St. Joan of Arc Foundation is inviting the public to join it for a groundbreaking of its new state-of-the-art Catholic school in north Bettendorf.
The event will mark the ceremonial start of construction of St. Joan of Arc Catholic School. It will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 29, at the future school’s site. That’s at the corner of Criswell Street and Hopewell Avenue. The groundbreaking will be held on what is the eve of St. Joan of Arc Feast Day.
The new school will provide infant care, early childhood instruction and two sections of kindergarten to eighth grade. It will feature fully equipped science lab, art room, music room/programs with a performance stage. Other features will include a full-sized gymnasium with locker rooms, a dedicated STEM lab, full-service kitchen. A commons area will serves as a cafeteria and open up to the gym, library and the Learning Stairs activities.
Project team is local
The school’s project team includes Mark Miller of Bray Architects and Russell as the contractor. Both are headquartered in Davenport.
Mike Johnson and Daryl Schloz serve as project managers on behalf of the foundation. They said in a news release they are fortunate and blessed to be working with great people and partners on the project.
“Most recently, we teamed up with Blackhawk Bank (& Trust) to secure the financing we need, which is further proof along with the foundation’s going in now that this project is real,” Mr. Schloz said. “It feels so good to be on schedule for the fall of 2025 opening.”
Master planning for the new school began four years ago. That’s when committee of members of Bettendorf’s two catholic churches – Our Lady of Lourdes and St. John Vianney Catholic – began discussions about replacing the aging school facilities at Lourdes and a possible merger of the churches.
As a result, the two parishes are partnering to become St. Joan of Arc Catholic School and Church. Once the new school is completed, construction will begin on a combined new church there.
“The generations before us and, in many instances, our ancestors built our current school and church buildings, and they sacrificed immensely to do so,” said Jayne and Jim Field. They are the honorary chairs of the One Faith, One Family, One Future capital campaign. “Now it’s our opportunity to live up to the example they set for us many years ago.”
Fundraising effort ongoing
According to its website, the St. Joan of Arc Foundation had secured $17.5 million in pledges as of April and is continuing to fundraise for the new school. The school project is forecasted to cost $38.9 million.
The foundation describes the site as a perfect fit because of the growth and expansion in northeast Bettendorf. The school is being built just east of the sprawling TBK Bank Sports Complex. It’s also near The Plex commercial area.
That area, the website said, is expected to see its population grow by 23% by 2035. The foundation said it believes the growth of Catholic families will follow that trend.
The Diocese of Davenport said an additional 2,000 Catholics are expected to live in Bettendorf by 2035.
For more information about St. Joan of Arc Foundation or donate to the One Faith One Family One Future Campaign go here.
