BK2020 Vision Campaign

In conjunction with our 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, Bishop Kelly launched the second capital campaign effort in the school’s 56-year history in 2014: the BK2020 Vision Campaign. BK2020 Vision is designed to raise funds to meet the objectives outlined in our 5-year strategic plan, and to advance our mission to educate and develop the whole student in the Catholic tradition – Spirit, Mind and Body. The mission of our BK2020 Vision Campaign is twofold: to accommodate our continued strong enrollment growth, and to better serve the growing spiritual, academic, and co-curricular needs of our BK students.

The need to develop our facilities and programs due to the rising demand for a Bishop Kelly education is greater than ever.  Our vision for Bishop Kelly by the year 2020 positions us to take the next steps in meeting the needs of our current and future students, and enables us to stay ahead of the ever-changing demands in the classroom, work force, community, and beyond.  Below you will learn more about what we have accomplished, and the final focus of BK2020 Vision Campaign.

BK2020 Vision Today – Ysursa Field

You can help shape a positive future for our students at Bishop Kelly by joining our efforts.  The current focus is on raising funds for the Ysursa Field entrance renovation outlined below. This final campaign goal impacts all Bishop Kelly families and will dramatically improve how we serve our students, families, and community at this heavily visited area of campus.

• Objectives:
  • New Guest Services Building
    • Replace 56 year old restrooms and concession stand
    • New dedicated Spirit Store space 
    • New ticket office
  • Provide new outdoor gathering space for community
    • For fans pregame/postgame, alumni BBQ/Reunions, parent tailgates, donor receptions, and student events
    • Honor Dave and Patti Lachiondo Family with naming of plaza
  • Improve safety and access for students, parents, and fans
    • Improve and update utilities (sewer, power, gas, water, etc)
    • Improve equipment storage to best serve coaches and student-athletes

• Functions
  • Graduation Commencement ceremonies and Baccalaureate mass
    • Every BK family enjoys BK Graduation outdoors on the Ysursa Field lawn
    • Provides dedicated community building space for pre- and post- graduation family and friends gatherings
    • Creates safe and accessible walkways and pathways for every member of our community
  • Football, Track & Field, and Cross Country
    • Provides an improved game day experience for fans, parents, students, and community
    • Improved amenities for our community through the new guest services building which includes- ticket office, restrooms, spirit store, and concessions
  • Community gathering space
    • Building fellowship and friendship at Bishop Kelly is an important aspect of who we are as a school community. We host a variety of BK and community events each year on our campus, and this much needed improvement will best serve our growing Bishop Kelly community for generations to come.

Update as of June 16, 2021

Through the generosity of our community, we have raised over $1.69 million of the $1.67 million needed to fully fund the Ysursa Field entry renovation. We have much to celebrate due to our incredibly generous community.

Contact Bishop Kelly Today!

There is still time to support Bishop Kelly High School and the Bishop Kelly Foundation with a gift to the BK2020 Vision Campaign. We developed a timeline that enables us to begin construction on the Ysursa Field project with ground breaking in April 2021 and completion with owner occupancy August 2021. All families who have participated in the BK2020 Vision Campaign with a gift will be invited to attend the campaign celebration blessing and dedication at Ysursa Field on Friday, August 27, 2021 at 5pm prior to the first home football game of the 2021 BK Football season.

A successful campaign will require the dedication of our entire school community. We are available any time to schedule an appointment to explore how you would like to participate in this important effort. Contact Tommy Steiner, BK Development Director at 208.947.1325 or tsteiner@bk.org. If you wish to make your BK2020 Vision gift today, click here. Thanks and Go Knights!

What has been accomplished so far through the BK2020 Vision Campaign?

Completed BK2020 Vision Projects

The East Classroom Wing was completed prior to the Fall 2015-16 School Year and is the new “home” for our Social Studies Department. Seven classrooms were built within the East Classroom wing and has played a critical role in accommodating our recent enrollment growth over the past 5 years. The new academic space includes our new BK Student Art Gallery where our talented arts students are able to display their works. Finally, shared seating in the hallway is to encourage small group collaboration, and additional areas for our students to build community and camaraderie. We are blessed to have such tremendous support from our community.

The Fraser Library expansion was completed prior to the Fall 2015-16 School Year and is the “center” of the School. Tom and Joan Cooney generously donated one of the single largest gifts in the history of the school, and chose to name the library after Father Donald Fraser. The expansion project doubled the size of the library to accommodate a computer lab area and increased volume of books, added small quiet study spaces for individual or group work, and shared seating to enable academic and social collaboration. Fraser Library has quickly become a favorite location among our student body. Thank you, Tom and Joan Cooney, for your incredibly generous support of Bishop Kelly and our students!

The Harrison Tennis Complex was completed prior to the Fall 2015-16 School Year and is considered one of the premier outdoor tennis complex in the Treasure Valley. The Harrison Tennis Complex includes eight (8) named, championship courts and is the new home for our BK Tennis program. BK Tennis has a rich championship history accumulating 17 State Titles. Twenty-eight generous Bishop Kelly families came together to make this vision a reality. Thank you and Go BK!

The East Parking Lot expansion was completed in conjunction with the Harrison Tennis Complex. The expansion provides easy access to Allumbaugh Road and parking between the baseball complex and tennis complex. The parking lot is critical to accommodating the various after school activities and community events offered on-campus.

The LaMott Family Performance Training Center renovation was completed in 2015 and has been a “game-changer” in how we train our student-athletes for practice and competition. The premier training center also serves our facility needs for weight training and physical education, and includes indoor turf running lanes for agilities, plyometrics, functional movements, and anaerobic exercise. We are blessed to be able to offer first-class training facilities for current and future student-athletes, which is not possible without our incredibly generous community.

The BK Lacrosse Wall was completed in 2016 and is a critical training tool for our BK Boys and Girls Lacrosse programs to practice 365 days a year. One Bishop Kelly family chose to step up and generously fund the cost to construct the lacrosse wall with a gift to the BK2020 Vision Campaign. The BK Lacrosse Wall features a mural of the BK Crest and boys and girls lacrosse athletes in Kelly Gold and Black. Thank you for your investment in our school and lacrosse program. Go Knights!

The Father Wilson Science and Technology Wing was a focus effort of the multi-year capital campaign. The lead donor anonymously gave a $1 million gift and wished to name the new wing after the late Father “Reg” Wilson to honor the many accomplishments he achieved on behalf of Bishop Kelly. Father Wilson served as Bishop Kelly’s principal and spiritual director, served on the BK Board of Governance and BK Foundation Board, and was responsible for establishing the Bishop Kelly Foundation in 1976. Without his leadership, the school would have closed it’s doors in the mid 1970s. The new science and technology wing was ready in-time for the first day of the 2018-19 school year on August 20, 2018 and we welcomed 840 students – a record for Bishop Kelly! The new Father Wilson Science and Technology Wing includes:

• 12 state of the art teaching labs
• 5 independent research labs
• 5 materials labs
• new Student Commons including a mural done by BK Alumnus, Colin Pfeiffer ’04 – serving as a welcoming, shared space for students and faculty
• new Senior Hall with over 250 lockers
• Extra-wide hallway to accommodate flexible seating for small group work, study or quiet time before and after school, and to build community and camaraderie

The Father Wilson Science and Technology Wing is the new “home” for our Sciences (Chemistry, Biology, Physics), Computer Science, Engineering, and Robotics Departments. The teaching labs are designed to be fully flexible spaces with the ability to reconfigure each room for a faculty lecture, students’ lab experiments, independent learning to dive deeper into topics that interest students, and student led research projects. This standalone wing will also be available for widespread community use, particularly for STEM education, summer camps, adult education, and community meetings. Finally, the addition of the Father Wilson Science and Technology wing has not only strengthened our science and technology curriculum, but also ensures we are able to accommodate current and future families who wish to seek a Bishop Kelly education. Without this new wing, we would have had to “turn away” families who believe in Catholic Education. It was an incredible community effort to make this all happen.

The Kitchen remodel was identified as a focus area to help accommodate the strong enrollment growth that BK is experiencing. The 56-year old kitchen was built to serve 400 students in 1964, and was due for a much needed upgrade and remodel. Updates to all equipment, the hood, roof, electrical, and physical layout was completed to better serve our students, reduce wait times, improve efficiencies in food prep and quality, and improve traffic flow. The kitchen remodel was completed in October 2019.

Our goal was to invest in upgrades to our “Reg” gym to best serve our Performing Arts students and programs. We installed new auditorium-style, flexible telescopic seating; sound/lighting/acoustics upgrades; and did updates and cleaned up “look and feel” of the “Reg”. We are thrilled to be able to showcase our incredibly talented actors, actresses, and musicians in this newly renovated performing arts space! The many upgrades and enhancements were completed August 2019.

Our Lady’s Garden Outdoor Spiritual Space is considered one of the many gems on campus, and enriches our Catholic identity. BK Horticulture students designed an outdoor spiritual garden located between the BK Greenhouse and the Harrison Tennis Complex to serve as a quiet, prayerful space for students and faculty. The garden includes trees, plants, walking paths, and hedge enclosure; an amphitheatre to accommodate an outdoor classroom; also a Beatitudes Walk, Rosary Walk, and Blessed Mary Grotto. This space was completed prior to the 2019-2020 school year, and was blessed and dedicated at the annual, 2019 Welcome Back BBQ celebrated with our community.

Continuing to invest in our Athletic Infrastructure to ensure we have safe and effective facilities for our student-athletes to prepare, train, and compete is always of great importance at Bishop Kelly. We believe offering fun and rewarding activities are a critical component of the high school experience at BK. As a school, we planned and prioritized the many needs of our athletic programs and student-athletes. The Softball field, Soccer/Lacrosse field, and Ysursa Field emerged as our highest need areas. Below, you will see we completed some of the needs of our softball and soccer and lacrosse programs, but still have other needs to go.

• Softball Field: new Varsity dugouts with storage and changing team room, and new backstop
• Soccer/Lacrosse Field: LED field lights; bleachers; sound system
• Ysursa Field: New guest services building (ticket office, restrooms, spirit store, concessions) and Plaza gathering space (In progress- not completed)

From the onset, Bishop Kelly Foundation Endowment Growth was identified as an important component of the BK2020 Vision.  Growing the Bishop Kelly Foundation endowment is critical to the long-term success of the school and students, and directly supports every current and future Bishop Kelly family. Each year, the Foundation “spins off” an unrestricted operating grant from its endowment, protecting the corpus so that this non-tuition revenue stream continues in perpetuity. This support enables us to keep tuition among the lowest in the northwest region, and ensures Bishop Kelly remains accessible for all who wish to seek a Catholic education. Almost $3 million has been raised for the endowment through the BK2020 Vision Campaign over the past 5 years. The endowment is currently $14 million, and the BK2020 Vision goal is to reach $13.5 million to commensurate with enrollment growth.

Below you will see current images of the recently completed projects of the BK2020 Vision Campaign.