Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will break ground for a new Fine Arts wing and then administer the sacrament of Confirmation to fifty students on

Thursday, April 10, 2003
4:30 p.m. - GROUNDBREAKING
5:00 p.m. - Confirmation
Saint Francis De Sales Parish Elementary School
47th Street and Springfield Avenue
West Philadelphia

The new three-story Fine Arts wing will be used to develop the artistic talent of students. It will include a first floor storage room, an art room with 14 ½ foot ceilings and a tiered music room with 17 ½ foot ceilings. A state-of-the-art music room will enhance a newly piloted music program called "Education Through Music," the first of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania.

The project is a longtime dream made possible through the generosity of Jeannie and Michael O'Neill, patrons of the school. Mr. O'Neill is CEO of Preferred Real Estate Investment Corporation and a member of Saint Katharine of Siena Parish in Wayne. The O'Neill s are funding and managing the entire project from architectural plans to completion of the building. The "Education through Music" program is a gift of patron Carole Haas Gravagno.

Saint Francis De Sales Parish elementary school, located in West Philadelphia, has a diverse student population. The 531 students in kindergarten through eighth grade are from 30 different countries. The school has won many national and state awards for its Peace Program, as well as The National Catholic Educators Association award for diversity.

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Contact
Marie Kelly
Associate Director
215-587-3747