JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Takes Leap of Faith Into Future
Jasper County School Plans to Launch Multimillion Dollar Capital Campaign for Transformative Expansion of its Campus
story by JEANNE REYNOLDS photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY
When John Paul II Catholic School says it’s “faith-based,” you can believe it’s putting its money where its mouth is. In fact, it’s already laying down bricks and mortar based on faith that a two-year capital campaign will enable a major expansion to transform the 10-year-old middle and high school in Okatie. The school has already generated more than $4 million in leadership gifts in just the past six months.
While the “Where Faith and Innovation Meet” capital campaign is launching this fall, JPII is forging ahead with building.
“We have no choice — there really is no Plan B,’” says JPII President John McCarthy. “Rapid enrollment growth has created the need to expand our campus. We’re going forward with the belief this will happen.It’s just a matter of time of how soon it will happen. The vision and plan are in place, it’s now time to execute. There’s a lot of philanthropic giving in this area. We don’t have an established alumni base, so we’re relying on our community, Catholics, and others who value high-quality education for children.”
WITNESSING GROWTH
The rapid growth at JPII in recent years illustrates just how much Beaufort County families appear to value the school’s combination of academic rigor and faith-based principles. From a modest beginning in 2013 with just 57 students in three grades, by 2023, enrollment in the sixth to 12th grade school has grown to more than 360 students — almost doubling in the past five years. The school expects continued growth, peaking at 500 students in the next three to five years.
McCarthy cites a multitude of reasons for the recent growth: Some students came during the pandemic because JPII was open for in-person learning before the public schools, enjoyed the experience, and stayed. At the same time, Beaufort County’s population has seen significant growth.
“JPII used to be in the middle of nowhere, but no longer,” he says. “People from other areas of the country are moving here and looking for a Catholic education for their children like they had where they lived before, and some people are just looking for something different than the public schools. We’ve opened their eyes. We had to get out there and tell our story. It was the best school no one knew about.”
That growth has been both intentional and necessary for the school to survive, McCarthy says.
“We have to be a certain size to be financially viable,” he says. “We want to keep tuition affordable, and we can’t be viable with 200 students without outrageous tuition. Our tuition is below average for the region, and we have to be big enough to keep it affordable and diverse. Expanding our facilities will allow us to grow to 500 students. We need more buildings to grow. We need a bigger boat.”
The “bigger boat” to be funded by the new capital campaign includes campus safety enhancements, new state-of-the art academic buildings, and new athletic facilities. “We’ll have the best facilities of any private school in Beaufort and Jasper counties when fully built out,” McCarthy adds.
“CATHOLIC AND …”
JPII prides itself on offering a distinctively Catholic, values-based education. “People see there’s value to that in today’s world. We’re very clear as to who we are,” McCarthy says.
But it’s not the whole story. The school also boasts a rigorous academic program, including an advanced placement capstone diploma program and 22 advanced placement courses. “That’s a lot for a school of our size,” he points out.
Practical learning is clearly a focus too. JPII was named a 2022–2023 Project Lead the Way Distinguished School for both middle school and high school programs. Project Lead the Way recognizes schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in biomedical, engineering, and computer sciences career-focused programs. It was one of only 10 schools in South Carolina and one of 262 in the country to receive this honor.
Outside the classroom, students can participate in 20 sports, fielding 35 teams, and take advantage of theater, music, and visual arts programs. “You get the full, well-rounded middle and high school experience,” McCarthy says.
JPII also offers a safe environment where students are cared for. Beginning this fall, access to the campus will involve a gated entry staffed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, making it one of the most secure campuses in the area.
“When you look at all those factors, there are a lot of reasons why people are choosing the school,” McCarthy says. “We serve all ethnic groups, races, and economic levels. All faiths are welcome. We’re 75% Catholic now but that’s gradually changing. We try to serve everyone who wants to take advantage of what we offer. Our goal is not to become an elite private school. Our goal is to remain an accessible Catholic school.”
Bigger … but not too big, he says.
“One of the most important things here is students are known. Four counselors and three special educators for 360 students ensures all students are well supported. Nobody falls through the cracks. Relationships with each student are paramount.”
KEY PIECES OF THE MASTER PLAN
• Innovation Center — The cornerstone of the transformation is a 42,000-square-foot STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) building. “The Innovation Center will be the most cutting-edge building in the Lowcountry, rivalling any found, even on college campuses across the country,” McCarthy says. The first floor will feature three state-of-the-art science laboratories, a large art studio, a “makerspace” for a collaboration studio to integrate the arts and sciences, a large commons with four smaller collaboration studios, administrative and counseling offices, and a black box theater as well as a dedicated music and theater classroom. The second floor will include eight learning studios, most with folding walls and moveable furniture for flexibility. The building will feature a café and the “Grand Stair” — a place where students can gather, perform, or just have lunch. The Innovation Center will become the main high school building, housing up to 340 students in grades 9–12. The school’s current building will become the middle school.
• Black Box Theater — The multipurpose black box theater will feature retractable seating for more than 200 people, a movable stage, and performance-quality lighting and sound, enabling it to serve as both a presentation and performance space. In addition to theater productions, the space will provide a home for extracurricular sports and activities, such as cheerleading, robotics, and even drone flying.
• Makerspace — The makerspace will promote hands-on collaboration and foster creative problem-solving for students learning engineering, electronics, woodworking, sewing, painting, design, and laser-cutting skills. A garage door will open to the outside for large-scale projects. As JPII puts it, the makerspace is where “old school shop meets new world technology.”
• Art Studio — All the school’s students study visual arts to build mental agility between left-brain/rational and right-brain/intuitive thinking. The art studio will be integrated into the building’s science wing to easily connect creativity and more traditional science courses, such as biology, chemistry, and physics.
• Athletic Enhancements — Moving toward a goal of bringing more sports teams on campus, JPII is building a new multipurpose playing field for all sports as well as a new 140-vehicle parking lot behind the athletic center. Future phases of the transformation will include a synthetic turf multisport stadium with a track, field house, and tennis courts; a new softball field; a cross-country trail; lights and scoreboards for all fields; locker rooms; and a fitness center.
• Chapel — A bit further down the fiscal road, JPII plans to build a 600-seat chapel to serve as the cornerstone of the school’s Catholic identity. The chapel will serve students and staff, accommodate overflow for St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, and host recitals and concerts.
