By Giavonni Nickson
Donald J. Hying, Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, offered the Andrean Administration and the Andrean family full support of their proposal for a new future home for Andrean High School. The new home will be a featured 21st-century facility. This decision was reached after multiple consultations with the College of Consultors, educational and architectural professionals, Diocesan staff, and Andrean leaders.
On September 14, 1959, the first class of Andrean High School entered the doors of the newly-built school; a school built on the dreams of the priests, religious and laity of the newly-created Diocese of Gary.
Since 1959 Andrean High School has offered students a faith-centered, mission-driven college preparatory experience. The school administration seeks to provide students with a moral and intellectual foundation that can be used as a guide in their lives beyond Andrean.
Andrean High School faculty work in and out of the classroom to ensure the complete integration of the student learning experience. Students gain content knowledge traditionally through instruction and learn to apply that knowledge to life via community service, dual credit courses, civic engagement, internship, research/independent study projects, and cultural immersion.
Bishop Hying said, “At this moment in history, our time has come to follow in their footsteps and invest in the next 59 years of Catholic education for Andrean High School.”
Throughout the year Bishop Hying has encountered many Andrean Alumni and stakeholders across the Diocese, that posed questions about the possibility of a new Andrean High School. Over time, it has become clear that Andrean High School holds a special place in the hearts of many people with the belief that this new dream can become a reality as it did 59 years ago.
The Diocese of Gary fully supports the Andrean community in this initiative. Andrean’s value-centered college preparatory experience has helped lay moral and intellectual building blocks to guide students.
Their 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio provides students with the personal attention needed to flourish academically.
Andrean offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, 23 Honors courses, and 7 Dual Credit courses. Two of the dual credit courses are concurrent with enrollment for Purdue University Northwest, and the other five are concurrent with enrollment for the Advanced College Project through Indiana University Bloomington.
The members of the Andrean Administration, led by Dr. Tony Bonta, Principal, have worked these last eleven months diligently to understand the many factors involved in pursuing a new school, a new location, and generating the funds necessary to make this dream a reality.
They worked closely with a team of professionals to understand demographics, the programmatic needs of Catholic education, and formation in the 21st century. They cultivated design and expense plans for a new campus while determining their capacity for funding.
The administration is currently in conversations with key leadership to determine project funding. They are confident that philanthropy will play a significant role in this initiative and realize that progressive benchmarks will need to be reached in a step-by-step process.
“Please know of my full support to assist in any way I am able to make this Andrean Initiative a reality. I am excited to endorse this project to coincide with the goals and dreams of our Diocesan Synod,” said Bishop Hying.
Over the coming months, the next steps for the Andrean initiative will include planning and launching two comprehensive funding plans: one to support the construction of the new campus and the second for the interim maintenance and programming needs at the current location.
Other steps include securing land and promoting the strategic plan for Andrean’s programmatic mission, vision, and enrollment. The members of the Andrean administration have a team of professionals to help them move forward in all of these areas.
They will continue to keep everyone updated on their progress as they move towards a fuller realization of this capital campaign.
