A groundbreaking ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, at the Sacred Heart-Griffin High School West Campus, 1601 W. Washington, will begin the first phase of its renovation and construction, which includes a St. John’s AthletiCare facility.

Expected to participate in the ceremony are Bishop Thomas John Paprocki; Sister Katherine O’Connor, OP, SHG president; Bob Ritz, president and CEO of St. John’s Hospital; Jim Hillestad, chairman of the SHG board of directors and the SHG Generations campaign; and Dan Cadigan, (Cathedral ’57) Generations benefactor and volunteer.

“It is very appropriate that we celebrate our groundbreaking on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception,” said Sister Katherine. “We are grateful for all of the prayers of support, our generous benefactors, and for the vision and support from our friends at St. John’s Hospital. Each one has brought us to this new beginning in the history of Catholic secondary education in Springfield.”

The renovation and construction project includes a new multi-purpose room/practice court, girls locker rooms, renovated boys locker rooms, improved kitchen facilities, remodeled offices and restrooms and a new HVAC system on the school’s west campus; and improvements on the SHG east campus to the fine arts area at Dominican Hall, which includes a new band/multi-purpose room, a (theater) set shop and new auditorium seating.

The new AthletiCare clinic will be open to the public and serve patients from throughout the region. It will have a separate entrance and dedicated signage. The facility will provide patients and SHG student athletes with licensed physical therapy services, athletic trainer support services and part-time access to on-site orthopedic surgeons from local medical practices.

The new partnership with St. John’s will provide SHG students with opportunities to gain exposure to the healthcare industry. On-site educational programming is being developed by St. John’s staff and SHG faculty to provide students with hands-on, immersive healthcare experiences.

“This relationship is an innovative approach to aligning the mutually consistent faith-based visions of St. John’s and Sacred Heart-Griffin through the development of a comprehensive sports medicine program, educational opportunities, and wellness services on the high school’s campus,” said Ritz. “With the nationwide shortage of nurses, physical therapists and other clinicians, we must have programs in place to encourage young people to enter careers in the medical field. This collaboration is another example of how we can achieve that goal.”

Phase I and Phase II are being funded by contributions from alumni and friends and a $2.5 million investment from St. John’s Hospital, said Hillestad. Phase II, which includes a new multi-sport stadium, will go out for bid when Phase I construction and renovation is 75 percent complete.

The Generations campaign to date has raised more than $6.4 million of its $9 million goal, “with bids coming back higher than the committee had anticipated,” Hillestad said. The fund-raising goal for Phase II will be determined at a later date.

General contractor for the project is Don Evans, president of Don Evans Construction, a ’84 Griffin High School graduate.