As Bishop McNamara Catholic School moves deeper into its second century of service, the powerful sense of family at its heart continues to lift up students, families, staff and the wider community.

Recently, the Kankakee campus, home to junior and senior high school classes, was damaged by violent storms that struck the county on March 10.

While a string of tornadoes missed the school, the building and grounds were hit by a barrage of record-large hail, heavy winds and rain.

“We had about 30 skylights – almost all of those were knocked out, and so then that brought water into the building,” Wendy Reid, the school’s coordinator of marketing and social media, said about the storm. “There were (about) six over the gym floor, so it suffered a lot of damage. It is actually going to be completely ripped out and replaced and the roof on the whole building.”

Along with broken windows at the school, outdoor structures also were damaged, including the football stadium and its scoreboard, Reid said.

The Rich Zinanni Athletic Complex was completed just last year as the final element in a multi-year, $4.5 million capital campaign marking the school’s first hundred years.

“That was the last piece of construction for the centennial project,” Reid said. “We finished it right before football this past season.”

But while classes were canceled for the remainder of the week, something positive was born.

“Our students spent the entire week out serving the community,” Reid said. “We were off from school, but they weren’t just at home. Most of our students were out every day doing something, whether it was here [at the school] or in Aroma Park or Kankakee. They really went above and beyond with their service to the community.”

In addition to the Kankakee site, Bishop McNamara Catholic School includes two pre-K through fifth grade campuses, one in Bradley and the other in Bourbonnais.

The students’ ready response in an emergency reflects the school’s stated devotion to promoting leadership, teamwork and community, along with Christian service – all complementing principles of character, scholarship and faith.

Kaelyn Bess, president of Bishop McNamara Catholic School, and also principal for the Kankakee campus, has three children enrolled – Kade in eighth grade, Finegan in fifth and Austyn in second grade.

“The legacy that is Bishop McNamara Catholic School is inspiring to me,” Bess said in an email. “The century of commitment to faith, family and community defines being a part of the Fightin’ Irish legacy. The McNamara community is one that shows up for each other in good times and in bad.

“This year, we watched the bleachers fill up to cheer on our teams, we came together to raise money for the family of a staff member who we lost to cancer, and this month, when recovering from the storm, we showed up to help the school recover and help our neighbors recover,” she said.

The roots of the high school date back to its founding in Kankakee in 1922 as St. Patrick High School. The co-ed school moved to its current location in 1956 and became St. Patrick Central.

The school was renamed Bishop McNamara High School in the 1964-65 academic year, honoring the first bishop of the Joliet Diocese, following a major expansion in 1963. Bishop Martin McNamara had been instrumental in the school’s development.

In 2016, the Catholic elementary and secondary schools of Kankakee, Bourbonnais and Bradley consolidated to create one regionalized entity, referred to as Bishop McNamara Catholic School.

It now numbers 870 students in pre-K through 12th grade, and tallies about 27,500 hours of Christian service each year.

The future of the school is bright, Bess said, with a new strategic plan set to take effect this summer following goal planning by dozens of stakeholders.

“Our enrollment is increasing every year, especially in our elementary and junior high schools. This is a testament to the exceptional educators,” Bess said. “We predict that some of our classes will max out enrollment with registration this summer.”

High school students are able to enroll in the Kankakee Area Career Center, attend Kankakee Community College dual-credit courses during the day at Bishop McNamara that are taught by KCC-approved instructors, and take various pre-advanced placement and AP courses meant to prepare students for their future educational endeavors, Bess said.

Looking ahead, the Kankakee campus will come back refreshed this fall following restoration projects this summer, Bess said, adding that the sports program will see the addition of girls flag football.