As we look ahead to celebrating a new century of St. Sebastian Parish in 2028, we will be moving forward with the construction of a new activity center adjacent to Zwisler Hall. This new facility will help meet several important needs: it will provide a dedicated physical education space for our students, a permanent home for our aftercare program, and additional meeting spaces for parish groups in the evenings. Byrider Hall will remain an important part of our campus and still act as a host for CYO athletics, Academy classes, and meeting spaces.
One of our most pressing priorities is ensuring the safety of our children while they are in our care. While Byrider Hall has long served us well as a gym, changes in traffic patterns at the Hawkins Circle, increased traffic with the new housing development, and the rise in distracted driving have made student safety a growing concern. Over the years, we have explored several options from bridges to crossing guards and more, but none fully addressed the issue. The new activity center will eliminate the need for students to so frequently cross Hawkins Avenue.
The design of the Marshall Activity Center will reflect the existing campus while preserving greenspace and fortifying fencing for safe outdoor play. It will include:
- A three-sided addition to Zwisler Hall totaling 8,300 square feet
- Dedicated physical education space for students, including an elementary school-sized gym and an office for the PE teacher
- A permanent home for the aftercare program
- Additional meeting spaces for parish groups in the evenings, including a large meeting room and two flexible meeting spaces
- New bathrooms and storage areas
- A new vestibule entrance featuring a "Century Wall," highlighting 100 years of faith at St. Sebastian Parish and providing access to both Zwisler Hall and the new activity center
Through the leadership of Kathy Holaday and the St. Sebastian Parish Foundation and a silent ask period, early support for this project has been pledged and secured. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are well on our way to making the Helen Hamlin Marshall Activity Center a reality. The Activity Center, named by donor Chester Marshall in honor of his late wife Helen Hamlin Marshall, will serve our parish and school for years to come, bringing us into the next century.
