Saint Thomas Academy & Visitation Receive $4-Million Gift for New Pool

Saint Thomas Academy and Visitation School today jointly announced an historic $3-million matching gift to help fund a new aquatic center shared by the two schools. This matching gift from the Michel family, spearheaded by Academy alumnus Chip Michel ’67 and his wife Mary, is an encouragement to other donors to give the remaining $3 million needed for the $10-million project. The family’s $4-million total gift toward the project represents the largest gift in the history of both schools.

As a cadet, Chip was a member of the swim & dive team for four years and was the team captain his senior year. He serves as co-chair of the capital campaign for the new aquatic center.

“Chip and Mary’s incredible generosity is a testimony to their belief in both schools’ programs,” said Thomas Lee ’85, vice chair of the Saint Thomas Academy Board of Trustees. “They recognize the pool where he trained in the 1960s is not representative of the talent of today’s student-athletes and the schools’ high standards.” Since 1938, Saint Thomas Academy has won 15 private school state championships prior to joining the MSHSL and 15 MSHSL state championships since 1995.

The new aquatic center on the Saint Thomas Academy campus will include a 25-yard pool with eight lanes, a diving board, bleacher seating for 300 and expanded deck space. The schools hope to complete the project by the 2025-26 swim season.

“We look forward to our student-athletes competing in a state-of-the-art aquatic center,” said Jamie Candee, chair of the Visitation Board of Trustees. “This facility is befitting of two programs – men’s and women’s – that consistently compete at a very high level.” Visitation has 13 overall state championships with nine of those being consecutive, from 2013 to 2022.

The current pool, built in the 1960s, had a 50-year life expectancy with just five lanes supporting fewer than 30 swimmers. Today, that same pool supports more than 130 Visitation and Academy student-athletes. The pool also does not meet today’s minimum depth requirements for diving competitions.

The Michel’s daughter, Bridget Michel Batzler, graduated from Visitation in 1994, and their son Charlie from the Academy in 1995. Batzler has two sons who attended Visitation through lower school and currently attend the Academy: Henry Batzler ’24 and John Batzler ’25.

In addition to being the training and competition home for the Cadets and the Blazers, the new aquatic center will serve local swim clubs and Catholic Athletic Association schools. During the school day, the pool will be used for curriculum-based initiatives.

About Visitation School
Visitation School is an independent Catholic school founded in 1873 by the Sisters of the Visitation. Visitation educates boys and girls from Montessori preK to grade five and all-girls in grades six to 12. A Visitation education is more than just academic achievement; it's about growth and wholeness in mind, body and spirit. Visitation develops students who are ready to go forth in the world as catalysts for positive change – providing an education that is not for school, but for life. Learn more at visitation.net

About Saint Thomas Academy
Founded in 1885, Saint Thomas Academy is an all-male, college preparatory, Catholic, military/leadership school committed to preparing young men to succeed in college and in life. The Academy challenges its students in grades six to 12 to excel academically, spiritually, morally and physically in and out of the classroom. It is fully accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS); and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Minnesota Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) and the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS). For more information, please visit cadets.com.