Balancing athletics and academics

By Anne DiBernardo - Florida Catholic

MIAMI - Eighteen-year-old high school student and professional race car driver Victor Carbone went to Indianapolis this week to compete in the Firestone Indie Lights series May 27. Meanwhile, Wayne Denswil, Evita Leter and Karlene Van Der Jagt head to the Tamiami swimming pool six days a week and Jair Jestyn Tjon En Fa travels to the Veladrome at Brian Piccolo Park in Pembroke Pines after school to train in cycling for the 2016 Olympics. With the exception of Carbone, who is from Brazil, these unique students came to Miami from Suriname to attend high school and have a shot at success.

So how do a professional race car driver, three Olympic swimmers and one Olympic cyclist combine their vigorous training schedules with high school? Thanks to St. Brendan High School, each of these international students has been given a chance to live their dream. All of them tried to apply at other schools, but it was St. Brendan High School that was willing to accommodate their schedule so that they can follow their dreams - one, a professional race car driver, and four others, to become Olympic athletes.

It's a balancing act between rigorous training, academics, being homesick and living in someone else's household. Because these students have been able to meet all of these challenges while maintaining high academic standings, they were given special recognition at the St. Brendan Academic Awards Ceremony which drew about 600 people at the DoubleTree Hilton May 19.

"These students came to this country to pursue their sports and chose to further their moral and academic education with us," said Brother Felix Elardo, principal at St. Brendan High.

"You have to give them opportunities to work at their exceptionality. You still hold them to the academic task that everyone else has, but somebody like Victor, who is a professional car driver, we give him a chance to go away to be a driver and he maintains a high 3.8 grade point average," he said. "When we have exceptional children we allow them to work at their exceptionalities; we hold them responsible for the academics, but we give them some latitude in school rules."

Carbone is a member of the Firestone Indie Lights series and had moved to Miami to follow his team. Now that he has graduated high school, he is moving to Indianapolis to pursue a career as a professional race car driver. He plans to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in 2013.

"I've been to a lot of schools over the years, but it was St. Brendan that was very flexible and helped me so that I didn't fall behind," said Carbone.

Mia Suarez, assistant principal of academics, said that these students have the ability to combine their schoolwork with their athletic training.

"It's impressive that they can spend so much time with their coach and their school work is always done," said Suarez, who also used to be a coach and refutes the myth that sports interferes with academics. She said she thinks involvement in sports keeps students organized.

The other four students are training to participate in the 2016 Olympics. They train from 6 pm to 9:30 pm and compete about every two weeks. They attribute their discipline to their parents, most of whom were also athletes. Students cannot combine academics with sports in Suriname, so they came to South Florida as part of a special program to send athletes to the United States and found that St. Brendan was the only school that offered them this opportunity.

Denswil, age 14, who started swimming when he was five, said he likes the people and teachers at St. Brendan. He specializes in the individual medley (breast, freestyle, butterfly and backstroke.) Van Der Jagt, age 18, who began swimming at age three, specializes in the 50 yard freestyle stroke. She said she really felt welcomed by the people at St. Brendan. Leter, age 15, also started swimming at age three and specializes in the 50 yard breast stroke. She feels the teachers are very supportive and willing to help.

Jestyn Tjon En Fa, age 17, simply loves being on a bike and admits he was attracted to the sport because he loves the speed. He said St. Brendan School knows how to work well with international students.

"The reason why our school has such a loving sense of community is because Brother Felix exemplifies Christ and believes in the uniqueness of everyone. It makes a huge difference; kids know they have someone to turn to," said Candice Barket, admissions director. "Brother Felix and Father José Alvarez, St. Brendan president, are a great team. They have the same focus on the best interest of the student. Everything is student-oriented."
It was "by the grace of God" that these students came to St. Brendan, said Barket. The first one came and then the word spread. But aside from their athletic abilities, "they are just great kids," she said.