A worthwhile cause: New furnishings needed to complete updating at St. Philip Neri School

St. Philip Neri fifth-grade students Fernanda Gonzalez, from left, Christiana Mujica, Selena Monsivais and Carlos Martinez, in the front row, sit with classmates at old desks during the first day of school on Sept. 8. A major renovation took place at St. Philip Neri School in Indianapolis during the summer, and alumni are working to raise funds to help school officials purchase new furnishings for classrooms. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

Mary McCoy had been waiting for this moment all summer—a moment that she knew would bring a huge smile to her students.

The moment finally came on Sept. 8 when the students at St. Philip Neri School in Indianapolis returned to classes—a later-than-usual start because of the major renovation to their school that had taken place last summer.

As principal of St. Philip Neri School, McCoy beamed while she watched the reactions of the students to the new look of their school, which now has air conditioning, a new science lab, a new library, and new floors and ceilings in the classrooms—thanks to a $2.9 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to improve the environmental qualities of the school.

“The building looks so beautiful,” McCoy says with a smile. “The students love it.”

McCoy’s smile could grow even wider if a group of the school’s alumni are able to make another dream come true for her, the school staff and the 180 students who attend school at the east side Indianapolis parish that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

While the school building has been renovated, much of the furniture for the school rooms is outdated and even falling apart. So some of the school’s alumni have formed the Century Club—a fundraising group that hopes to tap into graduates who believe that their former elementary school has made a difference in their lives. Their hope is to find 100 families with ties to St. Philip Neri Parish that will donate $1,000 each to help pay for new school furnishings.

“Wherever you go throughout Indianapolis, you keep running into people who grew up in St. Philip’s,” says Jerry McNulty, a 1972 graduate of the school, who is one of the organizers of the Century Club. “A lot of us got our foundation in life from St. Philip’s. So we see this as kind of a legacy, to give back a little. My family has always had ties there. My parents and grandparents lived in the parish. I met my wife there. We were married there. A couple of our kids got baptized there.”

The idea for the Century Club started in May during a luncheon for teachers and eighth-grade students. McNulty’s sister, Brenda Conroy, was involved in organizing the luncheon and asked her brother to deliver some food for the meal. When he did, he also met another alumnus of St. Philip, John Sponsel, a 1974 graduate.

“We got to talking about the renovation,” McNulty recalls. “The furniture there is probably from the 1970s. John talked to the principal about having a program to come up with new furnishings for the school. The principal had already put together a wish list.”

So far, about one-third of the $100,000 goal has been raised.

“I thought it would be easy to find 100 families to give $1,000, but in this economy, it’s been a challenge,” McNulty says. “Maybe we can get companies or families to sponsor a classroom and name it for them. We’ll take any donations we can get.”

McCoy hopes her latest dream comes true for the school whose students are 97 percent Hispanic today.

“It’s a wonderful idea trying to get the alumni involved,” she says. “I hope it comes true. St. Philip Neri has been a place of pride for years and years on the east side. I’m amazed at the alumni’s dedication and their willingness to give back to the school.”

(To help St. Philip Neri School or contribute to the Century Club, contact Mary McCoy at 317-636-0134 or by e-mail at mmccoy@stphilipindy.org.) †