Elyria Catholic presents the James E. Terrell Performing Arts Center

On October 23, 2021, Elyria Catholic will open the doors to its latest campus point of pride, the James E. Terrell Performing Arts Center. Elyria Catholic announced plans in April of 2020 to renovate its original gymnasium into a Performing Arts Center. The project estimated at over $400,000 is scheduled to be completed in mid-October. 

James E. Terrell, an Elyria Catholic graduate from the Class of 1967, read about the project in Elyria Catholic’s Alumni News, fondly recalled his high school experiences in the original gym, and contacted President Annie Heidersbach to offer a significant gift to ensure the successful completion of the project. Jim and his wife Judy travelled from Georgia in September of 2020 to visit the original gym before construction began and will return for the Meet Your Seat and Ribbon Cutting Celebration on October 23.

Jim received his BS and MBA from Miami University of Ohio, majoring in accounting. Jim is a CPA certified in the state of Georgia. He started his career with Ernst and Young in Atlanta and moved through various positions, eventually retiring in 2004 from Georgia Pacific Corporation, a Fortune 50 Company, where he was the Vice President - Controller and Chief Accounting Officer for over 20 years. 

Jim was an enthusiastic and very active member of the Elyria Catholic student body and participated in sports and various school activities. Jim said, "I am very pleased to be able to support my alma mater by providing our future leaders a beautiful facility that will help them appreciate the value of performing arts in their lives."

The renovation of the Performing Arts Center included the expansion and reflooring of the stage, the purchase of a new programmable lighting console and LED stage lights, upgrades to the sound equipment, the addition of a make-up and dressing room, twenty-five new doors and a fresh coat of paint. The final phase of improvements which includes installing 227 auditorium-style seats on the floor and 344 exceptional comfort bleacher seat modules in the balcony will be completed in mid-October. 

The Schlather Family, a legacy family with eleven Elyria Catholic graduates, offered a gift to support the Performing Arts Center and name the stage. Ridge Tool provided financial support for the new programmable lighting console, LED stage lights, and sound equipment upgrades. Accordingly, the sound booth has been named the Ridge Tool Sound Booth. Representatives of the William A. Ely Trust supported the Performing Arts Center as it could be used by the entire Elyria community. In honor of their gift, the dressing room will be named the Ely Trust Dressing Room. Michael Herrick ‘01 and his wife Chelsi Herrick provided a final gift in April of 2021 to complete the project.The lobby will be named the Michael ‘01 & Chelsi Herrick Lobby. In living out its mantra, “Loyalty that Never Dies,” the greater Elyria Catholic community demonstrated its support through leadership sponsors, 227 seat patrons, two virtual gala fundraisers, and the Elyria Catholic 2020 Golf Classic. 

Annie Heidersbach, President of Elyria Catholic, said, “The beauty, technology, and comfort of the James E. Terrell Performing Arts Center will showcase the talent and passion of our students and provide a proper celebration and meeting place for the Elyria Catholic Community. And with comfortable seating for 571 people, the space fills a much-needed niche in Lorain County. The space is available for other groups to use, opening up opportunities for more Elyria Catholic community partnerships. We are grateful to Jim and our other leadership sponsors for making the project achievable and creating these new opportunities for our students and our school."

The Meet Your Seat and Ribbon Cutting Celebration that will take place on Saturday, October 23 at 2:00pm includes a reception for all those who sponsored the Performing Arts Center and brief performances by current students from the Elyria Catholic performing and musical arts programs.

All members of the Class of 1967 are invited to attend the Ribbon Cutting Celebration on October 23, 2021 at 2:00pm and can RSVP here.