Greetings, Gaels Nation:

As you may know, we are well on the way to constructing the Sr. Janet Meehan Student Fitness Center on the south end of the two main athletic fields. We would like to keep you informed of the progress with a Monthly Update of the project. We are going to need the help of everyone to make this dream a reality. Read on to see how you can impact this important project.

In each update, we’ll discuss the status of construction, how we are doing on fund raising and any other pertinent issues. At any time you may check the web page for the project at the following link Sr. Janet Meehan Student Fitness Center page

The Building

We have retained an architect, Mr. Paul Checco, AIA from Brewster to design the building and make the drawings necessary for the building permits. Mr. Checco has done other work for KCPS and we are very excited he has taken on this transformative project. A rendering of the finished building is shown here:

We have already begun to clear out the footprint of the building on the site.

Fund Raising: Two Keys to Success

We Need Your Financial Support. This project will ultimately cost about $1.2 million. There are two key needs with respect to fund raising. The first is obviously getting donations from all of our constituencies: Graduates of KCPS and St. Mary’s HS, Parents, Friends of KCPS, and others. There is a $300,000 matching gift which I am offering to anyone who wishes to give. Any amount given up to the total of $300,000 will be matched dollar-for dollar. At this point approximately $120,000 is still unmatched and ready for your donation.

So, if you give $1,000 it is instantly doubled to $2,000. If you work for a company that matches charitable contributions, ask for their match. It’s simple to do, just contact your company’s HR department. In this way your $1,000 will be increased to total $3,000. That’s real leverage.

“Class Captains”. The second and, perhaps, most important need is the need for “Class Captains”. The role of Class Captain is to help in the fundraising effort. We need a representative for each class (all 54 of the graduated Kennedy classes, plus our predecessor St. Mary’s HS) to be the point of contact for the class. We can also use additional representatives from Girls’ Track and Field and Cross Country teams who were coached by Sr. Janet. This person can also be a Class Captain. These people will be given contact lists for their classes and will reach out to the class members to tell them about the project and ask for support. The Advancement Staff will stand by to assist with contacting prospects. It’s a great way to reconnect with your old friends and do a tremendous service to our Alma Mater.

Class Captains So Far – Please Join the Team!

1971 Mark Girolamo
1973 Bill LaPerch
1975 Deborah Buckley-LaPerch
1980 Terrence Yanni
1983 John Arminio
1985 Christine Lasher-Rossiter
1990 Michele Pacella-McKearney
1995 Thomas McCabe
1995 Danielle Curry-Wertman
1996 Luciana DiMartino-Shortal
2014 Noelle Torre
2016 Will Rossiter

Class Giving So Far. We have raised approximately $800,000 due to the generosity of a few large donors and almost 200 KCPS alumni, parents and friends. With well over 70 classes of KCPS and St. Mary’s grads out there, the additional $400,000 should be achievable. Donations of any size are welcome and much appreciated. Below is a list of donations by class. Please contribute if you are able to help. This fitness center will greatly benefit the students of KCPS as individuals and as members of athletic teams. GO GAELS!!

Thanks for your interest in this most important project for our school. We’ll keep you updated over the coming months. If all goes well, we should be breaking ground in the Spring of 2023.

Best regards,
Mark Girolamo
Class of 1971
Trustee, Building and Grounds Chair