![BUILDING THE FUTURE: Plans to build tennis courts and a new Performing Arts Center will be started and completed in the coming years. This will benefit students and athletes alike as they will enhance both the Athletic and Performing Arts Departments and bring much-needed venues and state-of-the-art spaces to campus. “You want to be rooted in that tradition of the school when [it comes to] these projects, we’ve always got to be innovating and moving forward,” Vice President of School Relations Scott Melvin said. Mock Renderings courtesy of Mater Dei High School.](https://thescarletscroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mater-Dei-Tennis-Court-and-PAC-e1780632956112-1200x672.jpg)
As Mater Dei continues to evolve, it welcomes new students, adopts new technology, and forms partnerships for sports and education. But another focus has been on how Mater Dei can meet the needs of even more athletes and students. Tennis courts, a performing arts venue, and beach volleyball courts are some of the big projects to be added on campus in the following years.
A common pattern in these ideas has been the emphasis on athletes and how the school currently doesn’t have the space or facility for every sport that is offered. One of the first new spaces to be built are the new tennis courts. Director of Alumni and Legacy Relations Kathleen Kelly sees the new tennis complex as providing athletes with a much-needed and easier way to practice.
“We have a lot of students who practice really hard, and then they have to go off campus to participate in their activities,” Kelly said. “It’ll be really fun to bring the tennis teams home, to have their matches be a lot more accessible to their friends and classmates, being right here on campus.”
In addition to the tennis courts, plans for a performing arts center will provide not only performing arts students with a large space to showcase their talents but also an opportunity where all students can gather for school events, like rallies and Mass.
“There’s a long-term plan to open up [the space] between the theater, which [will be] where the parking lot is and the Grotto,” Kelly said. “Beyond the performing arts groups, there are multiple uses that we’ll be able to utilize the space. Any single class assembly or Mass can be held there. It’ll be big enough for an assembly space of 500 to 550 people.”
Smaller projects, such as turf replacement on the field and breaking ground for construction on the larger projects, will be completed during the summer of 2026. Vice President of School Relations Scott Melvin is enthusiastic about the upcoming construction and believes this will have a huge impact on Mater Dei athletics.
“This coming summer, [we] plan to add a huge upgrade to our fields,” Melvin said. “We’re replacing all of the turf and putting in [very high] grade field turf out there. It’s like playing soccer on a cloud. We will also be doing all the demolition and prep work for the performing arts center and tennis courts. And then we’re also replacing all of the tables in the LeVecke Center.”
To make space for the future performing arts center, classrooms will have to be relocated. This will change the campus’s current layout, but students will be able to see the wonderful additions to the Mater Dei campus.
“25 years down the line, we have plans on expanding the campus and moving upward, going two stories and taking the buildings all the way down Edinger,” Melvin said.
Even with the changes to the campus layout, leaders on these projects remain focused on the long-term goal of serving all students on campus. As construction begins and plans continue to take shape, students can expect to see the school physically and also how the entire Mater Dei community comes together spiritually.
![SAFETY IN ACTION Mater Dei High School commits to maintaining campus safety through emergency planning, response frameworks, and close collaboration with the Santa Police Department. Assistant Principal of Student Life Jack Conklin ‘80 emphasized the importance of continuously reviewing and implementing these safety standards to ensure students are protected in a closed-campus environment. “Every teacher and staff have these [emergency plans],” Conklin said. “It’s part of what we have in an emergency bag in every classroom and office.” Photo illustration by Stella Pham.](https://thescarletscroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_4187-1200x928.jpeg)
![HELP IN HAND Freshman Tim Pham holds up his student ID displaying crisis hotline information. For Mater Dei students, help is not just found in a counseling session, it is printed on the back of their ID, a reminder that support is always available within reach. Religious Studies Teacher Bystedt emphasized the importance of having the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline printed on student ID cards. “Having the number on the back of their card [makes it readily accessible], it's in their back pocket or around their neck. There is help,” Bystedt said. “Hopefully, the vast majority of students never have to think about it. But [if] somebody finds themselves in that place, they know there's a resource.” Photo illustration by Stella Pham.](https://thescarletscroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_4158-819x1200.jpeg)
