St. Anthony School & Church Master Plan Meeting Set for July 26

St. Anthony Junior-Senior High School’s 2015 Ho’olaule’a honorees (from left): Roy Silva, ’77, School Service, chair of the St. Anthony Master Planning Committee; Maile Ridao Viela, ’90, Community Service; Dr. Lui Hokoana, ’85, Distinguished Alumnus; Sister Sara Sanders, Guardian Angel; Greg Paresa, ’65, Outstanding Athlete.

By Maui Now Staff

The Parish Education Committee at St. Anthony Church and the St. Anthony schools in Wailuku is launching a new and comprehensive master planning process this summer to ensure a sustainable and thriving future.

The church and schools have retained Chris Hart & Partners as master planning consultants to begin working immediately with all stakeholders to gather input and engage community-wide participation in the planning.

“We are reaching out to our students, parents, alumni, staff, parishioners, neighbors and others who care about St. Anthony schools and church to share their mana‘o with us and our planning consultants,” said Roy Silva, chair of the St. Anthony Master Planning Committee. “This is a critical time for everyone to pull together to share their vision of the future for a community that’s been an important part of Maui for generations.”

“We are excited about the future of our parish, and the future of St. Anthony preschool, grade school and the junior-senior high school, all of which have a tradition of excellence on Maui,” said Father Roland Bunda, pastor of St. Anthony Church. “It’s a blessing to see all the campuses unite.”

Betsey Gunderson, head of school for the St. Anthony Junior-Senior High School, said the master planning process represents an opportunity for the school to build on its strengths while embracing constructive change.

“We believe that the master planning process in conjunction with other PEC initiatives will assist us in reaching our every day goals of providing academic rigor while empowering our students to be fully prepared for all aspects of a successful life after high school,” Gunderson said.

As a Catholic educator with 40 years of experience, St. Anthony Grade School Principal Winona Martinez said the master plan is one of the most exciting initiatives she’s seen.

“We hope to better serve our students and families now and in the future by focusing this collaborative effort on curriculum, operations and facilities,” Martinez said.

Carlene Santos, director of the St. Anthony Preschool, said she’s also excited about the master planning process.

“I think it’s great that our families and our preschool can engage in a process that’s refreshing and promising,” Santos said.

Silva said the master plan process features two phases and emerges from ongoing work by the St. Anthony Parish Education Committee.

“This group of representatives from the church, the preschool, grade school and junior-senior high school has been formulating several exciting collaborative change initiatives for curriculum, finance, marketing/branding, school structure and physical grounds,” Silva said. “The committee recognizes and endorses St. Anthony’s unique value to our community and believes that it must not only sustain itself, but thrive in the future.”

Jordan Hart of Chris Hart & Partners said his firm looks forward to working with the St. Anthony community.

“Our company seeks to enhance and respect the strength of the people in each planning and design project,” Hart said. “We are honored to help carry on St. Anthony’s tradition of excellence on Maui.”

The St. Anthony Master Planning Committee distributed surveys from stakeholders during the Grade School Bazaar in April and at the 25th annual St. Anthony Junior-Senior High Ho‘olaule‘a on June 27.

More input is being sought throughout the month of July. A meeting with the St. Anthony Church parishioners and interested individuals is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, at the church center.

The Master Planning Phase I and Phase II is expected to be completed by year’s end. Other initiatives from the Parish Education Committee will dovetail into this timeline.