Back to school: hugs, hi-fives and holy water

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper

Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC

MIAMI | Blessings and hugs and hi-fives greeted students at Sts. Peter and Paul School in Miami as they came back Aug. 17 for the first day of the 2022-23 academic year.

Father Luis Flores, Sts. Peter and Paul administrator, and his parochial vicar, Father Enzo Rosario Prendes, stood outside, sprinkling students with holy water as they were dropped off — blessings that sometimes included parents and baby siblings as they sat in their cars.

“Earlier we had blessed the school,” explained Father Flores, who was named administrator in June. “When the teachers came in for their first day we blessed the teachers. And now, on their first day, we blessed the students, so they can be ready to begin the new school year with the blessing of God.”

The school’s principal, Jocelyn Zlatkin, and assistant principal, Ana Maria Montero, also waited at the entrance, along with teachers, coaches and teachers’ aides, to help with backpacks and supplies. They greeted each student by name, and more often than not, with a joyous hug.

Similar scenes were taking place at the same time throughout the Archdiocese of Miami, as its 63 elementary and secondary schools welcomed around 35,000 students for the first day of class. On hand to greet them were more than 2,620 faculty members and 138 administrators.

Enrollment is up around 2% from last year, according to Schools Superintendent Jim Rigg.

“Most of our schools are growing right now,” he said, adding that the Archdiocese of Miami is the ninth largest Catholic school system in the U.S.

According to Zlatkin, principal since 2019 and herself a Sts. Peter and Paul alumna, the school welcomed 332 students from pre-K3 through eighth grade, including about 40 or so new enrollees.

Some were teary and reluctant to go inside, especially the littlest ones.

“That was me,” said Father Rosario Prendes, recalling his childhood as he watched a little girl put her arms around her mother’s neck with no intention of letting go.

The car line at Sts. Peter and Paul began forming around 7 a.m., eventually stretching from the school parking lot to the surrounding streets. At 7:15 a.m., Spanish teacher Violeta Bazan helped eighth-grader Greg Perez raise the American flag — a sign that the cars could begin making their way to the front of the school.

Students had to be in their classrooms by 7:50 a.m. but the drop-off line did not end until 8:30 a.m.

That’s alright for a first day, said Zlotkin. Last year, the first time parents had to drop off instead of walk their children in, “it took two hours.”

Given that the school is in the middle of Little Havana, cafeteria manager Walid Awad arrived just in the nick of time with a welcome shot of Cuban coffee.

Only one thing was missing to make it a perfect morning, Father Rosario Prendes said: “Some croquetas and café con leche.” 

ARCHDIOCESAN SCHOOLS BY THE NUMBERS

• 63: Catholic schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties
• 35,000: Students in South Florida’s Catholic schools
• 50: Elementary schools
• 14: High schools; 8 operated by the archdiocese
• 5: Private high schools (4 sponsored by religious communities, 1 part of Cristo Rey Network)
• 1: Parish high school (Basilica School, Key West, which also counts as an elementary school)
• 1: Virtual school, ADOM Virtual
• 1: School serving a special population, Marian Center
• 69%: Hispanic/Latino students
• 31%: Non-Hispanic/Latino students
• 82%: White students
• 12%: African American/Haitian American students
• 1%: Asian American students
• 4%: Multiple-race students
• 1%: Other races