Over the summer of 2025, the McQuaid Jesuit Academic Center has expanded significantly in size, which has attracted more students. This increase in student visitors is also helping with academics overall in the school.
Many students have found the expansion to help them with their learning. Eighth grader Benjamin Barenys said he finds the Academic Center really helpful since the expansion, especially for things such as essays.
Overall perceptions of the Academic Center have changed as well. Many students originally had the perception that if a student went to the academic center, frequently he had mandatory study hall or was forced to go. However, over the past several years many students consistently go each day for help with their classes.
Freshman Jai’seer Simmons said, “[The Academic Center] has improved. It’s a bit more diverse and more direct because before it wasn’t as helpful, and it didn’t have this many resources. But they expanded on it, so it has a lot more.”
In previous years, there were not as many resources in the Academic Center, and the staffing was somewhat limited. Now many students go everyday during Flex to seek help for any homework, test, or quiz. Most importantly, Academic Center staffing expanded to include full time Writing Lab Specialist Mrs. Tracey Bors and part-time Math Lab Specialist Mr. Chris Volo.
There are now two new rooms which are a writing lab, and a lecture hall or a presentation room.
Dean of academics Mr. Daniel Hershel described the renovations.
“The old Academic Center consisted of two rooms, and now we’ve added a third room, which was formerly a chemistry lab,” Mr. Hershel said. “That was renovated and is now the writing lab. The former chemistry lecture hall, with the tiered seating, has also been renovated and will be the final room of Academic Center.”
One of these new additions to the Academic Center is the Writing Lab, which is a third room added adjacent to the original Academic Center space. Then, there is also a fourth room connected to the new writing lab, which is being renovated and can be used for any classes or teams when it opens. The room could possibly be for guest speakers, lectures, or presentations.
According to Mr. Hershel, a year ago the school leadership committed to expanding the Academic Center.
The expansion is also helping McQuaid’s Flex time small-group tutoring program, staffed by Sylvan Learning, because they now have more space.
Mrs. Teresa Cote, director of the Academic Center is ecstatic about the expansion. “I love the new expansion! We have more room to help more students! Our numbers have gone up for students that need help, so having more room for everyone is very helpful! Plus we have more staff to help too. Mrs. Bors started last year to help with English and Mr. Volo started this year to help with math. Mrs. Magin is a math tutor from Sylvan Learning that is also working up here to help students that need help with math.”
