MIAMI | After 17 years of effort, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy finally broke ground on a four-phase construction project at the end of September.

"I am excited this dream is finally becoming a reality," said the high school�s principal, Sister Kathryn Donz�. "By the completion of 2014, the end of our 50th year jubilee, we will be celebrating our past and looking forward to our future."

The four-phase construction project will expand the school's current facilities, enabling Our Lady of Lourdes Academy to continue to provide a high caliber of education relevant to the demands of the 21st century. The new, two-story, 24,000 sq. ft. state of the art classroom building will house 21 new classrooms, a teacher planning area, and a legacy walk-way. Future phases will include renovation of the office areas, a new chapel, a new media center, and, hopefully, a gymnasium.

The first phase, consisting of improvements to existing infrastructure, including sewer, drainage, a new loop road and parking, was completed in August 2012.

Discussion of an expansion began in 1995, when suggestions for new facilities were included in the School Improvement Plan that was part of the school's re-accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Throughout the past 17 years, the school has been able to set aside $10 million to cover the cost of three of the four phases; because of this, the Archdiocese of Miami has approved construction of the first three phases. The school plans to kick off a capital campaign for $5 million this year to cover the costs of the gymnasium (the fourth and final phase of construction), as well as the cost of maintaining the 50-year-old building. The completion of a gymnasium will finally allow the school's award-winning athletic program to function within the school and eliminate the need for lengthy commutes to practices and "home" games.