‘Turning to beauty to bring hope’

By Blanca Morales - Florida Catholic

Photography: BLANCA MORALES | FC

MIAMI | “Beauty will save the world,” wrote Fyodor Dostoevsky. Blessed Pope Paul VI also said: “This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair.”

The students at St. Brendan High School put this into practice March 1, when a piece commemorating the fallen at Parkland was among the paintings, sculptures and photography displayed at their Gallery Night.

Taking place just a couple of weeks after the killings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, this year’s Gallery Night became a means of respite from the fear and worry that had gripped St. Brendan students since that horrible day.

The artworks were created by students in St. Brendan’s Digital, Ceramic, 2D, 3D and AP Fine Arts classes.

Seniors Nicole Nader, Gustavo Leon and Isabel Yamin, along with juniors Lena Phillips and Laura Barbeite joined forces to create a plaster eagle head, the mascot at Douglas, with a collage of all the victims.

“We weren’t assigned this,” said Yamin. “It was our own initiative.”

When news of the shooting reached St. Brendan, the students were deeply affected, recalled psychology teacher Daniela Rodriguez. They began to ask what to do in case of an emergency, and how to differentiate between a real emergency and a drill.

“The students were shaken,” she said. Some of them knew the victims. From middle school peers to friends in extracurricular activities, the students at Parkland, just an hour away, are not mere strangers.

A lot of productive conversation ensued, Rodriguez said. The students were assured that the faculty would do everything in their power to ensure their safety.

But Rodriguez also stressed the importance of being kind to all, not out of fear of what someone might do, but out of recognition for their humanity.

“You never know how someone is feeling, I told them. You never know what someone is going through, so don’t make fun of them,” Rodriguez said. She spoke to them about mental illness, gun violence and acts of kindness.

Rodriguez said she felt it was important for students to learn to show greater appreciation for others.

“Appreciation doesn’t happen enough. We only show appreciation when something bad happens. It shouldn’t be that way,” she said, adding that she assigned her students the task of writing letters, after they realized that teachers were being taken for granted.

After writing thank you letters to their teachers and principal, the students wanted to write letters to the students, faculty and parents at Douglas. Some students wrote three-page letters, others wrote handmade cards, and others wanted to send monetary donations.

The letters often began with “dear hero,” and ended with “from a friend,” including their promise of prayers. Over 500 letters are being mailed to Parkland this month. The students also hope to send the sculpture.

St. Brendan theology teacher Mari Pablo said she was reminded of the writings of the popes, including St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Artist,” while touring the Gallery Night exhibit.

“In the midst of grieving, these kids turned to art to create something beautiful,” said Pablo. “It was great to have the school gathered, turning to beauty to bring hope.”