Major donation ‘out of the blue’ sparks down-to-the-studs renovation project
SEATTLEBy Terry McGuire
Alumni of Christ the King School got the chance to revisit the past and play a role in the future at a gathering May 17.
Some 40 graduates and their families toured the school’s 1939-built main building before it undergoes a down-to-the-studs renovation starting June 1.
The total renovation wasn’t in the plans three years ago when the parish launched an approximately $1.1 million capital campaign to seismically upgrade the school’s buildings built in 1939 and 1957, and completely renovate the church interior and replace roofs on other parish facilities.
But then, “out of the blue,” a person who wishes to remain anonymous made a multi-million-dollar donation (exact amount not disclosed) to restore the older building all the way down to installing new drywall, flooring, windows, doors and utility systems, said Christ the King Pastor Father Raymond Cleaveland.
It will “have a brand new look,” he said.
And that’s where the alumni — and others — come in.
“We’ve got the money to be able to do all that construction,” Father Cleaveland told the grads, but “we don’t have the money to be able to buy new furniture for the classrooms.”
He asked the alums and others to consider “complete” or “partial” classroom sponsorships — with $5,000 funding the total furnishings for one classroom, from the bookshelves to the desks and chairs.
Steve Powers, class of 1965, attended only one semester before graduating from Christ the King. Yet the retired banker and chef said he and his wife, Pam, plan to sponsor a complete classroom in honor of his parents, Dick and Kathleen Powers, who were long active in the school and parish.
“My four (younger) brothers and sisters all went through here,” he said. “And I just feel — especially the way the world is today — that you can’t underestimate the value of a good Catholic education … It’s a good basic foundation.”
Other grads said they were considering taking part in the classroom sponsorship.
Integrating faithBut their gathering wasn’t all business. They got the chance to catch up with former classmates and stroll down memory lane through tables laden with old yearbooks and class photos, some photos featuring the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who staffed the school from 1939 to 1972, in their black-and-white boxy habits.
Those interviewed at the gathering agreed they became better people thanks to the education they received at Christ the King.
As the youngest of eight siblings who went through the school, Marti Lundberg, a student in the early 1970s, recalled how ecstatic she was when the girls’ purple and black uniforms were replaced by the current green and blue.
“So I got a new jumper instead of hand-me-downs,” she said.
Now in her fourth year as the parish’s pastoral assistant for administration, Lundberg is grateful for all that Christ the King has given her. She learned self discipline and how to get along with others, she said.
And the teachers helped her integrate her Catholic faith “into everything we did,” she said. “I chose Catholic education for my children, too, because of that.”
Brenda Demmert, class of 1975, had been attending public schools until part way through the sixth grade when her mother came home one day and announced that she was sending her to Christ the King.
“So all of a sudden I was in a uniform and I had a nun as a teacher, and it was a split class,” she said. “It was a culture shock. I am Catholic, but that was a big deal.”
Well-rounded educationDemmert, a parishioner and a commercial fisher with her husband, said she sent their younger son to Christ the King from a public school when he reached middle school age, “because I think Catholic schools not only educate well but they produce caring, kinder” people.
1984 graduate Mark Staiff, now a high school teacher, recalled that the eighth-grade science he took at Christ the King helped him in areas such as journaling even when he got to college. After eighth grade “I went into public school so well rounded,” said Staiff, who has two children at Christ the King.
Michael Coolidge, class of 1982, whose two younger siblings also attended the school, works today as a firefighter and paramedic. But on the side he plays guitar, writes his own music and performed at the Christian church he belonged to. He credits then-Christ the King music teacher Mike Lynch with teaching him how to play guitar and write music — gifts that will last a lifetime.
“Christ the King gave me a great foundation for learning about God,” said Coolidge, whose two daughters attend a Christian school.
Rachel (Kafara) Moery, class of 1996, said she left Christ the King with a “great understanding of community.” That’s why Moery, a former Parents Club president who works in marketing and promotions, has her two sons at the school.
“I wanted my kids to have a tight-knit group of friends,” she said.
Briana Stein-Cruz, class of 2000, best remembers her teachers at Christ the King. Now a teacher herself, Stein-Cruz has substituted in several Catholic schools this past school year and is looking for a full-time position in a Catholic school.
Work on the school is scheduled to be completed over the summer, and Archbishop J. Peter Sartain is scheduled to celebrate Mass and bless the renovated structure Sept. 26.
June 5, 2013