New ‘ship’ of learning sets sail at St. Brendan High

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper

Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC

MIAMI | Long hidden between St. John Vianney Seminary and Christopher Columbus High School, St. Brendan High finally has a presence along S.W. 87th Avenue — a concrete and steel, glass and aluminum, cantilever structure that is, literally and figuratively, forward-looking.

It also kind of looks like a ship: a nod to the Irish navigator for whom the school is named.

“We are in the waters of the 21st century,” said Jose Rodelgo-Bueno, St. Brendan’s principal, whose vision guided Zyscovich Architects in their design of the new building.

Rodelgo-Bueno wanted the building — the first to be built since the school opened in 1975 — “to portray a new way of Catholic education. We had a vision but the vision couldn’t be displayed.”

Until now. The new building features spacious corridors, glass-enclosed classrooms that can open up to create bigger spaces, “social stairs” and comfy couches for congregating, and a multipurpose area that can morph from moot court to movie theater, with seating for 350.

It is furnished with state-of-the-art technology that includes a fully-equipped television studio and editing bay, Wi-Fi and plug-in work stations, and eventually, a Jumbotron-size TV screen.

“Some people say that this is a college building in a high school,” Rodelgo-Bueno said proudly.

“It’s very cutting-edge in all aspects,” said David Prada, senior director of the archdiocese’s Building and Property Office, who shepherded the project from groundbreaking to completion in less than a year. Pirtle Construction executed the plans.

Prada noted that the “dramatic cantilever” front “is itself a scientific feat, to be able to do concrete that stands out and doesn’t fall down.”

The design was inspired by the cantilever wings of St. Raphael’s Chapel, the architectural centerpiece of the seminary which shares an entrance rotunda with St. Brendan. But while anchored in the past, the new building definitely points to the future.

“It’s very non-traditional in terms of the old way of designing schools, where you learn in little boxes along a corridor,” Prada said. “Here, the idea is that the corridor is also a space for the kids to learn. Because that’s how they learn nowadays. They work in groups. They have their iPads, their work stations. They can plug in, prepare their PowerPoints. But they learn as much outside (the classroom) as inside.”

The $6 million, 24,000-square foot structure will house all of St. Brendan’s administrative offices, including the college and counseling center, as well as the school’s four specialized academies: Medical Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Law and Global Business, and STEM, which stands for Science Technology Engineering and Math.

St. Brendan students are encouraged to commit to one of the academies during their sophomore year. They learn the basics in the “old” classrooms and take higher-level courses in the new building.

But the learning style is the same.

“We are trying to do over there what we are doing here. It’s just more visible,” said Rodelgo-Bueno, referring to the original St. Brendan buildings, which were once part of the seminary.

“The way we teach is hands-on, real-work applications, project-based learning, inquiry, thinking about thinking,” he added. “All these things are to teach students how to think.”

That’s because St. Brendan’s ultimate goal, and also what sets it apart as a Catholic school, is its purpose, Rodelgo-Bueno said: To foster a dialogue between the students and God where they are constantly asking themselves, “with my talents and skills, how can I serve you?”

Architecturally, the new building also links seamlessly to the old ones via a courtyard and second-floor walkway. An added bonus is an elevator that allows students on crutches or in wheelchairs to access all of the school’s second-floor classrooms.

“We never had an elevator before,” said Alexandra Cartaya, development director at St. Brendan. “So that’s definitely a plus.”

“Now St. Brendan High School has a face to the world that it didn’t have before,” said Prada. He noted that the building represents the first phase of a master plan to expand and improve the entire campus, including developing the athletic fields, expanding the gym, and adding an auditorium and performing arts center.

St. Brendan students are already using the new building. The formal dedication is set for Sept. 26, with Archbishop Thomas Wenski presiding.