7 minute read
Young Alumni Lead Successful Events
A Word from the Principal
Alumni and Friends of Rockhurst,
What do Moses, Thérèse of Lisieux, Ignatius of Loyola, and you and I have in common? Each one had (and has, in our case) opportunities to lead people to the will of God, imperfect sinners though all of us were and are.
Facing Israelite grumblings and near starvation in the wildnerness, Moses, who Scripture records as having taken another man’s life in a violent tussle and who likely had a speach impediment, led the Chosen People away from slavery in Egypt to a land promised to them by God, often commuincating with God directly and personally on behalf of the people he was leading.
Saint Thérèse, though she died young and behind the walls of a Discalced Carmelite monastery, often found herself annoyed by the peccadillos of her fellow nuns, and yet she, a true friend of Jesus, still leads people toward God’s will in her extant writings (e.g. the autobiography Story of a Soul), writings that are valued so highly in our faith tradition that the Little Flower, as she was known, was declared by Pope Saint John Paul II a “Doctor of the Church,” one out of a total of 37 persons, only four of whom are women.
The balding, bantam Basqueman of the House of Loyola turned away from a life of wretched self-indulgence to one of generous self-gift, leading generations of Jesuits the world over, as well as leading our religious and lay collaborators in mission, toward the will of God through his great gift to the Church, the Spiritual Exercises.
And then there’s you and me: imperfect sinners –– like Moses, Thérèse, and Íñigo –– yet called into companionship with God and missioned to be leaders in the world, our common home, to walk alongside the excluded, particularly with young people, to lead them all toward a hope-filled future and to the will of God as best we can, each according to his or her unique, God-given talents and abilities.
Let us, then, “ask grace from our Lord that [we] may not be deaf to His call, but ready and diligent to accomplish His most holy will” (from “The Contemplation of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ” of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, annotation 91).
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,
Rev. Vincent A. Giacabazi, SJ
Principal
RED BRIDGE YMCA BECOMES GOPPERT ROCK PLEX
Rockhurst High School has added an additional facility for student, faculty, and staff benefits.
On Feb. 17, 2022, Rockhurst finalized the purchase of the Red Bridge YMCA, which had closed in December 2021. The facility served as the home of the Rockhurst swim & dive program since 2003. During that time, Rockhurst built the winningest swim & dive program in Missouri high school history, earning 13 State Championships since 2005.
The announcement of the facility was made to current swim & dive families and many alumni who gathered in the Rose Theater on Feb. 22. Paul Winkeler, swim & dive head coach from 1999-2014 and 2018-present, was proud to share the good news with his AquaHawks family.
“I want you to know that it is home for you, for your classmates. It is for you, but is because of the swim & dive alumni who came before you; because of your parents; because of Rockhurst alumni - a lot of people who are putting a lot of trust in our school. I’m so thankful and grateful that we have this opportunity to make this place our home, to work there, and to make it special for you all and for future swimmers and divers.”
In addition to the swim & dive program’s utilization of the pool, potential uses of the facility include STEAM-supportive academic curriculum, physical education courses, athletic rehabilitation, nutrition center, service learning activities, retreat center, student camps, health & wellness center for faculty and staff members, and more. Rockhurst is also making the facility available, through written agreements, to other schools and student athletes, including St. Teresa's Academy, Notre Dame de Sion and Center School District.
To offset purchase, improvement, and operations cost of the facility, Rockhurst is offering naming opportunities. The facility will be known as the Goppert Rock Plex, as The Goppert Foundation made a $1 million gift to the facility. The Ann & Gary Dickinson Family Charitable Foundation and The McDonnell Foundation have also made this project possible. Rockhurst also plans to partner with other local schools in need of an aquatic center. “Since 2003, the location of the Goppert Rock Plex has been our home. No program has had equal success to Rockhurst’s Swim & Dive Program since that time. We feel fortunate to now own this facility,” said David Laughlin, president of Rockhurst High School. “In the near term, we will be making necessary improvements to the facility. Hopefully by this summer, the Goppert Rock Plex will be in use for our young men. It would not be possible without the support of lead benefactors, our swim & dive families, our facilities division, and many community supporters. We are grateful for the opportunity this facility presents for Rockhurst to continue living its mission of forming young men in intellect, character, and faith through academics, athletics, and activities.”
To learn more or to make a gift, visit www.rockhursths.edu/pool.
Current students and alumni with Swim & Dive coaches following the February 22, 2022 announcement
On March 31, four seniors walked to the Learning Commons as they had done hundreds, if not thousands, of times during their four years at Rockhurst High School.
But to the students’ confusion, their parents were waiting there. And they were all smiles.
Alongside the parents and siblings were representatives from the Hispanic Development Fund (HDF), an organization with the mission to improve the quality of life for Latino families in the Greater Kansas City area through grants and scholarship.
Mateo DeLaTorre, Dimitri Gonzales, Anthony Lozano, and and Xavier Ramirez, all from the Class of 2022, would be receiving HDF Scholarships from members of the program’s board.
These young men have worked hard to maintain strong grades and be involved in various clubs, sports, and activities at Rockhurst. But their commitment to a Rockhurst education began long before they joined the Class of 2022 as freshmen. All four were members of the Hurtado Scholars Program, which was founded at Rockhurst in 2012. The program works with rising sixth grade boys at inner-city Catholic middle schools, identified by their teachers and principals, through their eighth grade year to expand their skills and education in preparation for high school. If they choose to attend Rockhurst and are accepted, they will attend the school with minimal tuition cost, possible through the support of generous Rockhurst and Hurtado Scholars Program donors.
As Hurtado Scholars, DeLaTorre, Gonzalez, Lozano, and Ramirez came to Rockhurst after school every Tuesday and Thursday during their sixth through eighth grade years for this academic enhancement to prepare them for high school. They also spent most of their summers with the program. It is a full commitment by the young men and their families.
“I am so proud of these guys. I have watched them work hard and grow into wonderful young men, so it does not surprise me that they have earned college scholarships through the Hispanic Development Fund,” commented Marvin Grilliot, Hurtado Scholars Program Director. “My hope for these young men is that they follow their love and passion. I know that they will use their gifts to serve the wider community.”
The four students are looking forward to the next chapter of their lives with help from the HDF Scholarships.
“Receiving the HDF Scholarship has shone a light on my future. I’ve always been grateful for having the opportunity to come to Rockhurst High School, knowing that I would eventually go on to become a first generation college student. This scholarship has made that dream all the more possible, transforming it into a reality,” said Lozano.
Looking ahead to college, DeLaTorre will attend the University of Kansas, Gonzales will attend Metropolitan Community College, Lozano will attend Kansas City Kansas Community College, and Ramirez will attend the University of Missouri.
Mateo DeLaTorre '22 receives his Hispanic Development Fund Scholarship certificate from Leticia Zarate-Garcia.
— Leticia Zarate-Garcia,
Hispanic Development Fund Board Member and current parent
Recipients of the Hispanic Development Fund Scholarships: Anthony Lozano '22, Dimitri Gonzales '22, Mateo DeLaTorre '22, and Xavier Ramirez '22 , pictured with John Kearney, Executive Director of the Hispanic Development Fund, Fr. Vincent Gicabazi, SJ, and Marvin Grilliot, Director of the Hurtado Scholars Program.
