Servite High School held a dedication ceremony Aug. 24 to celebrate the grand opening of the new Fr. Kevin Fitzpatrick Aquatic Center. Alumni, parents, and current and former aquatics athletes and their families attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the future of Servite aquatics.
“We are continuing to develop our campus to provide the best opportunities for our students,” said Jim Carter (’82), vice president of Mission and Operations. “We believe in forming our young Friars into faith-filled leaders. We want to provide the best environment for student-athletes to develop not only their mind and intellect, but their strength.”
With a new home on the west side of campus, Servite Aquatics now has a state-of-the-art complex that expands its campus footprint. Key features include solar heating, extra-wide lanes for faster times, multiple floating and fixed-cage water polo courses, pace clocks, shot clocks, timing system and men’s and women’s locker rooms.
The Fr. Fitzpatrick Center gives Servite Aquatics a world-class facility ready for high-level competition. The new pool allows multiple teams to practice and will be able to host CIF, regional and national swimming, and water polo tournaments. Servite will also be able to double student participant capacity in the Fr. Fitzpatrick Center.
The new facility is named in honor of the school’s beloved Fr. Kevin Fitzpatrick. ‘Fr. Fitz’ served at Servite High School for 22 years (1970-1992), teaching Algebra 1 and Religion, while also helping out as a coach for the water polo and swim teams. In his coaching role, Fr. Fitz cleaned the pool daily and made it available to neighborhood kids in the summer. He was a model Friar and now Servite Aquatics’ new center will honor his dedication and sacrifices for students.