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A rendering shows what part of the exterior will look like after an expansion project is completed at School of the Incarnation in Gambrills. (Courtesy School of the Incarnation)

Anne Arundel County Catholic school will break ground on expansion, renovation


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Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News, Schools

Shovels will go into the ground with a Sept. 19 celebration to begin construction of a 6,000-square-foot addition and renovation to a large portion of School of the Incarnation (SOTI) in Gambrills.

Archbishop William E. Lori is scheduled to participate, along with many Baltimore Catholic schools officials, local community leaders and the school’s students and teachers.

The new and renovated space is aimed at transforming the school’s common areas and empower them to better fulfill the school’s mission of building faith-filled future leaders.

“It’s really important to have room to grow, and that’s what this is going to give us,” said SOTI Advancement Director Meghan Brown, who is a mother of a student at the school. “We’re not trying to add extra students to our community, but we’re trying to provide more for the students that we already have.”

A refurbished gymnasium and stage are planned for School of the Incarnation in Gambrills. (Courtesy School of the Incarnation)

The project will deliver a new 5,000-square-foot cafeteria and kitchen with an outdoor gathering space and a playground, all providing more community-centered and after-school facilities.

Principal Nancy Baker said the project will also transform Marian Hall, making it more capable to host liturgical, academic, athletic, artistic and cultural events. It will include the complete renovation and refurbishment of the gym and stage in the hall.

“Having that dedicated cafeteria will actually also provide space during the day for more creative use of Marian Hall for our academic programs, but also for our school Masses,” she said.

A beautiful space elevates thinking and behavior, she said.

“Space matters, and so it was important to us that they weren’t just functional spaces but beautiful spaces,” she said. “We are dedicated to teaching these children about what is true, what is good and what is beautiful because all of these things lead us to the Creator.”

SOTI first began as a school in 2000. The building, which serves five parishes in that part of Anne Arundel County, opened in 2002, with an addition built in 2004.

“This is the first capital project that SOTI has undertaken in a very long time,” said Brendan O’Leary, a building campaign operations chairman and a parent of a current student. “In that time, we’ve seen massive growth in the school, in the communities we’re serving in Anne Arundel County. It’s no surprise to me that more space is going to be helpful.”

The school aimed to raise $2.1 million for the expansion and improvements. One of the most critical gifts to that fund came from a family that has played a major part in the School of the Incarnation’s very existence.

“Peggy and the late Tom Baldwin donated the land for our school and funded an addition to the school in 2004,” Brown said, “Tom, who expanded his father’s family business of Reliable Contracting Co., Inc., also chaired the first capital campaign for School of the Incarnation and played a key role in its success.”

School of the Incarnation in Gambrills is planning to create 5,000 square feet of new cafeteria space, with capacity to seat 192 children for lunch service. There will also be a new full-service kitchen. (Courtesy School of the Incarnation)

When the school launched its Building the Faith, Building Our Future Capital Campaign, the Baldwin family made a $500,000 pledge. 

“The Baldwin family continues to inspire us all, showing how one family’s vision and kindness can create a legacy that enriches the lives of countless others for generations to come,” Brown said.

Yet another aspect of the fundraising deeply strikes home with extra meaning for Brown, as it honors her late son Garrett who graduated from the school in 2021 and died of cancer last year.

“We established the Garrett Brown Memorial Fund for him here,” she said. “Last year, everything that we raised we dedicated toward this project In his memory. My seventh grader here is very excited just to feel like we played a little part in it.”

The groundbreaking will happen on what is a traditionally important day on the SOTI calendar: homecoming. The expansion and renovation is scheduled for completion in July 2026.

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