WAHOO (SNR) – Bishop James Conley visited St. Wenceslaus School in Wahoo May 2 to bless and dedicate the new addition to the school.
The bishop’s visit coincided with the school’s “Grandparents’ Mass,” allowing students’ grandparents to be present for the occasion.
The celebration of families was appropriate because, as Father Jeffrey Eickhoff, pastor of St. Wenceslaus Parish, said – the Catholic faith is at the heart of the community in Wahoo.
In a video showing the addition to the school, he said the Catholic faith has “been passed on from generation to generation,” by families and the school and the parish as well. He said building the addition was a “commitment to continuing that faith; a commitment to continuing the passing on of (the faith in) families” and a commitment to the future.
The new addition includes a band room, moving the school’s instrumental music program from the portable it has utilized for two decades. It includes a new space for the library, which was previously located on the stage in the gymnasium – which was not very quiet, Father Eickhoff pointed out. The library space will also be available for use by parishioners as a source of spiritual reading materials.
A new computer room replaces a smaller room, allowing full classes to use the computers for lessons.
Daycare space for before- and after-school care and summer care was included in the new addition, as well as space for the pre-kindergarten class. Pre-K students previously gathered in a converted garage, but now will be in a room connected to the school and they will be able to eat lunch with the school students.
Lunch will be served in a multi-purpose room with a full-service kitchen, eliminating the daily walk to Neumann High School for lunch. The cafeteria/multi-purpose room will also be available for use by the parish, for receptions and luncheons.
Building the addition, Father Eickhoff said, was “more than just raising a new space, but really showing that we are committed to the future, committed to our faith and our families in this community, and thus our dedication to what this school is about.”
St. Wenceslaus School opened in 1910 and currently serves more than 280 students in grades pre-K through 6.
