Hialeah street renamed 'Eagles Way'

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

HIALEAH | A street in one of Hialeah’s oldest neighborhoods has a new name, in honor of St. John the Apostle School. The name change is the result of a fifth-grade civics lesson that inspired school students to reach out to city officials.

East Fourth Street, located between Fourth and Sixth avenues, will now be known as “Eagles Way,” after St. John the Apostle School’s Eagles.

“It feels like we’re working for our city, and it feels like we’re making a big change,” said Leandro Molina, a fifth grader.

Their efforts came to fruition in a community ceremony May 12, 2023, where fifth graders, along with City of Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo, Jr., and Hialeah Council President Vivian Casáls-Muñoz, gathered around the new sign pole and unveiled “Eagles Way.”

“I think it’s an honor to represent our school that has been in the community for so many years. I’m happy that my class is leaving this legacy,” said Sophia Diaz, a fifth grader.

The first Catholic school in Hialeah, St. John’s opened in 1949. During the 1960s it welcomed an influx of exiled Cuban immigrant families, and today, it continues to welcome younger generations of those same families, as well as new immigrants who have moved into the neighborhood.

But the school is often overlooked by those unfamiliar with the area.

“We wanted to bring attention back to our school because we are here. There’s a lot of people that drive by Fourth (Avenue) and don’t know that there is a school back here,” said Diana Fernandez, an alumnus who has been teaching there for 37 years.

It was her lesson that inspired students to reach out to officials.

“We were talking civics and had finished watching a video on a town hall meeting, and I said, ‘What can we do?,’ And that’s how the idea came up,” Fernandez recalled.

They presented the idea to their principal, Bianca Acosta, who happily blessed them with “Dale! Let’s go” (“Dale” is Spanish for “Go ahead”).

In early February, at the conclusion of Catholic Schools Week, students presented their petition directly to Mayor Bovo, who had been invited to the school as a guest speaker. Impressed, he approved, and encouraged them to move forward by presenting it to the city council. On March 28, the fifth graders were invited to speak at a council meeting.

“They were super nervous about everything, but at the same time they were excited because they heard other things being proposed. It was a good thing for them to hear it and go through the whole process,” said Fernandez.

Principal Acosta also attended the council meeting, and said she was impressed by the courage and sincerity of her students.

“Kids don’t lie. Every time, if they’re going to say something, it’s going to be from the heart,” Acosta said.

At the “Eagles Way” unveiling, Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera congratulated the students on behalf of Miami-Dade County. He also gave the school a proclamation declaring May 12, 2023 as “St. John the Apostle School Day.”

“When you guys get ideas, no idea is too big or too small to try and change,” Cabrera told the students. “And here you see the power of what your ideas can do.”

Gaililea Izaguirre said it best: “We’re just little kids that got encouraged by our teacher, and she helped us do this. It made me believe that we could do something like this. My class and I are very grateful.”