Last fall, Phase I of the campus transformation was completed as we opened the Howley Learning Commons, the Cape and Sword Theatre, and the Hayden Hall of Excellence. However, that was not enough. As is typical for the Prep, we wanted to go further still! Last fall, the Board of Trustees, after advisement with President John Marinacci and members of the Prep Leadership Team, voted to expand the campaign to $45 million to increase its endowment, update the classrooms on the first and second floors of Villiger Hall, and enhance the existing co-curricular spaces in Villiger Hall. In addition, the Admissions Office will be transformed to offer an outstanding welcome for our prospective students and families.

Phase II, which is underway, will completely renovate the classrooms on the first and second floors of Villiger Hall to ensure that faculty and students have all that they need to match current learning and teaching styles. Villiger Hall houses the Prep’s English, Religious Studies, Modern Language, and Science Departments as well as offices for the President, Principal, Admissions, and Student Activities. By the end of this project, all of these offices will be renovated as well.

Additionally, Phase II will refurbish many of our internal athletic facilities and will include the creation of a weight room that can accommodate 100 students, a transformed Multipurpose Room that will house a new wrestling gym and an indoor turf field, resurfacing the raised track atop the Kelly Fieldhouse, and the creation of a cardio fitness center.

Also, the Church of the Gesu, so important to the spiritual life of our community, will undergo much-needed restoration of the eight side chapels as well as exterior brick work to ensure that the Church is protected so that future generations have the chance to experience the beauty of this historic landmark.

The purpose of these projects is to animate the Jesuit mission of caring for the mind, body, and spirit of our community. “The For Others Forever Campaign directly impacts the education of our young men,” says St. Joseph’s Prep President John Marinacci. “It is vital for the Prep to continue its mission of forming people of competence, conscience, and compassion for decades to come.”

All of this is made possible by For Others Forever, the largest and most successful fundraising campaign in the school’s illustrious history, which brought in more than $45 million to drastically upgrade the campus while more than doubling the school’s endowment, especially in the area of scholarship and financial aid. While the campaign continues, we remember that The Prep Fund remains the cornerstone of all support of the Prep as it provides vital funding for annual programming that impacts every student.

Marinacci thanks the entire Prep community for their incredible generosity during the For Others Forever Campaign and all fundraising efforts.

For more information on the For Others Forever Campaign, go to forothersforever.sjprep.org.