By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic

The All Saints Catholic School community gathered May 23 to break ground on a new pre-kindergarten facility to help accommodate growing interest from prospective student families.

The $1.5 million expansion is the first project of All Saints’ “Encountering Christ Together” capital campaign, which looks to raise $7 million for improvements to both the parish and school. Co-chairs for the campaign include Adam and Christine Berry, Bill and Tari Bulmer, and Rusty and Carol Ann Miller.

Colin Campbell, president of All Saints Catholic School, said the north Dallas school has seen a growing interest in pre-K from prospective families.

“We have seen an increased interest over the last three or four years but didn’t have the space to accommodate those new students,” Campbell explained, adding that the school did not want to turn away prospective new families. “With this expansion project, we will have the room to welcome those new students.”

The expansion features a new building just under 7,500 square feet, designed to house two classrooms for three-year-olds, two classrooms for four-year-olds, and a community space for collaborative play and dining. This design not only addresses the immediate need for more classroom space but also allows the current school building to be used more effectively for extracurricular classes, such as language and music, as well as academic support and a learning lab.

“As we’ve seen our enrollment continue to rise, we recognized that we needed additional space down our main hallway,” Campbell said. “With this expansion and the ability to relocate our pre-K classrooms, it frees up that space for the needed classrooms.”
Campbell said All Saints anticipates an enrollment of 360 students next fall. With the expansion, the school’s capacity will be around 400 students.

“A school is at its healthiest when it’s full,” Campbell said. “There is no better way to fill your school than with natural growth and retention.”

The All Saints Catholic School pre-K expansion is just the first enhancement to the campus as part of the parish capital campaign.

Thanks to what Campbell called a “transformative gift,” construction is expected to begin in the fall on the Lavin Family Athletic Complex, which will include the development of baseball/softball and football/soccer fields as well as all the necessary facilities to support them on the campus.