May has always been an exciting month in schools…at least
in private schools. Things are coming to
completion. Whether or not all of the
subject material has been covered, term papers will be due and final exams will
be given. Grades will be handed in and
plans for the summer will have been made.
It is also the time of year when individuals will be
recognized for their achievements and awards will be presented. This year was no exception. On May 7th, at the Chairman’s Dinner, Drs. Ivan and
Swat Pacold were presented the Pope
Francis Transformation Award for their service and generosity to St.
Ignatius College Prep. It gave me
the chance to catch up with their 6 children, all of whom are alumni and
successful in their own particular fields of endeavor.
On the May 20th, the end-of-the-year student
Mass was held. It is now referred to as
the “Jubilarian Mass” because alumni
who graduated at least 50 years ago are invited to attend. The Mass is followed by a reception on the 4th
floor of the school in what use to be called the “Jesuit Library”. If you were a student in the ‘60’s or ‘70’s, you
weren’t allowed to go there. Now it is often the site for receptions and dinners at reunions and other important school events.
This
Mass is also the occasion for recognizing students who will be going on summer
service projects, generally working in communities where folks are in need. It is also at the end of this Mass that
students, one per class, who have distinguished themselves through the school
year, are given a special award.
The freshman award is named for Fr. Florian Zimicki,
S.J., a Jesuit who taught Latin at SICP for many years. The sophomore-of-the-year award is named
after Ron Jemiola, an outstanding student who was struck and killed by a car as
he crossed Roosevelt Road following his last exam of his sophomore year.
The Junior-of-the-Year award holds a special significance
for me personally. First of all, because
it is named for a very good friend of mine, Carmen Pintozzi, who passed away
suddenly in January of ’70. Carm was an alumnus(class of ’56),
outstanding teacher (head of the history department) and coach for 10
years. It was particularly meaningful to
me this year, because my granddaughter was allowed to make the presentation. I’ll admit that grandpa had trouble holding
back the tears that day. Actually I
didn’t hold back the tears; only the sobbing.
That’s all for now.
Have a great summer.
