History of the School

From Strength to Strength: The Aquinas Story

 

As St. Thomas Aquinas High School turns 89, the school community harkens back to 1936 when St. Anthony School enrolled 12 high school students to initiate Catholic secondary education in Broward County. Under the aegis of the Dominican Sisters from Adrian, Michigan, and motivated by the motto, “Not for school but for life we learn,” the school grew to a student body of 42 in four years, boasting of nine graduates who comprised the Class of 1940. Sister Mary Margaret Saundies, followed by Sister Laurine, provided the strong leadership needed in those pioneer years when St. Anthony High School earned its initial affiliation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1941.

 

Impressed with the development of the high school, the St. Anthony Church Community launched a drive to generate funds for building a new Catholic high school. Meanwhile, continuing the Dominican philosophy of education, Sister Matthew Ann McGrath, Sister Mary Stella Martin, and Sister Mary Alban Bergen served in succession as administrators of the burgeoning high school for the next 11 years. During their administration, the enrollment grew to 202 students; and the Class of 1952 numbered 41, the last class to graduate from St. Anthony High School.

 

While the curriculum and enrollment expanded, extracurricular offerings did the same. Although a basketball team made its debut before football, the young Raiders, led by Coach Pius G. (Bo) Litzinger, opened their first football season in 1946, playing six games and compiling a record of 0-5-1. During the next season, with an average roster of 26 players, pared down to 15 at one point by injuries, St. Anthony High School gained its first gridiron victory over Trinity Lutheran, 13-6, at Stranahan Field on November 7, 1947. Five cheerleaders led fans in support of the Raiders who took the field in new uniforms, blue with gold-striped nylon pants. Additionally, the school published its first yearbook, the 110-page Veritas, Volume 1, in 1950.

 

Realizing the need for a more extensive campus and seeking to afford the school its own identity, Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley purchased 20 acres “way out west,” at 2801 SW 12th Street, in 1948. Named Central Catholic High, the school moved to its present location in 1952, enrolling 218 students under the direction of Sister Mary Basil. In 1958, the Archdiocese appointed Reverend Patrick C. Slevin, supervising principal, and in 1959, Reverend Donald F.X. Connolly. Both priests worked with Sister Mary Florine who had succeeded Sister Mary Basil in 1956.

 

The original Central Catholic campus consisted of the main office wing, library, 15 classrooms, patio, cafeteria, kitchen, coaches’ office, and locker room facilities. Annexing a track, baseball and softball fields, field house, and tennis courts in the ensuing years, the school also erected a statue of Mary in 1957, the same statue that graces the campus today. Portable classrooms first appeared in 1959 to accommodate the growing student body that soared to 828 students by 1961, with 200 graduates that year.

 

In September 1961, the school chose St. Thomas Aquinas as its patron and official name, under the leadership of Reverend Patrick S. McDonnell and Sister Mary Florine. Two years later, Reverend Robert F. Reardon became supervising principal, working with Sister Mary Florine until 1965 and Sister Mary Anthony until 1970. During the decade of the 60s, Aquinas added 12 classrooms, built the gymnasium, and constructed new tennis courts.

 

The 1970 school year welcomed Reverend Vincent T. Kelly (photo left), who worked with Sister Mary Anthony for a year and then assumed the role of sole administrator until 1979 when Sister John Norton joined him to head Aquinas’ 1272 students. From 1970 to 1974, the school upgraded the baseball and softball fields, fenced in the entire campus, remodeled the cafeteria, partitioned off an art lab, enlarged locker rooms and the field house, and added coaches’ offices. In 1975, Coach George F. Smith began his long tenure as head football coach of the Raiders. On September 19th of the same year, Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium welcomed fans to its inaugural football game played with the Raiders’ first, true, home-field advantage, where the Raiders won over Cardinal Gibbons, 14-6. “I’m sure Brian would be real happy with this field,” said Bo Litzinger who had coached Piccolo in football, basketball, and baseball at Central Catholic before he graduated in 1961 (photo right). To accommodate such a large enrollment during the remainder of the 70s, the campus expanded east with additional science labs; west with a larger library, conference room, offices, and seven classrooms; and north with more parking areas and the Ralph R. Bailey Building, adding 15 classrooms. While growing in size, the school also recognized its first National Merit Scholars, with ten finalists qualifying between 1976 and 1980.

 

During the following 20 years, growth, expansion, and enhancement served as watchwords for the school. Advanced Placement classes, together with preparation courses and curricular components addressing PSAT and SAT skills and strategies, boosted students’ test scores and increased the number of Advanced Placement and National Merit Scholars. Advancements in science and technology prompted the construction of the John A. Kelly Building along with the establishment of computer labs and a school-wide computer network. Guidance offices, classrooms, and parking lots continued to multiply; and the Enzweiler Family Room provided a center for the increasing number of parents engaged in assisting the staff. An imposing tower and porte cochere enhanced the main entrance while additional offices, a small conference room, and the Dominican Chapel with beautiful stained glass windows completed the main office wing renovation. Providing a band/music room and devoting more space to teaching various media in the art curriculum strengthened the fine arts program. Installation of new lighting throughout the campus, air conditioning in the gymnatorium, hurricane-proof windows in many areas of the campus, and a perimeter wall and gates around the entire campus fulfilled some of the practical updates needed for security and comfort. When Sister John Norton retired from her administrative duties in 1996, Mr. William Heller became principal for the next four years, followed by Mrs. Tina Jones in 1999.

 

In the first decade of the new millennium, Aquinas unveiled a new library media-center with a television studio, additional classrooms, a tri-level parking garage, and the Strand Building. State-of-the-art athletic facilities included the Smith Center with classrooms, conference room, fitness center, offices, and locker rooms, as well as Brian Piccolo Stadium’s new field-turf, re-surfaced rubberized track, concession stands, restrooms, and grass practice field. Teachers and students helped to beautify the campus environment with trees, plants, and flowers.  The completion of the Bienes Center for the Performing Arts offered a state of-the-art venue for showcasing school as well as community performances in drama, dance, and music (photo left).

 

The next three years saw technology evolving rapidly through an innovative initiative using broadband communication capabilities. As the first steps in this evolution, STA chose Blackboard as the learning management system for teachers, parents, and students; adopted the Google Chromebook for all faculty and students; established a state-of-the-art Innovation Center; and relocated the Library/Media Center to a more centralized and dynamic information hub called the STAR Lab. A newly constructed practice gymnasium provided additional space for indoor teams with full-sized basketball and volleyball courts (photo right). In addition to the expansion and maintenance of parking areas and new landscaping around the campus, ongoing renovations to the physical plant included improvements to offices, classrooms, and restrooms: painting, lighting, ceilings, roofing, flooring, air conditioning, and furniture. Areas in the Bienes Center, Litzinger Athletic Center, and Gymnasium received facility and equipment updates as well.

 

Today, the STA campus spreads over 25 acres in urban Fort Lauderdale where 2194 students study 192 different courses, including 26 AP classes, in 94 classrooms and laboratories. Aquinas draws from 102 feeder schools, 46 Catholic parishes, and three counties. The Archdiocese of Miami operates the school, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Aquinas maintains membership in the National Catholic Educational Association, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Florida Association of Academic Non-Public Schools, Florida Catholic Conference, Broward County Non-Public School Association, and The College Board. The United States Department of Education has twice named STA a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, in 1985 and 1996; STA ranks among the top 50 Catholic high schools in the country.

 

The professional staff, averaging 20 years of teaching experience and 12 years of STA teaching experience, numbers 123 full-time members and consists of three religious and 120 lay persons; 73 teachers hold advanced degrees. Sixty-five students from the Class of 2015 have earned commendations from the National Merit Scholarship Program, and the Advanced Placement Program identified 292 students as AP Scholars in August 2014. Over 99% of the most recent graduating class matriculated to college directly from STA, with 97% attending four-year colleges and 2.6% attending two-year colleges. By June 1, 2014, the Class of 2014 had received academic, athletic, military, and special talent scholarships totaling over $59 million.

 

Students have the opportunity to participate in approximately 40 activities and clubs, many earning local, state, and national recognition, as well as on over 40 athletic teams that have won 11 national and 100 state championships.