In 2021, it will be our class’s 50th from Saint Louis School” and the 175th anniversary for Saint Louis School. It has been customary for the 50th graduation class to provide a gift back to our school. Some classes have provided cash donations while others provided scholarships to students.
Our class approached the St Louis Board of Trustees Facilities Committee with a proposal that the Class of 1971 would like to direct our 50th Graduation Gift to St Louis School towards the construction of the “CLASS OF 1971 PLAZA”. This open area will be located on the oval side of the new Clarence T. C. Ching Athletic Center.
Classmates in the design and construction industries were solicited to help conceptualize the initial plans and develop the costs for the project.
Initial renderings and concepts were then presented to the class at its 2017 Annual Christmas Dinner. This prompted lively discussions whether the project could realistically be completed by our 50th Reunion and be presented as a gift to the school in lieu of donating just money.
At the 2018 Annual Christmas Dinner, provided to the class was an in-depth presentation on what the plaza would look like and how much it would cost. Those in attendance voiced strong support to move forward with the project.
The Facilities Committee then gave final approval to our proposal and decided on formally naming the designated area as “The Class of ’71 Plaza, “which is also nicknamed “Suite 71” by the class.
We hope the successful completion of the Plaza will coincide with our 50th anniversary reunion and the graduation of the Class of 2021 as we all celebrate these momentous occasions.
Classmates are already generously donating time, money, labor and supplies and we hope you too, will also help with this worthwhile project.