By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -
St. Bartholomew School eighth graders Victoria Jean-Baptiste (left) and Monica Rosa (right) take a quick break before they step in front of the camera to film their segment for the Catholic Schools Week promotional video.
Stephanie Gonzalez (right) and Monica Rosa (center), both eighth graders St. Bartholomew School, listen to cameraman Jay Arnold as he gives them a few on camera tips.
Before cameraman Jay Arnold begins to film, Vanessa Rosa (right), a sixth grader at St. Bartholomew, gets a few last minute camera-ready tips from Archdiocese of Miami Communications Director Mary Ross Agosta.
Standing ready with mic in hand, Dominic Shaw, an eighth grader at St. Bartholomew Catholic School, waits for his cue.
From the other side of the camera, Archdiocese of Miami Media Coordinator Juan Di Prado and cameraman Jay Arnold bring a little bit of humor to help St. Bartholomew Catholic School parent Maylin Leon feel camera ready.
Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School sophomore Kevin Valladares and senior Keyana Francois wait for cameraman Jay Arnold to give them their cue.
Cameraman Jay Arnold films the Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School choir and their director Daphne Dominique as they sing "This Little Light of Mine."
Photography: CRISTINA CABRERA | FC
MIRAMAR | When the film crew moved into the school library, the students of St. Bartholomew School were ready for their close-up.
The eighth graders were filmed sorting and counting canned and dry food donations that the school had collected as part of their support for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Feed the Homeless Ministry.
“Catholic social teaching has taught us that we need to help out the community, especially the people that really need it,” said Dominic Shaw, a seventh grader at St. Bartholomew.
“It is an honor to lead these students as they prepare for the future with their Catholic faith, helping them to meet Jesus Christ,” said Christine Gonzalez, St. Bartholomew’s principal.
Catholic Schools Week 2015: Jan. 25-31
Similar scenes were filmed at nine other archdiocesan schools Jan. 13-15, as students turned reporters for a series of promotional videos that will premiere on the archdiocesan website and social media during Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 25-31.
The videos are being produced by the archdiocesan communications director, Mary Ross Agosta.
Earlier this month, she asked the schools’ principals to select one student to serve as the on-air reporter. That student then described a specific activity or event at the school that highlights “the school’s spirit and its core of Catholic education,” Ross Agosta said.
“We can video a science class in action, we can show peer tutoring, we can have a child tell us what he or she loves about attending a Catholic school. You can have a parent talk about her/his choice for their children,” she explained. “We can show them learning a hymn, we can show them telling a Bible story — or highlight any community service projects your students are working.”
The goal is to promote Catholic schools in a new way, and reach more people in the process.
Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the U.S., a celebration that started in 1974. The week always begins on the last Sunday in January. The theme this year is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.”
The schools that were selected are: Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School, Good Shepherd and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard in southern Miami-Dade County; Holy Family, St. James, St. Mary Cathedral and Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame Prep in the northern end of the county; and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, St. Bernadette and St. Bartholomew in Broward County.
During the filming at St. Bartholomew School, Robends Dorival, a parent of two students there, reflected on camera about the value of his daughters’ education: “Growing up, I believed that Catholic education was the best. Here at St. Bartholomew they prepare them for life and anything that life throws at them. St. Bart’s is priceless. There is no other school I would want my children to attend.”
While St. Bartholomew’s students are far from their college days, students at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Prep in Miami are that much closer.
“At Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame we are based in faith, family and excellence,” said Principal Douglas Romanick during his filmed segment. “We foster a relationship with Jesus Christ and we learn to take care of one another and excel.”
At the school’s annual Hunger Fest, students raise awareness about poverty and world hunger. Bagging lunches, doing carwashes and collecting money are simple tasks compared to the time they spend fasting to get into the mindset of those who suffer from hunger.
“Fasting gives us time to reflect,” said senior Keyana Francois, who filmed her segment with sophomore Kevin Valladares. “We learn to put faith into our work and through our work we show our faith.”
Filming was still underway when the school bell rang for announcements and the day’s dismissal. The energy and bustling outside the classroom were so loud that filming had to stop. However, it is did not seem to bother the film crew because it is a sign that Catholic schools are alive and well in South Florida.
Look for the links to the videos starting Jan. 25 on the archdiocesan website, www.miamiarch.org, as well as on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ArchdioceseofMiami, and its YouTube page,www.youtube.com/catholicmiami.
