For 124 years, the performing arts program connected to St. Cyril College and Mount Carmel has thrived, but it will finally have an official place to call home.
Construction on the Student Center’s transformation began a month ago and is set to be finished and ready for the next school year. The interior is getting an impressive upgrade, though the exterior of the building will remain the same.
The new building will be unique in the sense that it offers features for a variety of aspects of the arts. Special design plans include music classrooms, recording booths, and removable seating. Additionally, there will be a podcast and film room that can be utilized by the Caravan Media Group and film classes. The color scheme and design of the classrooms will be similar to those in the main building.
School President Mr. Brendan Conroy has been busy overseeing the process of transforming the Student Center.
“It’s a better education when students have an opportunity across the spectrum of the liberal arts,” Mr. Conroy said. “We have this blank canvas of a space that would offer us an opportunity to provide space that would respect the abilities and desires of our students.”
In the last year, the school has shown progress in the arts, as students and faculty put together a rendition of the play A Separate Peace. The play was performed three times over a weekend stretch and received much applause from the student body and MC community. Yet, the administration believes that this can be taken to another level to transform the school’s focus and boost recruiting efforts.
“I believe that this has the ability to attract more students to Mount Carmel,” Mr. Conroy remarked. “I would think that if a kid’s interest was in playing an instrument, or being in plays, or filmmaking [and] podcasting, he might have overlooked Mount Carmel as a potential option for high school. We have this opportunity to [offer] something pretty special to both our current students and future students.”
A big reason for the recent push in arts has been the addition of performing arts teacher Mr. KC Perlberg.
“We were looking to bring in a fine arts teacher, but also somebody who had an idea and vision,” said principal Mr. Scott Tabernacki. “This is part of who [Mr. Perlberg] is and his identity. I think he fits in well here, understands all-male Catholic education.”
Mr. Perlberg has been here for two years and has served as the film and music teacher, as well as the director of last year’s play. Before coming to Carmel, he taught at St. Rita High School, where he started his relationship with Mr. Conroy, a former principal there. He studied music at Michigan State University and has considered it an important part of his life. Since taking over the arts program, he has enjoyed the freedom and unique opportunity he has been given.
“We have a great opportunity for growth in the performing arts,” he explained about the state of the program. “We’ve got the ability to build whatever we want, but at the same time, [we have] this school with all the built-in benefits of tradition, community, and resources with people who care. I can’t think of a better opportunity where those two things have happened at the same place at the same time.”
He sees the new space as a great complement to his curriculum.
“This new facility [is] designed to be flexible,” he said. “This place could be well-attuned to be a concert hall, workspace, and film-screening area. It’s going to have individual work areas, so guys can practice on their own, work on their own, and edit on their own. I’m thrilled for what’s going to be coming down the line for the Student Center.”
As the school grows, this year marks the first time since the 2016-17 school year that enrollment has increased in consecutive years. With the boost in enrollment, more kids with diverse learning backgrounds and interests in the arts look at Carmel as an option for high school.
“We seem to be attracting more guys that are coming to us, having musical experience from grade school,” Mr. Tabernacki said. “The pieces are in place to build this up a little bit, and not just have things in the classroom.”
The new facility will also have a big focus on allowing students to work on projects for their own purposes outside of school.
“It’s kind of cool to see when there will be individual workstations for guys,” he explained. “[This is something students will] use independently and benefit from.”
He is excited to see the creativity of the students, and hinted at trying to have annual fall arts festivals, where students can perform live music or showcase film productions and art pieces.
While the project is building up much anticipation from the school, it could not be done without the help of some notable alumni.
“I’m full of gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Don ’63 and Peggy Berry, and Mr. and Mrs. Marty ’66 and Julie Hughes,” Mr. Conroy said. “They have given tremendous gifts that have gotten us enough funds to get started on the project.”
He also recognizes the efforts of alumni and friends who have helped him rethink what the arts program should be about.
“I’m grateful to people who have opened up my mind to realizing that performing arts is not just theater, band, and choir,” he remarked. “It’s also broadcasting. It’s also podcasting. It’s also film-making, and I could foresee someday that we could have other areas of the performing arts that we haven’t even thought of yet.”
