MILLTOWN — Not even a fire alarm could dampen the spirits at Saint Mark’s High School on Sept. 30.
Students, faculty, board members and others gathered in the gymnasium to hear about a gift that coincided with the school’s 56th birthday. With a drum line building up the moment, principal Eileen Wilkinson announced that the Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Foundation had provided $1.25 million toward the “Building Champions” campaign. That will allow the addition of a fitness center and the renovation of the wrestling room to begin, probably in the next few weeks.
“The funding’s at a point where we can move forward with the project,” Saint Mark’s President Patrick Tiernan said after the ceremony. The hope is to have it completed by the end of the school year.
Wilkinson said that Saint Mark’s includes 28 teams that have won a combined 111 state championships. But the time for an upgrade has come.
“We have amazing facilities,” she said. “But we are 56 years old. And just like houses need a little renovation, we need a renovation.”
The project includes multiple facets. The most prominent will be the addition of the Coach Don Burawski Fitness and Training Center, which will be built off the back of the gymnasium. It will be 5,000 square feet and will be open to all students and staff. Burawski was the first head coach of the football team, leading the Spartans to three state championships.
The Steve Bastianelli Wrestling Center and the Marie Speakman Cheerleading Center will be located under the gym. The Spartans won 10 wrestling state championships in Bastianelli’s 23 years at the helm, and Speakman’s cheerleaders won eight. Both are members of the Saint Mark’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
The current wrestling room will be renovated. The cheerleading center will be a new dedicated space for the team. Over the years, the cheerleaders have shared space for practice, sometimes moving sessions to the library. There also will be coaches rooms.
Saint Mark’s senior Luke Podolak, one of the soccer captains and also a member of the basketball team, addressed his schoolmates. The school has meant a lot to his family. His grandmother was a member of the first graduating class, and his parents met at Saint Mark’s. He has a sister who is a freshman and a younger brother who also will be a Spartan.
“I cannot wait to see what this new expansion brings. It will not only enhance our extraordinary athletic program, but also provide a dedicated space for health and wellness that all students can enjoy,” Podolak said.
Tiernan, while addressing the students, thanked the committee that worked to secure funding for the Building Champions campaign, singling out two of them, Mike Carney and Patricia Curtin White, both of whom were in attendance. Carney is the chairman of the Building Champions campaign.
“It’s very, very, very difficult to raise money. People in front of you, students, have worked very hard to make these realities possible. Money’s only a means to an end to build our mission,” he said.
In a statement from Saint Mark’s, Carney thanked the Abessinio Foundation for their donation.
“This transformative support will not only elevate our student-athletes, but will enrich the experience of every student,” Carney said.
The job, Tiernan told the crowd, is not finished. “We continue to work toward excellence, toward flourishing, toward upholding the physical and mental well-being of all Spartans through Building Champions.”
Tiernan said after the ceremony that part of the capital improvement plan a few years back was to look at all facilities, including those outdoors. After the school celebrates the Building Champions campaign, it will turn its attention to the next project.
The Abessinio Foundation has made its mark at several Catholic schools in the Diocese of Wilmington, including Salesianum School, Archmere Academy, Padua Academy, Ursuline Academy and Saint Edmond’s Academy.
