By Patrick Carney ‘22

If you had $2 million, would your first choice be to spend it on a parking lot? I know I certainly would not. However, after interviewing Mr. Donahue, president of Brother Rice High School, I have learned that this is only the beginning of a larger project to revamp the Brother Rice campus.

Because city standards have changed so much, the old parking lot required massive changes such as drainage and runoff areas. Rather than refurbish the old parking lot, the Brother Rice administration decided it would be best to build an entirely new parking lot to accommodate city standards.

Due to a large pool of alumni donors, Brother Rice was able to complete the project while using only donations. Furthermore, Brother Rice still has a sizable amount of donation money to continue refurbishment of the campus.

This pool of donors has made a number of other projects possible during my time at Brother Rice. The front foyer, athletic field, and the chapel have all been improved.

Mr. Donahue also mentioned what these improvements say about the school. He said, “Over the past few years, Brother Rice has produced the best academic results of any Catholic League school, and it is time that our campus reflects that.”

Through a capital campaign that is projected to raise $11 million over the next five years, Mr. Donahue plans to continue improvements to both the inside and outside of the school. The Brother Rice administration is also facilitating focus groups among alumni and families in the community to prioritize the improvements.

So what’s next? Mr. Donahue says that a renovation of the baseball field is already planned, and he also plans to turn the library into a student innovation center. This new feature of Brother Rice will emphasize broadcast journalism and various learning environments, including a maker’s lab, supporting STEM applications. I am certainly jealous of anyone who will have access to such a valuable resource.

Mr. Donahue made one thing abundantly clear. The future of both Brother Rice students and the campus is bright. There is no shortage of improvements that Brother Rice plans to undertake, and in only a few years, Brother Rice will be transformed into a premier technologically-inclined campus.