$4.3 million classroom, gym addition coming to Glasgow Catholic school

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Christ the Teacher Catholic School, the largest Catholic elementary school in Delaware, announced will break ground on a $4.3 million new classroom and gymnasium addition on May 30.

In addition, St. Margaret of Scotland Parish also announced that it will break ground on a parish social hall, completing the campus master plan at the corner of Frazer Road and Route 40 in Glasgow. No cost was listed for that project.

Bishop W. Francis Malooly, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and other dignitaries from the school and construction teams will be on hand to formally break ground.

ABHA architect for project 

ABHA Architects, Wilmington,  have been chosen as the design firm for the project, with CDA Engineering, Wilmington,  as the civil engineering firm. Furlow Associates of Claymont, DE,  work as consulting engineers. HSC Builders of Exton, PA, will be the on-site construction managers of the project.

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AHBA has received a number of project assignments for area Catholic schools and facilities. 

Construction will begin for both buildings in mid-June with a timeline of one full year with a projected opening date of August 2019.

Christ the Teacher Catholic School is breaking ground on a 16,700-square-foot classroom and gymnasium addition that will feature a varsity regulation-sized basketball court, double practice volleyball courts, two pre-kindergarten classrooms, storage space for the school and athletic equipment, office space, a concession area, and a lobby area.

“The need for additional space was evident before the doors first opened when hundreds of prospective school parents came to learn more about the new Catholic school coming to southern New Castle County. Enrollment has remained steady and construction is now a reality,” said  Sister LaVerne King, RSM, the founding principal, who still ministers at the school.

Need for bigger gym became clear after opening

“Our current gym is too small for varsity games and practices; we need to constantly rent other facilities and use borrowed space. Our athletes have never played a varsity basketball game on their home court,” said Assistant Principal Stephen Adams. “The new classrooms will enable us to offer a robust, full-time Pre-Kindergarten program which we have previously not been able to offer because of space restrictions. With today’s working families we heard the need and this is how we are responding.” CTTCS will begin the new program this upcoming school year using shared space and will move into the new building once completed.

Monsignor John Hopkins, pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland and Canonical Administrator of CTTCS noted that the parish social hall will give the community a “much-needed gathering area with a kitchen and space for meetings and social events which was part of our original construction plan in 1999 when the parish was founded as we were worshiping in the warehouse in the Pencader Corporate Center.  The parish has grown in scope and size and the added space for community building and gathering will be a welcome addition to the needs of the people.”

School openings and closings

Christ the Teacher Catholic School currently has 590 students enrolled in grades PK-8, with more than 620 registered for next year.

Meanwhile,  Our Lady of Fatima School in the Wilmington Manor area of New Castle closed its doors in 2014 after years of declining enrollment as families moved to outer suburbs. The school was 13 miles east of Christ the Teacher.  

In Wilmington, Christ Our King  parish closed its school and later on, the church closed its doors.   The site, about 20 miles from the Glasgow parish-school, was recently sold. 

St. Margaret of Scotland Parish has grown to more than  1,600 families. A home church was built in 2006 and completed and dedicated on October 13, 2007.

More information can be found at  www.margaretofscotland.org.  Click here for more information on  Christ the Teacher School.

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