With a ribbon cutting, a blessing by the cardinal, the singing of the school’s alma mater, and a spirited pep rally, the new state-of-the-art St. Angela Athletic and Wellness Center at the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Maryland, had its grand opening on Sept. 18, 2026.
Addressing the academy’s students gathered in front of the center, Emily A. Kasof, the school’s president and CEO, said, “This center is ultimately for all of you, and for the generations of Tartans who will follow.”
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, congratulated the Holy Cross students for their new athletic and wellness center, and he prayed that their experiences at the academy would help them flourish and thrive in the future as they go out into the world and provide leadership and witness to their faith.
After the cardinal offered a prayer of blessing for the facility and sprinkled it with holy water, Erin Simms, a member of the class of 2027 at the Academy of the Holy Cross, cut the large purple ribbon at the center’s entrance as her fellow students cheered loudly. Then the madrigal choral group led the academy’s students in singing the school’s alma mater.
Moments earlier, Kasof had told the students, “This is your gym!” After the ceremony ended, the Holy Cross students excitedly streamed into their new St. Angela Athletic and Wellness Center for the pep rally.
In interviews before the blessing and ribbon cutting, members of the academy’s senior class praised the new center.
“Everyone can use it. They built it for the whole school,” said Jillian Howard of the class of 2027 at Holy Cross. She noted that in addition to student athletes competing in the gym where physical education classes are also held, the wellness center will serve all of the students there.
“We have yoga class in there. It’s a great space,” said fellow senior Jojo Liberta.
The St. Angela Athletic and Wellness Center includes an expansive gymnasium with bleacher seating for more than 400 people, a fully equipped fitness and training center, and modern locker rooms and team facilities, along with an outdoor bocce court, yoga terrace and practice field with ample parking. The facility’s design includes large scoreboards over prominent displays of the Tartans nickname for the academy’s teams, and accents of the lavender and white school colors.
The 20,000 square-foot facility was built by Keller Construction. The project manager was Matt Whalen with Whalen Construction, and the architects were Don Gregory and Bill Spack with CGS Architects.
“It’s so cool. It gives us a huge space to practice and play in,” said Erin Simms, the Holy Cross senior who cut the ribbon at the ceremony and who serves as the vice president for the academy’s student council.
Vivian Blue, another member of the class of 2027 at Holy Cross, plays on the Tartans’ varsity volleyball team, a perennial powerhouse in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. The Tartans’ volleyball team inaugurated their new gym on Sept. 8 with a hard-fought win over Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.
“We call it our home… We now claim to have the best gym in the WCAC,” said Blue, who added, “We get to start our legacy in a new facility… It’s ours. It’s the first season anyone’s played here, and we’re making it our own.”
Also interviewed before the ceremony were two Holy Cross sisters, Sister Brenda Cousins and Sister Ruth Nickerson. Their religious community founded the Academy of the Holy Cross in 1868 and has continued to sponsor the all-girls’ Catholic high school since then. The Sisters of the Holy Cross made the lead $1 million gift for the new facility and named it the St. Angela Athletic and Wellness Center in honor of Mother Angela Gillespie, the founder of many works of the Holy Cross sisters in the United States during the 19th century.
“It (the new center) is a continuation of the heritage of the Sisters of the Holy Cross supporting the education of young women, both body, mind and heart,” said Sister Brenda Cousins, the area coordinator for the Holy Cross sisters for North America and Mexico.
That point was echoed by Sister Ruth Nickerson – a member of the class of 1961 at the Academy of the Holy Cross who serves on the school’s Board of Trustees and provides pastoral care at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. She said having a wellness center there underscores the need for educating students in body, mind and spirit.
“It’s very important that they find how to integrate all those aspects in their life – the academics, the athletics and the spiritual – as they grow and understand who they are and build community,” Sister Ruth said.
During the grand opening ceremony for the center, that was also emphasized by Emily Kasof, the academy’s president and CEO, who said, “Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, believed deeply in forming young people in every dimension of their lives. His vision of education called us to develop the whole person and to prepare all of you not only for success, but for lives of faith, purpose and service.”
Also in remarks at the ceremony, Kelly Flaherty, the athletic director at the Academy of the Holy Cross, said, “This center represents an important investment in the future of our academy and most importantly, in the young women we are privileged to educate, lead and learn from.”
The spirited pep rally offered the Holy Cross students – known traditionally as the “Ladies of the Academy” – a chance to have a joyful celebration of their new athletic and wellness center.
Students cheered loudly as members of the Tartans’ fall sports teams – the Holy Cross cross country team, equestrian team, field hockey team, soccer team, tennis team and volleyball team – paraded around the gym floor.
Then students engaged in relay races and a dodge ball competition on the gym floor, as their classmates and fellow student athletes cheered them on, including when students defeated the Holy Cross teachers and staff in dodge ball.
In an interview while the pep rally was underway, Barbara Gutierrez, a member of the class of 2002 at the Academy of the Holy Cross who now serves on its Board of Trustees, said the school spirit at the rally reflected the special community that the academy continues to have.
Gutierrez – who now works as a managing director for the Aon company that helps clients make business decisions – said the athletic and wellness center reflects the diversity of interests of the girls at Holy Cross and will foster the community spirit at the school known for its academics, STEM program and athletics.
“It’s for everyone,” she said.
Speaking of the impact of the Academy of the Holy Cross on her own life, Gutierrez said she was prepared and confident as she went on to attend Cornell University in New York and then law school at George Washington University in the nation’s capital before beginning years of service at the Environmental Protection Agency.
“That idea of public service and social justice is hard-wired in the girls here. They also celebrate individual excellence,” she said, as the next generation of “Ladies of the Academy” cheered on their classmates at the pep rally in the new gym.
