Boylan Catholic High School unveils new athletic center named in honor of longtime principal
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Boylan Catholic High School’s original auxiliary gym was built on chocolate.
In 1970 when the facility was constructed, students sold $200,000 worth of World’s Finest Chocolate bars with $1 of each sale going to the gym and $1 going back to the company that provided the chocolate.
Today that facility is unrecognizable from the one students used 50 years ago, but chocolate sales are no longer to thank. Instead, a total of 71 donors contributed $1,875,000 to overhaul the facility with new synthetic turf, bladeless fans, increased lighting and brand new fitness equipment. Lou and Pat Bachrodt of Bachrodt Auto Mall made the largest contribution of $1 million.
Netavia Wickson, a junior wrestler who is one of the few girls competing in the sport locally, said the cutting-edge facility “gives you motivation to work even harder.”
“It’s just really great looking at the new environment that I’m going to be training in and seeing every day,” Wickson said. “It just really puts a smile on my face knowing we have so much more (and) better things we can work with.”
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Students, staff, alumni and other supporters gathered inside the 21,642-square-foot facility on Thursday for a dedication ceremony and official ribbon-cutting.
The athletic center includes the largest school indoor synthetic turf in the region at 8,700 square feet, according to Boylan. There’s also a 3,000 square foot weight room and fitness center that includes new treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals and 16 weight-training stations.
“We’re so excited to be able to give the students this stunning new athletic center,” Boylan President Amy Ott said. “The resources they had before were incredibly outdated, and now we can offer them one of the most advanced sports facilities in the area.”
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Darrell Johnson, a junior basketball player, said he appreciates the brighter lighting and the additional fitness center space that allows the team to train together more easily.
“We’re just really excited to get in here and get lifting and get ready for the season,” he said.
Honoring a retired educator
The athletic center is named after Vince McGuire, who retired from Boylan in 2008 after 45 years with school. He joined Boylan in 1963 as an assistant basketball coach and history teacher. He later served as dean of students and assistant principal before becoming principal.
Lou Bachrodt, a Boylan alum, said McGuire is interwoven in Boylan’s history and he left an “indelible mark” on the school.
“Few people have had the affect on our community as Vince did during his years at Boylan,” he said.
Standing underneath the moniker that reads Vince E. McGuire Performance Center, the retired principal told those gathered for the ceremony that he was “deeply, deeply” honored to have it named after him.
“I am so honored to have these spaces named after me,” said McGuire, who also told the audience about how the chocolate bars funded its original construction. “Boylan Catholic is an excellent institution that produces the finest of young people, and I hope this performance center will continue to further our mission.”
The new athletic center is the first phase of a $4.5 million capital investment the school is planning, school officials said. The second phase will include wide-ranging classroom improvements.
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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.
