WWW.THEFLORIDACATHOLIC.ORG | June 2017 FLORIDACatholic MIAMI ARCHDIOCESE ARCHBISHOP CARROLLTON SCHOOL ST. THOMAS COLEMAN CARROLL OF THE SACRED HEART AQUINAS INSIDE THIS ISSUE Valedictorian Salutatorian Valedictorian Salutatorian Kyle D’Antonio, Jose Nicolas Allison Tabitah Gato Sabrina Pouza Mariana Irene co-valedictorian Francisco, Frison, Suarez Labarta co-valedictorian salutatorian ARCHBISHOP EDWARD MCCARTHY Alumni say Class of 2017 goodbye Pope Francis offers good advice as more than to Curley- 3,000 graduate from local Catholic high schools Notre Salutatorian MIAMI | Exams are over, the graduation gowns ting go of old ones. Don’t be frightened, he said. Don’t Valedictorian Dame Savannah Adrianna have been returned, and the thrill of accomplish- worry about what’s behind a wall, but imagine instead Bergeron Zambrano ments is giving way to the anticipation of college life. looking toward a horizon in the countryside — and The class of 2017 has much to be try to always move forward toward 2-3 and 30 ARCHBISHOP CURLEY- proud of, as reflected in diocesan statis- GRAD FYI your new horizons. NOTRE DAME tics. But as the 3,000 or so grads of South Ends and beginnings. Goodbyes Florida’s Catholic high schools say Please see Page 26 and hellos. goodbye to secondary school and hello for a complete listing As for the unanswerable questions Spring to college, perhaps the best advice came of 2017 graduation and inevitable suffering that, to a great- stats for Catholic recently from Pope Francis himself. er or lesser extent, mark everyone’s school students in the sports Speaking to an audience of middle- archdiocese. lives, the pope told the young people schoolers June 2, the pope answered a that some things defy explanations. roundup girl’s question about how to overcome Yet, he reminded them, the love of God her fear of moving to high school and saying good bye is always there, and people around you can help you to all her current friends. feel his presence in your life. 24-25 Pope Francis replied that life is a continual round of So goodbye, class of 2017. Hello, leaders of tomor- Valedictorian Salutatorian hellos and goodbyes, according to Vatican Radio. He row. Hold on to the hand of God as you walk toward Miguel Augustin Ivanee Cruz told her we grow up by making new friends and let- those new horizons. n BELEN JESUIT CHAMINADE-MADONNA IMMACULATA-LASALLE OUR LADY OF LOURDES Valedictorian Salutatorian Valedictorian Salutatorian Valedictorian Salutatorian Valedictorian Salutatorian Sebastian Suarez Esteban Guio Angelique Sheerin Hannah Carlsward Kelly Liang Sofia Incera Isabel Romeu Alexandra Peterson CARDINAL GIBBONS CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS MONSIGNOR EDWARD PACE ST. BRENDAN Valedictorian Salutatorian Valedictorian Salutatorian Summa Summa Valedictorian Salutatorian Carly Christine Kevin Jonathan Cum Laude Cum Laude Kaitlyn Isabella Kinzer Bergamini Nodarse Aguiar Allison Oddman Priscilla Velez Miller Fernandez 2 YOUR MIAMI COMMUNITY Florida Catholic June 2017 Alumni bid farewell to Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame Prep After 63 years of history-making education, school will merge with Msgr. Pace High ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO Florida Catholic staff MIAMI | Christine Ettman Ken- yon just stopped in to say goodbye. A 2003 graduate of Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame Prep, she now lives in Boston with her husband and their 3-month-old son. But she was one of dozens of the school’s alumni who visited the campus for a farewell open house May 27. “A lot of good memories,” she said. “It was a special place.” The school, founded in 1953 as all-boys Archbishop Curley High and all-girls Notre Dame Acad- emy, graduated its last class May 20. Years of declining enrollment and Allan Blondell, a graduate of the class of 1965, checks out an old untenable finances led the archdio- yearbook. Archbishop Curley and Notre Dame high schools were cese to merge ACND with its former quietly integrated in 1960 and 1961, becoming the first schools in crosstown rival, Msgr. Edward Pace Florida - and the first Catholic schools in the southeastern U.S. - to From left: Tajmara Antoine, Dimitri Francois, and Israel Powell, High in Miami Gardens. (See ac- welcome African-American students. Blondell described it as a bold members of Archbishop Curley Notre-Dame’s class of 2018 who will companying stories) move done with no fanfare. “They wanted to preclude a lot of crazy finish out their high school years at Msgr. Edward Pace High School. Curley and Notre Dame had people at the gates.” (PHOTOS BY ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC) themselves merged in 1981, with the girls joining the boys at the Cur- ley campus. The archdiocese announced the ACND-Pace merger at the begin- ning of the 2016-17 school year. In March, the archdiocese also an- nounced that it had accepted an unsolicited offer for Curley-Notre Dame’s 15.56-acre Buena Vista campus, an area just north of the Design District that has recently become one of Miami’s hottest real estate markets. The sale is currently being finalized, as it requires Vati- can approval. (See accompanying story) MEMORIES At Curley-Notre Dame on Me- morial Day weekend, however, the focus was on the past. On great memories and good friends. On an education that stood the test of time and left its mark on both mind and Bruni Egan, right, who taught theology at Archbishop Curley-Notre soul. Dame from 2013 to 2016, embraces one of her former students, Tracey Alumni browsed through old Dominique, who graduated as class valedictorian in 2016. yearbooks. Dug through boxes Lucia Baez, a 2001 Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame graduate, poses of old pictures. Reminisced with teacher at Curley-Notre Dame, Ed- “I know that everything has to with her former English teacher, and the school’s cross-country coach, classmates. Took home souvenirs: mund Rice Christian Brother John finish,” said her mother. “But it’s Christian Brother John Corcoran. “He remembered me! I’m so proud,” beer glasses from an old golf tour- Corcoran. very sad.” said Baez, who followed in his footsteps by becoming an English nament and shirts courtesy of the “He remembered me! I’m so teacher. She works at Miami Beach Senior High. baseball team. proud,” said Baez after posing for INTEGRATION Many walked the halls with pictures with Brother Corcoran, Allan Blondell, class of 1965, private — to accept black students; preclude a lot of crazy people at the their children in tow. Some brought who is also legendary for his years of came down from Maryland for the and the first Catholic schools in the gates.” along their parents. coaching the cross-country team. occasion. He said he felt two emo- entire southeastern U.S. to do so. He remembers being one of “Curley-Notre Dame gave ev- Baez, one of 97 in her graduating tions. From a business perspective, Blondell went on to get a bach- about a dozen black students erything to my daughter, to all the class, praised the all-around forma- “I understand.” From an emotional elor’s degree from Howard Univer- among “600 white guys.” To the students who passed through here,” tion she received at Curley-Notre perspective, “It’s traumatic.” sity and a master’s from Virginia public, their presence at Curley said a teary-eyed Stella Buenaven- Dame. “Not only did they instruct Blondell was one of the students Tech. “Curley prepared me well,” “was a secret until I ran out on tura, who walked the halls with her you theologically, but we also had who helped Archbishop Curley and he said. the football field. Folks went into daughter, Lucia Baez, class of 2001. the highest quality of learning,” she Notre Dame Academy make his- He described the school’s in- shock.” Baez teaches English at Miami said. “I had over $1 million in schol- tory. In 1960, they became the first tegration as “a bold move done Beach High — just like her favorite arships offered to me.” high schools in Florida — public or without fanfare. They wanted to PLEASE SEE FARWELL, 30 June 2017 www.thefloridacatholic.org YOUR MIAMI COMMUNITY 3 FYI Christian Brothers staying in Miami Why is this happening? Although they will no longer be working at Archbishop Curley-Notre Declining enrollment, rising costs created ‘perfect storm’ for Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame Dame, the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers will remain in Miami. The community bought a home ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO in Morningside, the neighborhood Florida Catholic staff southeast of the high school, where five brothers will reside. MIAMI | Too few students. Too One of them is retired, another will little money. Too much competition continue working for Catholic Legal from charter schools. Too many pa- Services, and three others will work rental fears about a changing neigh- at St. Mary Cathedral Church and borhood. School, one of the feeder schools “There’s a perfect storm of rea- for Curley-Notre Dame. sons why the school struggled,” The Christian Brothers admin- said Doug Romanik of his alma istered Curley-Notre Dame from mater, 63-year-old Archbishop 1985 to 2012. Curley-Notre Dame Prep. Simply Prior to that, Archbishop Curley put, “it was difficult for us to get stu- had been administered by priests dents who would pay to come to our of the dioceses of St. Augustine school.” and Miami and Brothers of the Holy Romanik graduated from ACND Cross. Before its 1981 merger with in 1984, and became the school’s Curley, Notre Dame Academy was first lay principal in 2012. He joined staffed by Sisters of the Immaculate the faculty in 2005, after working as Heart of Mary and Sisters of St. an attorney. He is one of 15 siblings Joseph of St. Augustine. and cousins who attended either Archbishop Curley or Notre Dame Academy or the combined ACND.