Eighteen months ago, when Msgr. Aidan Carroll officiated at the groundbreaking of the student activity center, the former principal and current president of Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente said the San Gabriel Valley academy's proud tradition made it incumbent that the faculty and staff provide the "very best" in education facilities for the young men and women entrusted to their care.

"Today we dedicate ourselves in fervent hope to the preservation and enhancement of that tradition," he declared.

On Sept. 15, after Cardinal Roger Mahony, San Gabriel Region Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, Msgr. Carroll and more than a dozen other priests concelebrated a midday dedication liturgy and blessing of the center, the president offered another message to the 1,400 students and invited guests gathered in the new pavilion: "Psalm 118 says this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Then, with a straight face but an Irish gleam in his eyes, he added, "And recognizing that, I give the students the rest of the day off."

It took almost a minute for the applause and cheers to die down.

The Lancers, indeed, had much to rejoice about. For the first time in Bishop Amat's 47-year history, the whole student body and faculty could come together under one roof as a school family to celebrate the Eucharist as well as to cheer on sports teams and have assemblies.

But the two-story student activity center --- constructed of brown, split-face masonry exterior walls, accented with translucent glass blocks --- houses much more than a gymnasium. There's a state-of-the-art weightlifting training center, boys' and girls' varsity team locker rooms, dance/cheerleader/pep squad room, multimedia seminar room and faculty dining room.

In addition, a commercial kitchen serves freshly prepared hot meals for students and faculty. (In the past, the only on-campus food sources were vending machines and two catering trucks.) And a "hall of fame" displays trophies, photos and memorabilia to honor athletic teams and accomplished alumni. One section pays special homage to the dozen priests and 16 religious who have attended the secondary school.

"There's so much more to the center than the gym," Dr. Merritt Hemenway, principal and class of '64 Amat alum, told The Tidings. "In so many ways, it is going to become the focal point of the campus. It won't be just a gym, but the spiritual, cultural and social center of Bishop Amat.

"We're still developing ideas. All the time, teachers and students are asking, 'Can we do this in here?' or 'Can we use this room for that?' We already have multiple things going on at the same time, which is fabulous. So it's going to become part of the core of our whole learning process. Sooner than we can imagine, it'll be part of the Amat legacy."

Stephanie Aquilar, student body secretary, and Raymond Lopez, student body vice president, couldn't concur more. After giving a visitor a tour of the new $4.9 million, 47,000 square-feet facility --- designed by JP Darling and Associates and built by Del Amo Construction Company --- the seniors shared their thoughts on what the student activity center would really mean to their alma mater.

"Everybody is able to benefit from this gym --- not just one group on campus," Aquilar, 17, said. "It's going to bring more unity to us just because we can all come together now in one building and experience different activities and rallies. It's just going to be more exciting."

Lopez also believed the center would provide more opportunities for all students. He was thrilled about being a member of the first class to graduate in the student activity center this spring.

"We can all come together in the gym as one Bishop Amat family," the 17-year-old student from West Covina observed. "It's like a home. A new home."