Mount Carmel Celebrates Growth and Investment with Completion of Phase I HVAC Project

ESSEX, MD — September 22, 2026 — Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is celebrating more than the completion of Phase I of a major HVAC project. In its 100th year of Catholic education, Mount Carmel is celebrating a school community that is growing, thriving, and investing boldly in its future.

The school marked the completion of Phase I with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 22, bringing together students, faculty and staff, school leadership, alumni, donors, community partners, elected officials, and representatives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The celebration included a Centennial Blessing of the school campus, recognizing not only the buildings themselves, but the people and generations who have made Mount Carmel what it is today.

Phase I of the HVAC project, completed during Summer 2026, brings improved heating and cooling to the High School. Phase II, planned for Summer 2027, will extend the improvements to the Lower and Middle Schools.

But the ribbon cutting was about more than HVAC. It was a celebration of momentum at Mount Carmel.

A Community Invested in Mount Carmel

“What’s in a building?” is a question that takes on particular meaning at a school that has served generations of families for nearly a century.

A school building can be measured in stone, steel, stucco, windows, doors, and systems such as heating and cooling. But what happens inside those buildings is what gives them meaning: knowledge gained and life lessons learned, friendships formed, faith explored, and a community cultivated and cherished.

For nearly 100 years, Mount Carmel’s buildings have been places where generations of young people have been invited, taught, and nurtured in faith, knowledge, service, and community. The campus represents the sacrifices of those who built the school and the generations of students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and benefactors who have carried its mission forward.

The Centennial Blessing served as a reminder that Mount Carmel’s legacy is ultimately about more than facilities. It is about the people and the mission those facilities exist to serve.

The school’s centennial year is also demonstrating the power of a community working together. The HVAC project was supported by public and private partners, including Senator Johnny Ray Salling and Delegate Richard W. Metzgar, who helped secure $450,000 in state funding for the project. An anonymous alumnus and family contributed $300,000—the largest individual gift in school history—to support the project.

During the September 22 celebration, Mount Carmel announced an additional $250,000 gift from an anonymous alumnus and family, the second-largest gift in school history. Received within the previous week, the gift was inspired in part by the generosity of the family behind the $300,000 contribution.
With the additional gift, Mount Carmel is poised to make more than $1 million in facility investments during its centennial year.

“No one accomplishes great things alone,” was a central theme of the celebration. The project represents what can happen when the generosity of alumni and benefactors, the leadership of the school and Archdiocese, public investment, and the work of community partners come together around a shared mission.

From Surviving to Thriving

For years, portions of the Mount Carmel campus operated without HVAC or with limited climate control. The project addresses classrooms and other previously unconditioned areas, providing a more consistent environment for teaching and learning.

Phase I was completed during the summer to minimize disruption to students and faculty. The work represents an important step in the school’s continuing investment in its campus and its students.

But the improvements are part of something larger.

Mount Carmel enters its second century with a growing student body and strong participation and achievement across academics, athletics, the arts, service, and student life. Students are competing at high levels, academic programs and individual students are earning regional and national recognition, and opportunities continue to expand for students to lead, create, serve, compete, and grow.

The school’s facilities investment reflects that momentum.

“What we find in the heart of this building is generations of patient, persistent faith, sacrifice, and a courageous response to the Gospel,” said Fr. John. “These buildings are really made of the intersection of God’s mission and the generous cooperation of the people of Mount Carmel.”

That spirit of generosity is visible throughout the centennial year—from the public and private support making campus improvements possible to the daily work of faculty, staff, families, alumni, and students who continue to build the Mount Carmel community.

The HVAC project itself may not be the most visible improvement on campus. Yet, like so much of what sustains a school, its impact is felt every day. The improved environment supports the students and teachers who fill these classrooms and carry forward the mission entrusted to Mount Carmel.
As the school celebrates 100 Years of Excellence in Catholic Education, it is not simply looking backward. It is building forward.

Phase I is complete. Phase II is on the horizon. Investments in the campus are underway. And the work of preparing the next generation of Mount Carmel students continues.

For families considering their educational options, the centennial year offers a simple question:

What could your child discover at Mount Carmel?

Discover a Catholic, college-preparatory education where faith, academic excellence, service, and community come together from Pre-K through Grade 12. Schedule a visit and experience Mount Carmel for yourself.

What could happen when faith and academic excellence come together? When students are challenged to compete, create, lead, serve, and grow? When a community is willing to invest in both the legacy it has inherited and the students who will carry that legacy into the future?

For 100 years, Mount Carmel has been building more than a school. It has been building a community and forming generations of young people.
Now, the Mount Carmel community is looking toward the next 100 years—with gratitude for the past, pride in the present, and confidence in the work still ahead.

About Our Lady of Mount Carmel School

Founded in 1927, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is a private Catholic, coeducational college-preparatory school serving students from Pre-K3 through Grade 12 in Essex, Maryland. For nearly 100 years, Mount Carmel has invited, taught, and nurtured generations of students through a faith-filled and academically focused educational experience grounded in service, community, and Catholic identity. As the school celebrates its centennial in 2026–27, Mount Carmel continues its commitment to academic excellence, faith formation, character development, and preparing students to lead lives of purpose and service.