Introduction
Mount Carmel High School celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in July of 2000, and with this historic benchmark came a renewed commitment to the future. In 1999, school leaders Fr. Carl J. Markelz, O.Carm. and David Lenti unveiled the Campaign For A New Century of Excellence. Leaning on decades of storied tradition and hoping to nurture relationships with dedicated benefactors, Mount Carmel laid out a three-phase campaign with the hopes of stabilizing the school's future and propelling the institution into the 21st Century.
In December of 2006, only seven short years after the campaign's inception, the school was only $1 million away from completing Phase One of the ambitious $50 million campaign. The Mount Carmel Convocation Center, the main byproduct of Phase One, was dedicated in September, 2005. This glorious, state-of-the-art facility, which cost $17.5 million to erect, has transformed life around Mount Carmel. School leaders are thankful to all of the generous donors who have made Phase One of the Campaign a success, and they invite you to learn more about the Campaign For A New Century of Excellence, and the impact it will have on the history of Mount Carmel.
Please browse these pages to learn more about the campaign. If you would like to learn more about becoming a donor, please contact David Lenti at 773-324-1020, x228, or at dlenti@mchs.org.
Historical Overview
In the fall of 2001, Mount Carmel unveiled the Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence to the public. The announcement was preceded by a silent phase that netted $5 million. The Campaign, designed to lead Mount Carmel into the 21st Century, is comprised of three phases.
Phase One
Mount Carmel Convocation Center - Phase One was successful in August of 2005 with the construction of the Mount Carmel Convocation Center. Officially the books were closed on Phase One when the goal of $17.5 million in pledges was reached in March of 2007.
This $17.5 million structure is a state-of-the-art academic and athletic facility. It serves as a bold statement that Mount Carmel is primed for a bright future. The facility, home to the Cacciatore Athletic Center, features Science and Computer labs, the Purdy Family Student Commons, a kitchen, Athletic Offices, new locker rooms, Gilmore Hall, which houses The Frank KiszkaAlumni Suite, the Office of the President, Institutional Advancement Offices, and a media center.
Click here to see images and learn more about the Convocation Center.
The McCarthy Academic Wing is comprised of two computer labs, one equipped with PCs and the other equipped with Macintosh computers, a new biology lab, and a faculty rescource center that is equipped with six computers for faculty and staff use. The faculty resource room also has ample space for department and organizational meetings.
Gilmore Hall is home to the Office of Institutional Advancement and a new media center that can be used by faculty members for presentations and media lessons.
The Vic and Char Cacciatore Athletic Center is the home of Caravan Athletics. The Athletic Center is equipped with a 1500 seat baskteball court and volleyball court, as well, as three basketball courts that run the width of the facility, and four volleyball courts that also run the width of the facility. On the south end of the structure is a 1000 square foot fitness center and weight room for use by physical education/fitness classes, as well as all sports and clubs that the school offers.
Other important facelifts on campus that occurred in Phase One are as follows:
- The school purchased the St. Gelasius property across 64th Street and installed a new parking lot.
- Blackstone Street, from 64th to 65th Street, was closed down and grass and trees were installed, connecting Haggerty and Carey fields.
Phase Two
Mount Carmel is currently in the beginning stages of Phase Two of the Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence. When the school reaches the completion of this phase, the third phase will begin immediately. Below is a summary of the campaign:
Phase Two, began immediately after the completion of Phase One and witnessed results by the summer of 2007. In July Mount Carmel High School was successful in purchasing the Wadsworth Student/Parent Center located on the corner of 64th and Blackstone. Currently that property is a Faculty/Staff Parking Lot, freeing up more space in the parking lot on the north end of campus to support a growing enrollment. The other goals of Phase Two are meant to enhance the academic and curricular life at Mount Carmel. Phase Two will witness the construction of a new 500 seat auditorium, a technology-based library, and the renovation of the 1924 Main Building. These enhancements will continuw the trend of positioning Mount Carmel as the leader in all-male Catholic education in the Chicagoland area well into the 21st century.
Phase Three
The final phase of the Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence will witness the renovation of the Graham Center science classrooms, the renovation of the school chapel, a significant contribution to the endowment fund, and the creation of an endowment fund to support the Department Chairperson.
If you are interested in supporing the Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence, please understand that you have the chance to be a part of history. Phase Two of the most ambitious capital campaign in Mount Carmel's 108-year history is off to a great start. You have the chance to help Mount Carmel cross the most glorious of finish lines and more importantly, you have the chance to secure the future of thousands of young men who will call Mount Carmel home in the next century.
Even successful, modern-day campaigns at Mount Carmel were much smaller than The Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence. Here are the comparisons:
Graham Center (1994): $2.3 million
Field of Dreams Campaign (1998): $1 million
McCarthy Challenge (1999): $2 million
Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence: (2007) Phase I, $17.5 million
Campaign For A New Century Of Excellence: (2008) Phase II, $20 million (in progress)
On May 7, 2004, only two-and-a-half years after the Campaign's inception, the school was ready to break ground on the site of the old main parking lot, immediately to the east of the Main Building. In August of 2005, the Mount Carmel Convocation Center was officially open for business on the first day of classes and the facility was dedicated to the public on September 30, 2005. On November 3, 2006, the school announced that the athletic arena in the Convocation Center was forever going to be known as the Vic and Char Cacciatore Athletic Center.
VIEW PICTURES OF THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
VIEW PICTURES OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONVOCATION CENTER
To learn more about the Convocation Center and how it has transformed Mount Carmel, please click here.
