Florida: Semester Ends at Cristo Rey Tampa

(Tampa, FL – December 20) – At the end of the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year, Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School students shared some memorable experiences that will be a part of their high school experience forever. One of these experiences included a class project done by the freshmen, with the help of the Salesian priests and brothers of St. Philip the Apostle Residence. In this project, students had to create a research project by researching a topic from 100 years ago.

While students did not have to interview precisely someone from 100 years ago, they were challenged to meet someone from an older and different time period. Sharon Kimouche, the teacher who assigned the project, explained: “In speaking to Fr. Jay [Horan], I thought it’d be great to hear stories from the childhoods of the priests and brothers to give us some context ‘of the olden days.’ Therefore, he helped organize the morning for us to visit. It was an extraordinary experience for us. I loved it, and the students loved it. A few of us even came back to St. Philip the following week to wish Bro. Dave [Iovacchini] a happy 79th birthday!”

This experience was an excellent opportunity for the students to learn more about the different backgrounds and talents that the Salesians have, while also learning more about a time different from their own. The Salesians enjoyed the chance to encounter the young and share more about God’s work and calling in their own lives. As Fr. Horan shared, “It was a special moment that really brought joy to the hearts of the Salesians of St. Philip.”

After concluding their midterm exams on Friday, students celebrated Winterfest at Mary Help of Christians Center. Winterfest is a day filled with games, food, entertainment, and other fun for the students to celebrate the end of the semester and enter the Christmas break. Events include sports tournaments, obstacle courses, visiting the animals of Mary Has a Little Farm, music and dancing, fishing, and boat rides across the lake. Students were able to spend the day with their friends and had an excellent time enjoying the various activities led by the CRT teachers and staff.

Toward the end of the day, the students came together for a catered BBQ dinner under the pavilion with the teachers and staff of CRT and MHCC. After dinner, students assembled to watch the Christmas movie Elf by the lakefront and take part in a campfire. It was a beautiful end to the day, and the students were grateful for the care and love that their teachers showed at Winterfest and throughout the whole semester.