[St. Mark’s Episcopal Day School] In a ceremony held this past June, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Day School in Jacksonville, Florida broke ground on a $5 million renovation and construction project to connect the church and school campuses plus expand and create facilities.
The "We Are One" project will create a campus green that will enclose Oxford Avenue, a street which currently divides the church and school parcels. The space will feature a pedestrian thoroughfare, covered walkways, benches and a fountain. Plans also include the construction of a new Commons building at the 400+ student day school that will have a commercial kitchen, performance stage, and space for physical education and indoor sports. Expanding of the 2,000-member church’s chapel and refurbishment of its stained glass windows and parking facilities also will be performed during the construction.
The campus green and chapel expansion is expected to be completed by the fall and the new facility will be dedicated in April 2012, a date coinciding with parish’s 90th anniversary celebration. Even in the trying economic environment, the church and school have already raised $4.3 million in pledges of the $5 million goal in just a few months. "This campaign has had incredible momentum from the beginning," said George Egan, co-chairman of the capital campaign. "Our church and day school make a big step into the future with these projects."