Our Lady of Lourdes hosts groundbreaking ceremony for multi-million dollar expansion

There’s been a national concern about recent violence at schools, and one school, Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish (OLLIS), is addressing the issue as it expands the school building.

Columbia school hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to kick off the $6.6 million dollar expansion and renovation of the existing school building.

The Rev. of OLLIS Chris Cordes said the new addition will house 12 classrooms, a writing lab, a makerspace, multiple small teaching spaces, a new media center and school office.

The celebration had parents, spiritual leaders, staff and students full of excitement and one of the big reasons is safety.

“This is going to allow us to get all of the children into a building that’s mortar and brick and so it will be much safer and the addition (is) also going to have a storm shelter that will house the whole campus,” said Elaine Hassemer, the school’s principal.

The expansion also means the school will not have to use mobile classrooms.

According to the priest, children have been in leased trailers for more than 20 years but that’s about to change for the fall 2019.

The Rev. W. Shawn McKnight, bishop of Jefferson City, attended the event.

Once the renovation and addition is finalized, leaders say it will benefit not only their school but the community as well.