Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.There's no shortage of blue skies and open fields on Elkhorn Mount Michael High School's 350-acre campus.
But after years of growing enrollment, the all-boys Catholic school is nearing capacity and needs more space for science labs, student residences and sports fields.
The school has launched a $40 million capital campaign to complete a 12-year, three-phase expansion plan.
"We want to continue to stay competitive," said Eric Crawford, director of admissions and a 2000 graduate of the school.
The first phase of the campaign consists of raising $10 million over the next three years: $7 million for a new classroom building with science and technology labs, a robotics lab and a library; $2 million for an endowment providing student financial aid and teacher compensation packages; and $1 million to renovate the campus' water treatment plant.
The second phase includes the construction of an $8 million athletic complex, which will house a new gymnasium and weight room.
A $3 million performing arts center, $5 million in renovations to dormitories and a $2 million football stadium and track make up the final phase of the project, which would allow sporting events to be held on campus instead of at Elkhorn High School.
The campaign, called Now is the Time, has collected $4.4 million in pledges and cash gifts from 90 donors since January, including two $1 million pledges: one from an anonymous donor and another from 1979 graduate Zach Nelson, the chief executive officer of NetSuite Inc., a San Mateo, Calif.-based computer software company and part-owner of the Omaha Nighthawks football team.
"That's huge for Mount Michael," said Kimberly Volpone, development director, because the school's alumni base is small and relatively young.
Mount Michael opened its doors to 84 students in 1970, occupying a closed seminary built on donated farmland. Since then, enrollment has grown to 223 students.
"Our graduates are getting to the age where they can give back to the school," Volpone said.
Minor renovations have been made to the facility, including air conditioning, a new cafeteria and student union, but nothing on this scale, Crawford said.
"To maintain our reputation, we've got to make sure we're up-to-date," Crawford said.
The website Boarding School Review, which ranks boarding schools by cost, test scores and student body size, among other criteria, ranked Mount Michael third-least expensive and high in SAT scores among nearly 300 schools.
"The ranking has definitely given us more attention nationally and internationally," Crawford said.
The expansion "as a whole is a sustainable approach to continuing our record of academic excellence," said David Peters, the school's principal.
Contact the writer: michael.bamesberger@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
