Plano, Texas -  The rains came but did not dampen the spirit of the almost 600 students and guests attending the ground breaking of a new athletic field and eight-lane track at John Paul II High School, a coeducational college preparatory school, sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas.  

The first phase of this $2.6 million project includes construction of an eight-lane running track with a standard polyurethane surface, complemented by track-edge drainage systems as well as a football field with a high quality, safe synthetic playing surface, and suitable for other outdoor sports such as soccer, field hockey and lacrosse. The project was initiated when Mary and Richard Templeton joined Dianne and Lee Maas in the fall of 2007 to provide funding.  Once planning began, Michael and Theresa Sinacola, another JPII family, agreed to provide significant in-kind services.

“We hope the complex will be ready for the upcoming school year, but we must first make it competition ready through the installation of lighting, seating and a scoreboard, which will be Phase II of the project,” said Thomas W. Poore, president, John Paul II High School.

The John Paul II High School Band, Cheerleaders, and Cardinal Belles Drill Team performed at the March 31^st celebration, and all of the students participated in throwing red Frisbees into the air simultaneously in celebration. 

Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Diocese of Dallas addressed the crowd, which was relocated under a nearby tent for shelter.  “God must want me to be brief this morning so he brought the wind and rain to us this morning,” Farrell explained as the rain pelted the tent overhead.

Farrell’s message was one of celebration and blessing for the school and the students with exciting thoughts of what this expansion will mean to the school and the community.

Special guests in attendance were donors Mary and Richard Templeton, and Dianne and Lee Maas. Bishop Kevin J. Farrell, D.D. of the Diocese of Dallas will join Thomas W. Poore, M. Ed., President of JPIIHS, along with staff, faculty and students to celebrate this new phase in the continuing growth of the school.

John Paul II High School, a 317,000-square foot Catholic, co-educational college preparatory school serving grades 9-12, is the first opened in the Diocese of Dallas in 40 years. It is located at 900 Coit Rd., Plano, Texas, at the corner of Coit and Plano Parkway.  The school is in its third year of operation with 587 students. The community of the school is a diverse body of learners and educators that strives for excellence, values individuality, fosters a passion for learning, promotes the balanced development of faith, mind, and body, encourages community service, and instills a respect for others.  Call 972-867-0005 or visit www.johnpauliihs.org