New Catholic high school likely for Northern Colorado

Denver, Colo., Nov 28, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Plans for a new Catholic high school and eventual church are brewing in the Archdiocese of Denver, north of the city. The archdiocese has given its official backing for the project, which was initiated by two lay people, reported the Northern Colorado Business Report.

Dr. Richard Kemme, a retired orthopedic surgeon, is one of the two who initiated the project, and he is working on having a 46-acre plot rezoned. The 500-student high school would be located among the towns of Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, an area that has seen growth in recent years.

The archdiocese has 39 elementary schools in Northern Colorado; but all of its six high schools are in the city of Denver.

"We have the blessing of the archdiocese on the site," said Kemme, a member of St. Mary Parish in nearby Greeley.

The archdiocese’s school superintendent, Richard Thompson, and the church district's chief financial officer were taken for a tour of the site. They also met with parish and town officials.

Fundraising for the new school will begin if the $650,000 land deal closes as planned in December.

Denver architect Ron Falaede, who won two national awards for his design of St. Mary's Parish school in Greeley, was hired to do a preliminary land plan for the site and building designs.