By Katherine Rojas - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Posing with the Sabre Way sign, from left: St. Brendan Assistant Principal Barbara Acosta, Doral Vice Mayor Christi Fraga, St. Brendan Principal Jose Rodelgo-Bueno, Florida State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, Miami-Dade Commisioner Javier Souto and Florida State Sen. Anitere Flores. Diaz and Fraga are school alumni.
MIAMI | St. Brendan High School has received the honor of having a portion of 87th Avenue in Westchester named “Sabre Way” by the state of Florida and Miami-Dade County, thanks to Florida legislator and school alumni Jose Felix Diaz.
The occasion was celebrated Oct. 8 with an assembly in the school’s gym, featuring speakers such as Florida State Sen. Anitere Flores, Doral Vice-Mayor Christi Fraga, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Javier Souto, U.S. Marshal Amos Rojas, and Diaz, a member of Florida’s House of Representatives. The sabre is the school’s mascot.
Diaz, a 1998 alumni of St. Brendan High School, requested the renaming of the avenue about two years ago, and in June of 2014, it was approved. During his high school years, Diaz was student body president, which inspired him to run for office later on.
“I fell in love with the idea of coming up with ideas and seeing those ideas become realities,” said Diaz in his speech to St. Brendan’s students.
He has been an active alumni since he graduated, as he is ardent about his alma mater.
Doral’s Fraga, a 2005 alumni of St. Brendan, recalled her time at the school, acknowledging the sacrifices her family made to send her there.
“Being a graduate of St. Brendan was an experience all on its own — you have so much to learn here. It’s great to be a part of the Sabre family and we have accomplished so much,” Fraga said.
“Sabre Way is an attitude. It means that you have the religious foundation, a solid education, and the ability and skills to be what you want to be,” said Rojas, a St. Brendan parent who became U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida in March of this year.
“Streets are only renamed after those people and institutions that have made a mark on their community, and on the eve of our 40th anniversary we are very proud to be recognized as an institution worthy of this honor,” said Jose Rodelgo-Bueno, St. Brendan’s principal.
He added that “over the last 40 years, more than 12,000 teenagers have experienced the ‘Sabre Way’. They found the way, the truth and their path in life and to their destiny. The Sabre Way will always be a sign of hope on the horizon."
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Brendan High cheerleaders, who performed at the street renaming celebration, pose with school and community officials after the ceremony.
