Monsignor Edward Pace High School
Encyclopedia
Monsignor Edward Pace High School is a Catholic secondary school in Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S...

.
It was named a Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...

 in 2002 and one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the country in 2004 and 2005 by the Catholic High School Honor Roll. Pace is member of the National Catholic Educational Association
National Catholic Educational Association
The National Catholic Educational Association is a private professional educational association of over 200,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs...

 (NCEA). This school is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
The Archdiocese of Miami is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America. Its ecclesiastic territory includes Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties in the U.S. state of Florida. The archdiocese is the metropolitan see for the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami,...


History

Named for Monsignor Edward A. Pace
Edward A. Pace
Monsignor Edward A. Pace was a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida. He was the first native Floridian to be ordained a diocesan priest....

, the first native-born Floridian to become a diocesan priest, the first all-male, freshmen and sophomore classes commenced in September 1961 in the old parish hall of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on NW 28th Avenue in Opa Locka under the direction of Marist Brothers
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...

 from Cuba and New York. Classes moved to buildings at the school's present site in October of 1961. All-female classes were added the next year under the direction of the women of the Teresian Association. The original mascot was the Lion, and the colors were green and white, but students voted in the third school year to change the mascot to the Spartan, and the colors to scarlet and gold. The first class of 32 graduated in 1964 at the present day Jackie Gleason Auditorium. Pace's first graduating class created the first newspaper, called the Kerygma ("The Proclamation") as well as the first Torch yearbook, which acquired its name from president John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

's inauguration speech, in which he referred to passing the "torch" to the next generation. Pace's school seal was also designed that year to be engraved on the class rings, and the school's motto was chosen as well. It was in the 1964-1965 school year that the tradition of "Freshmen Orientation," began in which seniors essentially 'hazed' freshmen, in a tradition that continues to this day, but in a milder form. The first co-institutional class graduated in 1966, the same year in which the school's alma mater, Gratia et Veritas, was composed. Just one year later, the first football team was formed and the school celebrated its first football Homecoming Week, after having had several Spirit Weeks for the basketball team. By 1969, the school already had seven buildings, including five academic buildings, a field house, and an on-campus residence for the Teresian Association, which switch homes with the Marist Brothers just three years later for a home they felt better suited their lifestyle. The first state championship was won in 1971 by the Cross Country team, in time for a banner to be hung in the new gymnasium, constructed in that school year, along with the adjoining cafeteria. By the 1974-1975 year, after several years of gender-mixing in classes such as math and science, the school became officially co-educational. The first senior trip to Canada took place four years later in February of 1979, becoming a tradition for every senior class after it. In Homecoming of 1979, the first King was chosen by the student body, and the Powderpuff game in which boys cheered and girls played flag football, was introduced five years later. Pace celebrated its 25th anniversary in the 1985-1986 school year, and the 25th senior class graduated in 1988. Tons of Love, an annual fall food drive, began in 1989, the first year of the L.I.F.E. (Living In Faith Experience) youth group, a key component of the Campus Ministry Program. Pace 2000, a fundraising campaign for the school, started in the early 1990's, and allowed for facility improvements, such as outdoor lockers, school-wide air conditioning, and renovated science labs. The gym was renovated in 1997 and renamed for Brother Felix Anthony, a Marist Brother who served as a teacher and basketball coach from 1965 to 1988 and is now principal at St. Brendan High School
St. Brendan High School
St. Brendan High School is a co-educational private Roman Catholic high school in the Westchester neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami.- History :...

 in Westchester, Miami. Pace's cafetorium, the Hennessey Center, was completed in that same year after three years of construction, and the newest classroom building (500) was finished in 1999. In 2002, the school was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence at the end of its 40th Anniversary year, and the 40th class graduated just a year later in 2003. The school was a named one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in this period as well and received an award for Catholic Identity in 2004. After far outgrowing the "old chapel" found in the school's first building, a new building, the Dantee Navarro Religious Education Center, was completed in 2008 and can hold 500 people, although masses are still held in the gymnasium. It was in that same year that Pace was named the first official "green school" in South Florida by instituting a recycling program and initiating changes across campus, from lighting to landscaping. Pace celebrates its 50th anniversary in the 2011-2012 school year, and its 50th class will graduate in 2013.

Athletics

Monsignor Pace belongs to the Florida High School Athletic Association
Florida High School Athletic Association
The Florida High School Athletic Association is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high school It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations ....

 and fields teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, flag football, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Recent state championships include the 2006 class 4A baseball and 2007, and 2008 class 4A boys' basketball titles. Pace has a long standing athletic rivalry with Belen Jesuit and Key West High School.

FHSAA State Championships

Baseball:
1978, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1988, 2006

Boys Basketball:
1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008

Girls Basketball:
2002, 2003, 2005

Wrestling:
2000

Football:
2003

Girls Volleyball:
1974

Boys Cross Country:
1971

Boys Track and Field:
2009

Activities

Clubs:
  • Advanced Health Club
  • Anime Club
  • Art Club
  • Awareness Club
  • Chess
  • Computer Club
  • Drama Club
  • FBLA
  • Fantasy Gaming Club
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Key Club
    Key Club
    Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...

  • ICC
  • The Literary Guild
  • INTERACT (Peace & Justice)
  • Respect Life
  • Robotics
  • SADD
  • Spanish Club
  • Student Government Association


Honor Societies:
  • English National Honor Society
  • French Honor Society
  • National Art Honor Society
    National Art Honor Society
    The National Art Honor Society was established in 1978 in the United States by the National Art Education Association for high school students grades 10-12, for "the purpose of inspiring and recognizing those students who have shown an outstanding ability in art" from the National Art Honor Society...

  • National Beta Club
    National Beta Club
    The National Beta Club is an organization for 5th-12th graders in the United States, recognizing academic achievement, leadership, character and service....

  • National Honor Society
    National Honor Society
    The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

  • Quill and Scroll
    Quill and Scroll
    Quill and Scroll is an international high school journalism honor society that recognizes and encourages both individual and group achievements in scholastic journalism. According to the Quill and Scroll website, over 14,104 high schools in all 50 U.S. states and 44 countries have established local...

  • Mu Alpha Theta
    Mu Alpha Theta
    Mu Alpha Theta is a United States mathematics honor society for high schools and two-year colleges. It has over 89,000 student members in more than 1,800 schools worldwide. Its main goals are to inspire keen interest in mathematics, develop strong scholarship in the subject, and promote the...

  • International Thespian Honor Society
  • Rho Kappa
  • Science National Honor Society
    Science National Honor Society
    Science National Honor Society is an academic honor society focused on science for high school students within the United States. The society was established in 2000 in Texas and has expanded to over 277 schools in 33 states....

  • Spanish Honor Society
  • Tri-M Music Honor Society

Performing groups:
  • Band
  • Cheerleaders
  • Spartans in Harmony
  • Danceline
  • Drama (Heading to states for Thespian Society around April - May)
  • Jazz Combo http://www.msgr-pace.com/jazzcombo/Welcome.html
  • Salsa Band
  • Guitar Ensemble
  • MP Dance Kru


Additional activities:
  • Athletic Trainers
  • Close-up
  • Leadership Skills
  • LIFE Youth Group
  • Marist Society
  • Missionary Trips
  • Peer Ministry
  • Spartan City Press (newspaper)
  • Study Abroad Program
  • Torch (yearbook)

Notable alumni

  • Catherine Keener
    Catherine Keener
    Catherine Ann Keener is an American actress. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich and Capote...

    , Oscar nominated actress
  • Alex Fernandez, former Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     pitcher
  • Gio Gonzalez
    Gio Gonzalez
    Giovany A. Gonzalez is a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.-Early life:...

    , Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Jorge Sedano
    Jorge Sedano
    American Sports Broadcaster and Talk Show Host Jorge Sedano is the host of The Jorge Sedano Show on 790 The Ticket which airs from 6am-10am ET.. He's also currently a sports anchor at CBS4 WFOR-TV in Miami. He's also a contributor for the Miami Herald online Sports section...

    , Morning Show Host at 790 The Ticket
  • DeMarcus Van Dyke
    DeMarcus Van Dyke
    -Professional career:DeMarcus Van Dyke was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 3rd round 81st overall in the 2011 NFL draft.-External links:*....

    , Cornerback for the Oakland Raiders
    Oakland Raiders
    The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...


Notable Faculty

  • Bill O'Reilly
    Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
    William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...

    , conservative political commentator, former History teacher at MEPHS

External links

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