ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School announced their plans to extend into the Millers Mutual building Wednesday morning with the addition of the new Marquette STEM Center Wednesday morning.
The $1.6 million project will include three new labs for chemistry, biology and physics as well four classrooms dedicated to the study of science, technology, engineering and math.
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School Board President, Sam Mormino, and Principal Michael Slaughter said the only constraints on Marquette are physical as enrollment continues to grow.
Slaughter said Marquette is not only thinking out of the box but literally outside of the “block” as they increase the number of labs and classrooms.
“For 91 years Marquette has be constrained by Fourth Street, Third Street, Easton Street, Alton Street,” Slaughter said. “Marquette will be expanding across the street into the Millers building where we will occupy 10,000 square feet and expand our footprint by 31 percent.”
Slaughter said there has never been a lag in the area of STEM studies at Marquette but the addition will only allow for improvement.
“We’ve been successful,” Slaughter said. “We have some extraordinary teachers here and they have been working in adequate conditions. Very adequate, not poor. We could have remained in those labs for another 91 years. We now have the opportunity to expand even further into the 21st century. We will now be giving our excellent teachers the excellent labs, classrooms, facilities, that they need. That can only make things better.”
Not only does the new space benefit the STEM studies but it also provides the opportunity to expand in other areas of academics by re-purposing in the labs currently being used in the school.
“As we’re adding these seven new educational classrooms and labs, it opens some space that allows us more opportunities here at Marquette,” Chief Financial Officer, David Bartosiak said.
“Although this facility is dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math,” Mormino said. “The benefit to Marquette goes beyond that. The classrooms that we are freeing up can be made available and re-purposed. We have a commitment to increase the offerings at Marquette in our performing arts, our fine arts and it gives us the space needed so that we can continue to grow in all areas, not just science, technology, engineering and math.”
Students will be able to utilize the new Marquette STEM Center in August of the 2018 school year.
