CHARLOTTE — Each summer the Diocese of Charlotte Properties office does a tremendous amount of work around the diocesan schools and Campus Ministry buildings to prepare for the re-opening of the facilities in the fall.
This summer has been especially busy, as Properties’ employees worked to replace carpet, paint walls, conduct annual maintenance and replace furniture at some of the schools.
There were more than 40 projects on the to-do list this summer.
Funds from the diocesan-wide “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign were also used at three Campus Ministry locations for much-needed repairs to their facilities:
- At Appalachian State University in Boone, interior and exterior repairs and maintenance were performed on the Campus Ministry building. The building was painted, new appliances were installed in the kitchen, and air conditioning units were added.
- At A&T University in Greensboro, similar interior and exterior repairs and maintenance were done. In addition, the facility needed new paint, decking boards at the entrance were replaced to improve safety, and kitchen upgrades were done.
- At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a building on the St. Thomas Aquinas Church campus adjacent to the university was renovated to allow for offices, a kitchen, dining area, gathering area and restrooms for Campus Ministry staff and students.
There are also plans under consideration to renovate the Campus Ministry building at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee in the near future.
So far, a total of approximately $300,000 from the “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign has been used for these improvements.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
SALISBURY — Sacred Heart School was recently awarded the Summer Reading Readers’ Cup Award from the Rowan Public Library. Jennifer Nicholas, from the Rowan Public Library, presented the trophy to the school during its morning prayer and assembly program.
Sacred Heart’s approximately 120 elementary students in Grades 1-5 read more than 750 hours during the 2016 Summer Reading Program at the library. This is only the second year that the library has given out the Readers’ Cup to a local school for success in the Summer Reading Program.
“Sacred Heart really pushes summer academic enrichment,” said Principal Frank Cardelle. “We like to call it ‘Summer Smart.’ At SHCS, we host several summer camps involving Creative Writing, Lego Robotics, Rocketry, Nature Exploration…even cooking classes. We are always supportive of our community’s ‘Summer Smart’ activities and love RPL’s incentive for reading.”
Librarian Lynn Frank could not be more proud.
“As a mother of four boys, I truly understand the dynamics of helping children to love to read,” Frank said. “That is why we have many reading incentive programs at SHCS. In a world of ever-growing technology, Sacred Heart prides itself on keeping our students focused on the foundational skill that will see them through their entire lives: reading.”
— Robin Fisher