A 360-Degree Perspective
Few understand the potential impact of the new Barron Arts and Recreation Center as profoundly as the first lead donors to commit to the project—Tom ’73 and Jana Shea P ’08, ’11.
As a student-athlete during his time at Prep, a past board member, football coach for the last 30 years, and a faculty member for the last 19, Tom has experienced the school’s care for the whole person from every angle and played an instrumental role in the design of the center’s strength and conditioning space. His wife Jana, the cofounder of a Broadway theater, film, and television production company, clearly sees the possibilities the center opens for our boys in the arts. Together, the couple watched their two sons grow into men for others at Prep and wholeheartedly support the vision for enhancing the experience of Prep’s future students.
“My Prep experience made me who I am,” says Tom, who retired from a successful career in the telecommunications industry and considers his second act as an Ignatian teacher to be a true calling. “A big piece of that was playing football, which taught me the importance of commitment, of loyalty, and of being someone whom other people can rely on. These are all things that helped me later in my business career and made me a good friend, husband, and father as well.”
“I also see the very positive effect Prep had on both of our sons,” Tom adds. “When I look at these two guys who are truly men for others, I couldn’t be more pleased with the impact Prep has had on them.”
Tom believes the new athletic facilities will greatly enhance the formation of our student-athletes and expand their collegiate opportunities. As he explains, “The new center will give our kids facilities that match their level of commitment. It will allow us to help them become the best that they can be, to give them these great experiences, and in the process, to promote bonds with teammates that last forever.”
But the athletic facilities are about more than just space to train and bond. They’ll also serve as a point of pride and promote a sense of shared history and identity. “Right now, there’s nowhere to showcase our championship banners, our all-state awards, or our rich tradition of athletics,” Tom notes. “In the new Barron Arts and Recreation Center, that history will be on display for our boys to see something for our alumni to be proud of and our current guys to aspire to.”
Meanwhile, Jana is excited by what the black box theater and the expanded music space will do for the performing arts at Prep, even if a student only chooses to make the performing arts a small part of their lives. “There’s something that happens in a live performance, the connection that you make with an audience that doesn’t exist anywhere else not on TV or in the movies,” explains Jana. “It’s a visceral feeling that develops between the stage and the audience, and I think it’s a wonderful thing to give the students this kind of opportunity.”
The Sheas’ early investment in the Barron Arts and Recreation Center helped launch the effort to fulfill this dream of giving our boys the ability to perform on their own stage, the possibility of training together in a space that can accommodate an entire team, and the chance to play, practice, and gather in a facility with the capacity to house the entire school community, complete with our own logo at midcourt.
“Athletics and participation in the arts both require sacrifice. They both foster that bond of hard work that forms as you strive toward shared goals,” Tom observes. “This new facility will better equip our boys to go out and experience the thrill of competing for and winning championships together, or of coming together to create an outstanding production.”