Movin’ On Up
Over the summer many renovations took place around Benet including the preparation of the fourth floor of St. Joseph hall to hold new classrooms. This area hasn’t been used for academics in a very long time and is now the new 
home of the Religion department.
This year Mr. Kevin Veselik, Mr. Kevin Clemens, Mr. Marty Ford, Mr. John O’Donnell, and Señor Ramon Marth will have classrooms on the fourth floor
of St. Joseph hall. Señor Marth, the only non-religion-department teacher to be moved to the fourth floor, was given a new room in order to reduce overcrowding of language teachers in St. Martin basement. Señor Marth, however, suggested that the move was made “because he was good looking” and was needed to balance out the demographic of the fourth floor.
Prior to its renovation, the fourth floor of St. Joseph hall was thought to be haunted. This rumor has its roots in the fact that St. Joseph hall, Benet’s oldest building, was an orphanage. When the orphanage was originally built, the fourth floor held dormitories. Dozens of orphans lived, grew, and, in some tragic cases, died on the property where Benet now stands. Some of the deceased orphans were buried in the graveyard next to the baseball fields. For years, students and teachers have reported seeing ghostly figures in the windows and having gotten the sense that someone was watching them.
When three teachers were asked for their thoughts on the rumor that the fourth floor is haunted, they provided conflicting answers. Assistant Principal Mr. Bill Myers says that the floor is not haunted, but two veteran teachers told otherwise. Mr. Mike Kazlauskas joked that he did not move to the fourth floor with the rest of the religion department “because it is haunted” but also told stories about unusual experiences he’s had working in St. Joseph hall. He said
that during his eighteen years of teaching on the third floor, he has “heard a lot of things.” He told of a night he slept at Benet Academy after chaperoning prom in order to make baseball practice the next morning. He said that it was one of the least restful nights of his life. Señor Marth does believe the fourth floor is haunted but is not worried about the ghosts.
This reporter was given the opportunity to see the new renovations during an interview with Mr. Kazlauskas, who pointed out that traces of the old dormitory still remain. For instance, many bookshelves are built into the walls in the spaces where there used to be coat closets. The final unfinished portion of St. Joseph hall can be found in its attic. Benet alumnus Frank Kaminsky signed a wall in the attic when he was still a student.
Although used as classrooms until the mid-60’s, the fourth floor was primarily used as storage space. During the time when theatre productions were held in the Chapel, the theatre department stored props and other items there. This may explain some of the ‘ghost’ sightings in the windows. People used to place a mannequin in front of the window and place a hat on it so passersby would mistake it for a ghost.
The fourth floor renovations took nearly two years, encountering some delays along the way. Now that they are complete, Assistant Principal Mr. Myers looks forward to the opening of the fourth floor. When asked what the benefits of having this new space would be he said, “Increasing instructional space is an excellent way to improving educational outcomes. Teachers can be more productive as they can work in classrooms during prep periods, and they can also prepare their classrooms so class activities can start right when the bell rings. Teachers can create an environment that showcases both the curriculum and their personalities.”
The fourth floor of St. Joseph hall will be an important and exciting addition to Benet. As Benet continues to grow, the addition of new classrooms is a logical measure to maintain the school’s wealth of resources. The new classroom space will be helpful to both students and teachers and will serve as an excellent home for the religion department.
