High School Capital Campaign: From Start to Finish
“Therefore, we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and by his power bring to fulfillment every good resolve and every work of faith.“ (2 Thessalonians 1:1)
In Key West, Catholic education has been an abiding tradition on the island for over 150 years. The school’s secondary or high school program closed 36 years ago. Since then, students formed by the lens of faith have had to finish their education elsewhere, oftentimes outside of a school rooted in the Gospel. That is set to change.
The Basilica School is excited to re-open its secondary education program for the 2023-2024 academic year.
By restoring Catholic education in Key West, we will have the opportunity to realize the words of Saint Paul and bring fulfillment in our students’ formation of the whole child—spirit, mind, and body. Catholic education from start to finish will be available to the children of the Lower Florida Keys.
The goal of our capital campaign is to raise $7.5 million for the renovation of the old auditorium building. Any funds raised that exceed renovation costs will be used for improvements on the elementary school building. Options for giving include one time donations, gift pledges and large gifts payable over multiple years. There are also several naming opportunities available. We plan to have an official campaign kick-off in the coming months. Until then, please prayerfully consider giving, share our endeavor with others and keep our school and families in your prayers.
God bless you.
For more information, download our Capital Campaign Brochure.
At the center of all that we do is our faith in Jesus Christ. Rooted in the Gospel, the ethos of our school has always promoted an education that fosters virtue, honors goodness, and seeks truth. With a culture built on these values, the classroom environment becomes one most conducive to learning.
We believe in an education that leads each student to embrace their fullest potential.
All good parents, whether “religious” or not, desire for their children to become persons of high integrity, compassionate and kind, generous and hard working. These are also values promoted within the Gospel and areprerequisites to living a life of purpose and joy.
Education is not merely the memorization of information but is the process of making visible what is often invisible to the child: their created purpose. Dr. Martin Luther King remarked: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Dr. King goes on to describe that education is more than a utility for society. Rather it is a process that encourages not just the pursuit of truth but helps “us to love truth and sacrifice for it.” Dr. King is correct. We should not be satisfied with this now conventional means to educate, a process built on a repetition of facts. Rather, a proper education challenges students to discover who they are in relation to the world around them.
The Basilica School wishes to help every student answer the following questions: What is real? What is right? What is lovely? In our school’s secondary program, we hope to strengthen in our students a lifelong commitment to the pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness in their lives.
Athleticism and extracurricular pursuits have a significant impact on the spiritual life and development of the child. The Basilica School has recently built a positive reputation for producing quality athletic teams. Given the populations of the schools we compete against, nearly every competition becomes reminiscent of David and Goliath. But with student athletes who are able to compete selflessly and as a team, victory most often sides with The Basilica School.
Athletics and a number of other non-scholastic activities often promote subjective traits that are vital to the development of character. Discipline, respect, community, sacrifice and commitment are ideas and attitudes that are consistent with the education of the whole child.