Press Releases

SALINAS, Calif. - April 26, 2006 - Palma High School will be celebrating Founder's Day with a groundbreaking ceremony marking a major milestone in their "Excellence in Tradition" capital campaign on Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 1:00pm at Palma's campus, 919 Iverson Street in Salinas. The groundbreaking ceremony will be attended by students, alumni, donors, faculty, and community members immediately followed by a brief reception.

"The groundbreaking marks another great day in the history of excellence at Palma High School. Taking place on the celebration day of the Feast of Blessed Edmund Rice, the Founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, we will dedicate this sacred ground to our pursuit of excellence in the sciences and the arts -the development of the whole man," said Principal Brother Patrick Dunne. "Our students are currently well-served, and will continue to be in the many years to come, thanks to the generosity of those who appreciate a quality college prep education in the Catholic tradition."

The student body of Palma High School, alongside faculty, staff, donors, community members and alumni, will be in attendance to celebrate Founder's Day and the launch of construction of the school's future 17,450 square foot multi-purpose education center housing two science labs, band practice rooms, a physical education/wrestling room, student art gallery, administrative office space, and a much-needed venue for concerts, assemblies, school group and community meetings.

Palma High School has raised more than $2 million of its $4.7 million goal. The capital campaign will not only fund the construction of the new building, but also the renovation of 20 existing classrooms and the re-engineering of the school's track and field. The classrooms will receive technology upgrades and the track will be transformed into a synthetic 8-lane track around an artificial-turf football/soccer field. Castroville-based Ausonio Incorporated is the design-build team for the revitalization project.

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Palma High School, founded in September 1951, is a private, college preparatory school for young men, grades 7-12, located in the heart of the Salinas Valley. Their mission is dedicated to providing young men an excellent college-preparatory education in a Roman Catholic environment that embraces the "Essential Elements of a Christian Brother Education" and challenges each individual to develop spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically, and socially. Palma draws an array of students exhibiting a variety of socioeconomic, religious, geographic and cultural backgrounds from Santa Cruz, the Monterey Peninsula, San Benito County and beyond. For more information visit www.palmahs.org or call (831) 422-6391.