By Valerie Franchi, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – When classes resumed Sept. 4, St. John’s High School students were finally able to see the inside of Founders Hall, the new arts and humanities building that has been under construction for more than a year. The 48,000-square-foot, three-story building will house the school’s performing/visual arts, world languages classes and a portion of the social studies department. It will include a 350-seat auditorium, two-story band room, art studios and graphic arts computer lab.
Built by Lauring Construction Company – owned by St. John’s alums– Founders Hall replaced the former Flavian Hall, which was originally a dormitory but housed classrooms for the past 40 years. It is the first new construction on the campus since 2000, when the Ryken Center was built to house math and science classes and the library. From 2006 to 2010, $3 million was spent on renovating the main building.
“We’re very excited about it,” Headmaster Michael Welch said. “What the Ryken building did for us in 2000 for math and science, we hope Founders Hall will do for the arts and languages.”
After Ryken was built, he noted, the program became “more robust” and their math and science programs were recognized by the College Board.
“That’s our return on investment,” Welch said. “Not just buildings but how they impact students.”
He said the new space will allow for potential growth in arts and humanities programs for the 2016-17 school year, possibly with the addition of Arabic and Hindi languages to the current French, Spanish and Mandarin.
“St. John’s strong program in world languages reflects the global nature of our school,” Welch noted. “We are getting our kids ready for the world.”
The larger auditorium will also allow for full-class assemblies and larger theatrical productions, according to Welch.
Founder Hall is named after the four Xaverian brothers who established the original St. John’s school on Temple Street in Worcester in 1894.
Though there are no brothers teaching at St. John’s today, “we want today’s students to remember and be inspired by that era of faithfulness, sacrifice and hard work when St. John’s spirit came alive,” Welch said. “We want to retain those elements; they will serve them well. They aren’t just antiquated ideas. They are even more important today for our students given the challenges they face.”
There will be a significant permanent display of photographs and historical facts in the main lobby of Founders Hall calling back to the school’s Temple Street roots.
“This building makes manifest the relationships ongoing for 121 years,” he added. “People who are committed to this model of education and the loyalty of the alumni is the difference that makes us able to keep growing.”
He noted that there will be a dedication ceremony Oct. 2 as well as open houses in the fall. The dedication of the auditorium will take place later in the year.