All in the family at St. Jerome School

By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic

FORT LAUDERDALE | To most people, the event would have looked like a school fundraiser. But to the participants, the dinner-dance for St. Jerome School was more like a family reunion.

"There are people here that I went to school with," said Jorge Egues, at his 10th such event with St. Jerome, where he attended school from fourth grade on. "It's like seeing family."

"Family" was indeed a much-used word March 21. The 120 registered guests dined, danced and vied in two auctions — verbal and silent — to benefit the school's basketball court improvement and athletics program.

They also applauded as Sister Vivian Gomez, St. Jerome's longtime principal, presented Dr. Richard Childs with the school's Humanitarian of the Year award "in recognition of your selfless contribution to the eradication of Ebola in Africa and around the world." Childs, a graduate of St. Jerome, ran a clinic in hard-hit Liberia for two months until the epidemic abated.

Before dinner, attendees strolled around a U-shaped table bearing donated items for a silent auction. Wares were as varied as a book bag, a spa visit, a tea set, educational toys, theater tickets, and hand-painted flowers cut from recycled plastic bottles.

Buddy and Diana Street of Fort Lauderdale were among the strollers; they’ve helped produce the annual event themselves for more than a decade. Diana has also worked at the school office for 30 years.

"It's an endearing place," said Diana, whose parents were among the founders of St. Jerome Church. "Even our kids are friends. That says something about the bonds you form here."

Her sentiments were echoed by Stephanie Griffin; the two have been friends since Griffin started school at St. Jerome at the age of 3. Diana's son and Stephanie's brother attended school together as well.

Griffin herself teaches fourth grade there, a paradox that amuses her. "It's funny that I'm working as a teacher along with my former teachers. St. Jerome is a school, but it's more than that — it's a family."

The March 21 event even brought back alumni of the staff, like Caroline Roberts, now principal at St. Joan of Arc School in Boca Raton. She attended middle school at St. Jerome, then served there as assistant principal for 14 years ending 2014.

She comes to each annual dinner-dance, as well as the school's annual carnival and fall festival. "I see good friends, my extended family," she said. "St. Jerome will always be in my heart."

Egues, a computer consultant, described Sister Vivian, a member of the Sisters of St. Philip Neri, as the "key" to the school's success. "I work with a lot of businesses, and whatever the CEO is like, the rest of the company reflects his values. Sister Vivian is the heart and soul (of St. Jerome). It's her spirituality, her energy, her vision."

Sister Vivian, who has served as principal at St. Jerome for 29 years, accepted the compliments as a good reflection on those who gave them.

"I see it as the love and the gratitude they have," she said. "Good people are grateful. This is a virtue you don’t see too much anymore."

She directed much of her own praise toward the night's honoree, Dr. Childs of the National Institutes of Health, who spent more than two months this year fighting Ebola in Africa — including developing a vaccine, which has finished an initial round of tests.

"I always have a very good relationship with the students, but Ricky is like a son to me," said Sister Vivian, who taught him from fifth through eighth grade. "He was a very humble child, and always very bright."

For his part, Childs honored her as "my hero, my role model. Sister Vivian has always been my foundation." They touch base with each other at least twice a year, he said.

He then surprised her with his own presentation: a commemorative coin struck for those who took part in the Monrovia mission.

He also gave her a platter-size plaque of mahogany, also in commemoration of the mission. On the back was a personal note: "To Sister Vivian, with great admiration and respect. Your student always, Capt. Richard Childs, M.D."

His brother, Robert Childs, said the doctor's success was no surprise.

"I always knew," said Robert, a real estate investor, who came to the dinner-dance with his wife, Maria. "He always did his homework, and he had perfect attendance. If I tried to make him late, he tried to fight me."

Robert called St. Jerome a "good family school. The teachers respect you; you can talk to them anytime. And they’ll help a kid when he needs to be tutored."

Even the younger guests sounded like salespersons. People like Lizette Foley, who graduated from the school and now sends her three children there.

"Everyone knows one another, and there's a pleasant atmosphere when you walk in," said Foley, who coaches softball and volleyball and runs a hip-hop club. "And different people come here: French, Spanish, Romanian, Caribbean, Latin American, Chinese. I don’t think you'll find a school that offers more."

Following dinner was a loud, lively auction of donated goods. With Brad Goodchild sharing auctioneer duties with fellow school parent Graham Lord, the diners bid for a dozen items: from a wine tasting to a car wash to a pew reservation for First Communion to a three-night stay in the Bahamas — even a classic videogame machine donated by Robert Childs, who runs a business in 1980s-era games.

Proceeds from the evening totaled more than $40,000.

"This is my 11th year — seven more to go!" joked Goodchild, whose son MacGregor graduated last year. He still has a son and daughter at St. Jerome.

"We're all here for the kids," he said more seriously. "It all starts with Sister Vivian. She makes you feel like you're one of her family."