Loyola High School began the public phase of its $70 million capital campaign with the dedication of new facilities Sept. 23 at its Los Angeles campus.

The $30 million, 60,000-square-foot William H. Hannon Science Hall, the Frank J. Ardolf Jr. and Frances R. Ardolf Academic Hall, and the Sharon and Tom Malloy Commons followed the completion of a four-year, $56 million "silent" fundraising effort at the 142-year-old school.

"Today we celebrate not only the dedication of two state-of-the-art academic buildings and a new commons, but also the incredible generosity of our donors who are dedicated to Loyola providing the best education to our students," said Jesuit Father Gregory Goethals, Loyola president.

"We are at an astounding 80 percent of our way to our goal. With this target in clear sight, we are looking forward to the philanthropic support that will help us provide an affordable quality Jesuit education to the 1,200 young men who attend Loyola from more than 220 zip codes."

The new 60,000-square-foot, three-story, L-shaped building, which includes both halls, will become the largest facility on campus. Completion of the Hannon Science Hall and Ardolf Academic Hall guarantees every full-time teacher his/her own classroom; doubles the science laboratories to 14; and increases campus square footage by more than 30 percent to a total of 240,000.

The Hannon Science Hall --- located on land Loyola acquired as part of its multi-phase campus construction effort --- houses eight science classrooms and laboratories, a computer center that accommodates 64 students, and two additional classrooms. With the completion of the science center, Loyola is able to offer all students access to eight semesters of science, officials said.

Two new science teachers have been added to the faculty as a result of the campaign and the new science building. The new computer center will support virtual physics experimentation, among other curricular advances.

The Ardolf Academic Hall houses seven classrooms and the Otero Lecture Hall, which can seat 140. The counseling department has eight offices on the second floor and other student services are located on the first floor of the building. Ardolf Hall alleviated classroom over-crowding while enhancing the school's technological infrastructure, officials said.

The public phase of the "Campaign for Loyola" will concentrate on raising $23 million in additional support for endowment: $8 million for scholarships, $10 million for faculty endowment and $5 million for technology endowment. One-third of the school's relatively low tuition fee - one of the lowest of any Jesuit high school in the country - is subsidized through philanthropic support from Loyola's donors.

The campaign already has garnered the two largest gifts in the history of the school - $5 million from the William H. Hannon Foundation and $6.5 million from Gayle and Edward P. Roski, Jr. '57 - as well as numerous other leadership gifts.