St. James Academy students who have spent years performing musicals, plays and concerts in their school cafeteria could soon get a dedicated performance space.
The Lenexa Planning Commission on Oct. 5 recommended approval of a $16 million Cultural Arts Center for the Catholic high school, the Johnson County Post reported. The Lenexa City Council is scheduled to vote on the preliminary plan at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The project calls for a 20,967-square-foot auditorium and several classrooms to be added to the campus's main building. Construction would be paid for through fundraising and donations, not public money. Lenexa-based engineering firm Schlagel & Associates is the applicant.
St. James Academy President Andy Tylicki told the Johnson County Post the project has been 15 years in the making. The school opened in 2005 and has grown from 124 freshmen to about 1,000 students. Other campus additions over the years included a stadium, tennis courts and a field house, but a dedicated performance space remained out of reach.
For cafeteria productions, students and parent volunteers spend about a week building a temporary stage. The setup takes about a week.
"It's a cafeteria. It's a square building and the acoustics are not great. But they perform at a very high level for what they're given," Tylicki said.
Planning commissioners Ben Harber, Mike Burson and Chris Poss all spoke favorably about the project before the Oct. 5 vote. Poss called the school "a good asset for the city to have."
St. James has launched a capital campaign to raise money for construction. If the council approves the plan, the school hopes to break ground in spring 2027 and open the center by August 2028.
