kitchen trailers have been replaced with demolition equipment and the Dining Hall, the second phase of construction, is underway. This much anticipated portion of the project has been redesigned and will include additional square footage and state of the art amenities. “While the kitchen phase of the cafeteria project is completed, the dining hall is just getting started and will not be completed until January 2017,” said Fr. Willie. “That means that during the first semester we need to have breakfast and lunch somewhere else. We have set up a large, air-conditioned tent just in front of the administration building that will adequately serve our needs.”

In May we broke ground on the Gian Zumpano Aquatic Center & the Peter John and Gabriel Jimenez Pool, and since then the construction crew has been preparing the grounds. The new Aquatic Center will feature a state-of-the-art Olympic sized pool and will serve as home to the highly successful swimming, diving, and water polo programs. The estimated date of completion for the project is the summer of 2017.