The Edward St. John Student Center

At the heart of every school campus is a space where all can connect. The Edward St. John Student Center will become that hub for McDonogh. Flexible spaces throughout will accommodate dining, classes, meetings, lectures, grade-level gatherings, and special events. The infirmary, fine arts, dance, and the Tuttle Gallery will be relocated here.

At last! Two dining halls, one for the middle and upper schoolers and one for the lower schoolers, will provide plenty of space, warmth, and character for pleasant mealtimes. Students in all grades will be able to eat lunch when the meal break fits best into their daily divisional schedules, instead of when the dining hall can accommodate them.

Both spaces will be designed and furnished to suit the age groups using them. The lower schoolers, for instance, will dine in an area with lower counters, tables, and chairs.

Middle and upper schoolers will share a 500-seat dining room, The Deborah A. Paterakis Hall, named in memory of parent Debbie Paterakis. Mrs. Paterakis loved gathering her family around the kitchen table and she loved that her three children had lunch with their teachers at school.

The architecturally classic main dining room interior will feature large windows, high ceilings, and abundant lighting, and acoustics that inspire mealtime conversation. The name of every graduate will be carved into the wood panels that surround the room. A balcony will overlook the space from the upper floor and a dining porch will face the south.

The Deborah A. Paterakis Hall will also be the site of the family-friendly boarder dinner.

The infirmary will be relocated from Jane Bay so it is close to lower schoolers, the children who use health services the most. Not since the Finney Building opened in 1940 has McDonogh had a custom-built infirmary.

Named for Howard S. Klein ’76 and his wife Susan and three children, Tori '09, David '07, and Stephen '04, the 175-seat performance and lecture hall with stage is designed to be a complementary facility to the nearby Ceres M. Horn Theatre. The Klein Lecture Hall will accommodate all kinds of events and activities schoolwide.

Finally, the upper school visual arts and dance will receive light, bright, custom areas designed especially for them. The arts will gain best-in-class studios to suit its outstanding faculty, students, and curricula. The Tuttle Gallery, relocated from Lyle, will occupy space adjacent to the art studios, allowing students to benefit from a close alliance with professional work.

Likewise, the dance program will receive its own studio, instead of the re-purposed space that has been used for dance since it was introduced at McDonogh. A floating wood floor will provide cushioning. The practice area will be identical in size to the Ceres M. Horn Theatre stage, enabling students to rehearse for dance performances in their own space.

The surprise gem of the Edward St. John Student Center, the Brass Eagle, will provide daylong snack and dining options for students and their families. The Brass Eagle will open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.