By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica

MIAMI | When Aimee Viana graduated from St. Brendan High in 1998, she was captain of the cheerleading squad. Twenty years later she returned to her alma mater, now as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Her office is in charge of promoting the accomplishments of Hispanic students in different educational environments, which means “attempting to find schools that are very different and have a variety of ways in which they approach innovation on education,” said Viana.

During her visit Sept. 13, she toured STEM (the acronym for science, technology, engineering and math) Academy laboratories and classrooms, as well as those of the Medical Sciences Academy.

“I think the innovation is what we need to highlight,” said Viana, adding that at St. Brendan, “we are preparing our students for the future. We want them to be successful, and we want them to have the skills that they need for the jobs that will be there. The school is making any attempt to be innovative.”

Apart from the standard curriculum, St. Brendan offers four academies within the school. In addition to STEM and Medical Sciences, the other two academies are Law and Business, and Visual and Performing Arts. Each academy offers a curriculum that prepares students for university and their future careers.

Unlike academies offered in public schools that only advise students regarding the electives they need to take, St. Brendan helps students discern “What is it that I want out of my life? What is it that God wants for my life? That is why we are unique,” said Jose Rodelgo-Bueno, principal of the school.

Furthermore, “the architecture of this building invites learning, invites a mindset of limitlessness, and it is a stimulator of learning,” said Rodelgo-Bueno as he described the modern architecture of the innovation and arts building that was inaugurated two years ago.

At the academic level, the academies are a great start to a professional career. Students participating in the academies take various elective courses that prepare them for the university so that once they get there “they are set to continue their studies in those interests,” said Guillermo Ramos, assistant principal at St. Brendan.

At the same time, the classes that students take in their academies are generally recommendation-based. They are not requirements, they can be taken at any grade level, and they are open to students from all programs — advanced, honors, and the Champagnat program for those with special needs, said Aileen Escarpio, coordinator of the STEM academy.

“Catholic schools are on the cutting edge in education and we teach through the lens of Catholicism. So students know what is morally right and what is morally wrong through what they learn,” said Kim Pryzbylski, superintendent of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami.

About 97 percent of students at St. Brendan are Hispanic, said Rodelgo-Bueno, and many have received national awards and recognitions. The school has about 1,200 students enrolled, and around 20 percent participate in the STEM and Medical Sciences academies.

The academies are a recent addition, with only two classes graduating so far. Alumni of the academies have gone on to study at Columbia University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Johns Hopkins University, Notre Dame University, the University of Miami and Michigan State, among others.

At the conclusion of her tour of the innovation building, Viana took part in a a roundtable discussion where students spoke about their experiences at the innovative school.

Justin Prats, a senior and member of the STEM Academy, said that at St. Brendan “We have a different learning approach that many other schools do not. We are not receiving information though lectures, thought PowerPoints. We are learning ourselves, discovering ourselves, creating ourselves, and inventing ourselves.”

He shared his experience of participating in a one-week summer program at Georgetown University. “I realized when I was there how similar it is to what we are learning here. Hands on; you have the experience every day. You are not just sitting there tying on your iPad, you are doing labs, you are hands on, you are learning outside of the classroom setting rather than sitting in a classroom. That is what I love so much about the school.”

After speaking with teachers, Viana said that St. Brendan is looking for ways to open doors for all students, questioning the ways in which things have been done and always looking for ways to improve.

“I was very excited to be able to come and see the way that they are trying to expand the opportunities that there are for the students,” she said.

The tour also included a stop at the school’s television studio, where Viana was interviewed by Prats, who asked how it felt to return to her old high school.

Viana replied “I am very proud to see a lot of innovations since I arrived. I have to say real wonderful things are happening here. I can tell teachers care deeply and students are excited to learn, so that makes me so proud.”

During her visit, Viana was accompanied by Emmanuel Caudillo, special advisor to the Hispanic initiative, and Alberto Betancourt, communications advisor at the Department of Education. The St. Brendan stop was part of a tour through various schools in South Florida.

“We are not here to make comparisons, but to highlight the innovations that are happening and the different ways we are serving this community which is predominantly Hispanic,” said Viana.