Bishop John Dolan visited the new construction site of St. Thomas the Apostle (STA) grade school in Phoenix on Tuesday (March 31). The $25 million project will provide a brand-new K-8 academic building — a 76,000 square-foot, three-story structure with a basement. In addition to classrooms, the build will include a cafeteria, theater stage, science lab and collaborative common spaces for group learning and projects.
Bishop Dolan was joined by Fr. Steve Kunkel, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Fr. Shia Reh Marino, parochial vicar of the parish, Chancellor and Vice Moderator of the Curia Dr. Maria Chavira, Superintendent of Schools Domonic Salce and Debbie DiCarlo, executive director of the Office of Mission Advancement for the Diocese of Phoenix. Katie Zeches, the incoming principal, Annemarie Mansour, the incoming vice principal, and Mary Coffman, who has been STA’s principal since 2008 and is retiring after 28 years with the school, were also in attendance. Zeches, Mansour and Coffman have been part of the building design and fundraising for the past decade.
Prior to the tour of the new facility, Bishop Dolan took part in morning prayer with the student body, which included a performance by two choirs. The bishop was also presented with art from the students, and afterward he visited several classrooms.
Groundbreaking for the project took place in November 2024 following more than a decade of planning and fundraising, and STA launched a capital campaign entitled “Under One Roof” for the continuation of the project. The construction is taking place in phases, and the first floor will open for the start of the upcoming school year, welcoming the kindergarteners, first grade and second grade students into the new building. STA anticipates welcoming all students into the fully completed building by August 2027 — bringing the entire student body together “under one roof.”
For monthly video updates on the progress of construction, visit the school website here.
