Through fundraisers and private donations, Catholic High School recently purchased an additional 20 acres of land.

The $200,000 deal happened in early October, CHS officials close to the transaction said, with the newly purchased property located adjacent to the parochial high school’s baseball and softball fields.

“It’s exciting,” CHS Director of Communications for Erin Henry said. “It’s our first acquisition in 50 years.”

Although owned by St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church and Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, the school was able to purchase the additional property through its own fundraising efforts, not placing a financial burden on school stakeholders or owner parishes, Henry said.

CHS fundraisers, like the popular Dancing With the Stars event, as well as private donations were the main contributors to the sale, she said.

Mark Musso, a 1978 CHS alumnus and chairman for the 2017 long-range committee, negotiated the deal and said the purchase has been a long-term strategic decision for CHS that has been talked about for 20 years.

“The way this came about was that every five years Catholic High does a five-year plan that involves facilities and academic enhancement to improve the school,” Musso said. “The recommendation was to purchase the land and use it for future growth.”

CH Fenstermaker & Associates, which is operated by CHS alumni, provided land surveying for the project for free. Local lawyer Edward Landry, who also graduated from CHS, provided free legal work for the project as well, Musso said.

The Romero family, which sold the property, also was supportive of the deal as well, Musso said.

Henry said the school is unsure what will be developed on the property, which also comes with a home that Henry said will be utilized.

“We don’t have a specific plan in mind yet,” Henry said. “We’re hoping to restore the house and use it as part of the property. We just completed a five-year plan and initiated another one which included the property.”

CHS Principal Ray Simon also said the growth is a positive step for Catholic High School.

“Growth is always a good thing for our students and our school,” Simon said.

The project comes as CHS heads into its centennial celebration starting in January. The school first opened in 1918 as St. Peter’s College on Main Street under the direction of the LaSallian brothers.

CHS moved to its current 40-acre campus in 1957 with the new name of Catholic High School.

“Catholic High looks to the next 100 years with optimism and reaffirms its commitment to the development of 4th through 12th grade students through academic excellence and Christ-centered values rooted in caring discipline, compassion, and zeal,” Henry said in a prepared statement.