The Future is Now!
Humble Beginnings
In 1963, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart opened Bishop Guertin High School to the young men in the greater Nashua area. Today, 60 years later, BG is a co-educational institution thriving and celebrating six decades of excellence. Our alumni – over 7,000 – are spread out across the world. They are leaders, innovators, scholars, artists, athletes, parents and, most important, compassionate mission-minded citizens. When Fr. Andre Coindre founded the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1821, his ultimate goal was to form the young students in his care to be positive members of their families and productive citizens – and that is exactly what we are doing today!
Bright Future
Affordability, performance spaces, and additional athletic fields have been dreams of the community for several years – the “someday” of our daydreams. Now those dreams are becoming a reality. Bishop Guertin is proud to announce our capital campaign: The Future Is Now.
Spearheading this $40 million capital campaign is our own Tony Johnson ’77. An alum and former staff member for eighteen years, Tony has the knowledge and spirit needed to bring this endeavor to fruition. The campaign is the largest in the history of BG and includes three very different and distinctive initiatives:
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The Keegan Athletic Complex (KAC)
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Performing Arts Center
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Sacred Heart Scholars Foundation
The Keegan Athletic Complex (KAC)
Athletic fields and other spaces have been a 60-year problem for BG and its student-athletes. The City of Nashua, our community partner, has been tremendous in allowing many of our teams to practice and play on city fields and facilities over the years. The wait for expanded field space and facilities is finally over.
The Keegan Athletic Complex located on Groton Road, is a 40-acre, state-of-the-art athletic compound that will be located roughly five miles from campus. BG is proud to announce that we have secured both the initial and lead gift from Brendan and Dana Keegan and Family. The complex will include three field turf fields, six tennis courts, a competition six-lane track & field complex, lights, pavilion, walking trails and parking for 250 cars. We anticipate the complex will cost $15 million to develop.
Performing Arts Center
As the school’s population has grown, so has our fine and performing arts programs. Our artists and musicians are award winners, both in local and state competitions. The fieldhouse and gymnasium have been and continue to be the settings for nearly all of our band and choir performances as we do not have a formal dedicated space. The dream of creating a cultural and performing arts center is now a reality as we plan to utilize the space currently occupied by our tennis courts. With an estimated cost of $15 million, the center will include an 800-seat concert hall, state-of-the-art technology, rehearsal rooms, and additional creative spaces to house all our young emerging student-artists.
Sacred Heart Scholars Foundation
This Sacred Heart Scholars Foundation is aimed at providing financial, personal, and academic support to a select group of students who could most benefit from the opportunities we offer. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart came to Nashua with the intent to educate the children of millworkers, unfortunately, over the past few years, rising tuition costs have separated us from the community the Brothers sought to serve. The foundation aims to provide financial relief for the types of students our Brothers originally intended to minister over a half-century ago, but have been reluctant to apply with the cost of tuition acting as an initial barrier.
Since its inception, Bishop Guertin has been able to offer financial assistance awards. These meet, on average, about 50 percent of the calculated needs of our families. Unfortunately for many worthy and deserving students, the remaining financial gap is still too large. The Sacred Heart Scholars Foundation aims to close that gap, allowing deserving students a chance of a BG education by guaranteeing $10 million in endowment that will sponsor students in need. This foundation creates a pathway that allows a Bishop Guertin education to be attainable for all who seek it.
THE FUTURE IS NOW!
This $40 million capital campaign is bold and aggressive and will solidify BG for the next century. In the next few months, we will be contacting friends, family and alumni of Bishop Guertin asking them to partner with us to achieve these goals. We believe that this campaign, and the accompanying improvements it outlines, will set up Bishop Guertin’s success for another six decades. The future is now and, we as a school community, could not be more excited for what is in store. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
For more information or to speak with someone directly about becoming involved or to donate to BG’s The Future is Now! Capital Campaign, please contact the following individuals:
Tony Johnson ’77 | Capital Campaign Chairperson
Dakota Bilodeau ’17 | Associate Director of Advancement
BilodeauD@bghs.org | 603.889.4107 ex. 4329
To make a donation, please fill out the form found on the Capital Campaign's main page and pick one of the "The Future is Now!" selections from the drop-down menu.