Hundreds of Bishop Feehan supporters gathered in the school’s new Innovation & Arts Center the evening of Saturday, Sept. 23, for the formal grand opening and blessing ceremony of the brand new 10,000 square-foot academic addition on the Holcott Drive campus.
Bishop Edgar da Cunha offered a formal blessing of the new building, and Feehan President Tim Sullivan ’87 offered his thanks for all those who made the building possible. Diocesan chancellor, Kevin Kiley, Chancellor of Salve Regina University (and former Feehan Principal), Dr. M. Therese Antone, RSM, along with the chair of Bishop Feehan’s Board of Trustees, Joe Kurtzer, also helped mark the historic moment for Feehan.
“Feehan was, is and always will be only as strong as the community that surrounds our school, and tonight we celebrate that community and we give thanks that our community is stronger than ever,” said Sullivan. “This new space represents perfectly a school that values its traditions, while moving forward boldly and serving our students in new ways year after year.”
The highlight of Saturday’s event was the chance for guests to tour the new space and see Feehan students in action. The robotics team and engineering program practiced their crafts in the new IdeaLab, while Feehan’s eSports team competed in the first dedicated high school eSports facility in the region. All of this while the choir sang and the band practiced in their new spaces, and the theater program showed off their entirely renovated backstage facility.
The Innovation & Arts Center (IAC) is the most visible result of the $13 million Daring to Believe capital campaign that officially closed Saturday night. The campaign has raised more than $13.5 million dollars, thanks to the leadership of campaign Co-Chairs Dennis Kelly and Kevin Cryan and the generosity of more than 350 individual campaign donors.
Besides the new academic addition, the campaign is also powering a transformation of the school’s east athletic fields complex—including two new turf fields and lights for Beach Field—along with significant increases in available financial aid, faculty support and campus ministry and mercy initiatives.
“Our innovation courses and clubs – like computer science, engineering, eSports and robotics – have been growing quickly for years,” said Feehan Principal Sean Kane. “And now we have the learning spaces that match the enthusiasm and the growing demand. I can’t wait to see what our teachers and students do together in the IAC. And I can’t wait to watch our new families tour the new building for the first time at our Open House this fall. This is a gamechanger for Feehan.”
Prospective students and families are invited to Feehan’s Open House on Oct. 15 at 1 p.m., where tours of the IAC will be available. Private admissions visits can also be arranged. Alumni and friends who would like a tour can reach out to the school’s alumni office to arrange a campus visit.
