By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic
Father Hector Perez sprinkles holy water onto artist Carlos Solano during a blessing for Solano’s new mural at St. John the Apostle School.
The new mural at St. John the Apostle School includes the names of Henry Garcia’s family. Garcia, an alumnus of St. John, made the mural possible by his donation.
Henry Garcia buddies up with cousin Ramiro Inguanzo after dedication of the new mural at St. John the Apostle School. Both cousins grew up in the school and the neighborhood.
Artist Carlos Solano says he patterned his mural at St. John the Apostle School after one he made for the Florida Panthers.
Bianca Acosta, principal at St. John the Apostle School, says she hopes its new mural will inspire alumni as well as students.
Photography: JIM DAVIS | FC
Photographer: JIM DAVIS | FC
Henry Garcia, left, buddies up with his cousin, Ramiro Inguanzo, after the dedication of the new mural at St. John the Apostle School, March 25, 2022. Both cousins grew up in the school and the neighborhood.
Photographer: JIM DAVIS | FC
The new mural at St. John the Apostle School includes the names of Henry Garcia’s family. Garcia, an alumnus of St. John, made the mural possible by his donation.
HIALEAH | Schools are big on visual aids, and the visuals don’t come much bigger than the newest mural at St. John the Apostle School.
Measuring 25 by 16 feet, the mural blends school and sports symbols in blue, white and yellow – plus the head of a fierce bald eagle. It’s meant to boost school spirit, for students and alumni alike.
“We wanted something to relate to our faith,” said principal Bianca Acosta during a brief dedication ceremony March 25, 2022. “We hope it will serve as an inspiration for the kids.”
About 150 students attended the dedication, marked with a blessing by Father Hector Angel Perez, pastor of St. John the Apostle Parish. Lifting his hands, he led the students in a prayer, then whipped out a vial of holy water, sprinkling it on the mural – then, with a smile, on the students and the artist, Carlos Solano.
The mural was commissioned by Henry Garcia, a 1976 alumnus, who said he wanted to “give back” to St. John. He praised its teachers and administrators for providing not only knowledge, but a community.
“They gave me education, experience, culture,” the plain-spoken retired engineer said.
Garcia exemplifies the success that St. John’s teachers want for their students. Born to immigrants from Castro’s Cuba, he recalled how his family joined with the church and school in caring for him and his brother and two sisters.
On weekdays, his father dropped them off at his grandparents’ duplex; then his grandfather walked them to school. His grandmother ran a Cuban food booth at annual parish festivals for 20 years. She also ran the local St. Teresa of Avila women’s group.
“In these two blocks, between here and Babcock Park, I spent every waking moment,” Garcia said.
The mural accordingly honors four relatives who helped to aid his spiritual and emotional growth. They included Pipi, Garcia’s grandfather; José, Garcia’s father; Guido, his uncle; and Guidito, a cousin who passed away in October.
His cousin Ramiro Inguanzo, also at the mural dedication, heartily agreed. Inguanzo, assistant manager for Bal Harbour Village, graduated from St. John’s School in 1983. He shared his own memories of school days, including his love for classes like history, geography, religion and English. He recalled volleyball and basketball with classmates, on courts that used to be where the mural now overlooks.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said. “St. John’s made me what I am today.”
After St. John’s, Garcia attended Msgr. Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, then the University of Miami. He became an engineer and worked with Texas Instruments in Dallas, but returned to Miami three years later.
“I missed the culture, the weather, the beach, the diversity,” he said.
At Motorola in Plantation, Garcia helped design cellphones like the Razr, the flip phone and the Android phone. He retired last year and began thinking about how to benefit the school.
He and two other alumni met with Acosta and discussed infrastructure and sports programs. They then chose an early project: the wall-filling visual aid.
For that task, Garcia turned to artist Solano, a friend of the family. Solano used latex and spray, painting the bold, blocky style known as street art. He said he based it partly on one he made for the Florida Panthers hockey team.
“I wanted everything to look like motion, energy, feeling alive,” said Solano, whose studio is in the Fat City art district of Fort Lauderdale.
The art is already helping to give back to St. John’s. Acosta, the principal, said two eighth graders helped paint the mural to help kindle their artistic talents.
“God gave us gifts, and it’s up to us to get [students] to apply them,” she said.
Editor's note: Additions have been made to this story after publication.
Photographer: JIM DAVIS | FC
Artist Carlos Solano, left, poses proudly with his mural at St. John the Apostle School, along with alumnus Henry Garcia, whose donation made the mural possible.
