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Clearing begins for new Catholic school in north Collier
Submitted by Tracy Reinert
Royal Palm Academy’s Tree Cutting Ceremony took place on Saturday, May 17, 2008 with approximately 150 parents, teachers and administrators looking on as the first tree fell to the ground.
Submitted by Tracy Reinert
Monsignor Robert Schriefer, left, and Bob Friedmann, advisory board member at Royal Palm, sing the national anthem. Royal Palm Academy’s Tree Cutting Ceremony took place on Saturday, May 17, 2008 with approximately 150 parents, teachers and administrators looking on as the first tree fell to the ground.
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After a blessing of the grounds, the crowd watched as workers cut down the first tree at the site of what will become the new campus for a Catholic school in northern Collier County.
Students, staff, parents and friends gathered off of Livingston Road to celebrate Royal Palm Academy’s tree-cutting ceremony Saturday.
“We’re all really excited. It’s perfect timing since the school is celebrating its 10th year,” said Liz Schmidt, business manager for Royal Palm Academy.
School administrators still are working with civil engineering firm Q. Grady Minor & Associates to secure the necessary permits and on the site development plan.
“This is really the first step of many thousands of steps,” Tom Huckins, executive director of Royal Palm Academy, said during his speech at the ceremony.
Another step is the completion of the feasibility study on how much money the school can expect to raise with its capital campaign. The study should be finished in June and the capital campaign kick-off is in the fall, Huckins said.
Meanwhile, the school expects to receive a permit May 21 to cut down trees on the first 40 acres of school property.
“The area we’re standing in now will be under water one day. We’re adding a lake and these 40 acres of preserve will be converted into Florida swamp land,” Huckins said. “We’re hoping to partner with a (conservation organization) to offer this for use to the community as well as our students.”
The hand-cutting of the preserve is scheduled to take four to six months, then the 55 adjoining acres off Livingston Road will be cleared for the campus site.
The school will be built in phases, with the completed project including six classroom buildings, three gymnasiums and full sports facilities for up to 1,200 students from pre-kindergarten through high school.
Royal Palm has 250 students at its current location off Livingston Road and offers classes for pre-K through eighth grade.
“The new campus will make us the only private, non-parochial Catholic school in the area that offers gender-specific classes and a full range of college prep classes for parents who want the next level of excellence in Catholic education for their children,” Huckins said.
The school has come a long way from its start 10 years ago when Renée Diserafino taught six students in trailers on Golden Gate Parkway.
“It’s wonderful seeing the growth of the school and the students,” said Diserafino, who still teaches third grade at Royal Palm Academy.
“We’ve been waiting 10 years to start this,” Huckins said. “It’s a very preliminary step, but we want to show our families progress before school ends and explain the process to them.”
Contact Catherine Howden at catherine.howden@gmail.com
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There should be a new Catholic School that is part of the Diocese, too. St. Elizabeth and St. Anne are too crowded right now. Ideally, St. John's could have a K-12 Catholic School.
#1 Posted by beetlejuice on May 17, 2008 at 11:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dear BeetleJuice,
Saint Ann School is not overcrowded (ALL private AND public schools in Collier County have room for students) and is accepting students for the 2008-2009 school year.
Saint Ann School and Saint Elizabeth Seton School in Collier County are both Diocesan Schools teaching the Catholic faith under the Bishop of Venice.
Royal Palm Academy is not under the Bishop of Venice, nor is it part of the Diocese of Venice.
#2 Posted by stannmom on May 18, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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