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St. Pius X Connections magazine!
Dear Friends,
What an interesting end of the 2019-2020 school year. I’m happy to report that St. Pius X responded to the challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis with poise, grace and faith. Our teachers continued to teach and our students continued to learn at the highest levels throughout the final two months of school.
Over the last five years, our dedicated administrators, faculty and staff have built our technology program to an outstanding level, now proven by the current crisis. For the past three years we have provided to every student a Chromebook, a small laptop that uses the Google Chrome browser and stores applications and data in the cloud rather than on the device itself. Teachers have had ongoing professional development toward the implementation of the Chromebooks and other technology tools and have used these tools for online assignments, quizzes and papers for several years. Because of this solid foundation, St. Pius X was able to continue to make teaching and learning for students similarly as rigorous as if they were in the classroom and as seamless as possible.
The internal tenacity required for successful online learning was embraced by the majority of students, as the responsibility for success greatly shifted to the student. Together, teachers and students worked their hardest so that learning and instruction flourished. I am proud of them all.
In addition to academic pursuits, the spirit of St. Pius X High School flourished as well. Fr. Trambley celebrated daily Mass broadcast from our chapel via Facebook. The SPX Athletic department held a virtual signing day for those students continuing their athletic and fine arts pursuits beyond high school. Faculty and staff celebrated the Class of 2020 by lining up — at six feet apart — to form a parking lot parade route to cheer on the seniors as they and their families drove through. And on a sadder note, together we mourned the passing of our beloved Deacon Rene Greivel.
I hope you will be proud with me that goodness, discipline and knowledge thrive among our students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and friends no matter our physical location, our proximity to one another, or our individual challenges. As I sign off on my final St. Pius X Connections magazine and enter retirement, I pray that God will bless you all in the coming days, months and years. St. Pius X, pray for us!
Sincerely,
Barbara M. Rothweiler, Ph.D.
Principal
St. Pius X Connections
2020 Issue 2
St. Pius X High School faculty, staff and coaches celebrated the Class of 2020 with a drive-by salute through the school parking lot at 5 p.m. on May 1, the last day of on-line classes for seniors.
Outstanding Senior, Senior Choice, Top Ten, Scholar-Athlete and more! Read the complete awards list here.
Celebrating 142 seniors who braved a virtual end of their senior year due to COVID-19 regulations. Read the list.
Dr. Barbara Rothweiler will retire as principal of St. Pius X High School on June 30, 2020, after 28 years of service to the school and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. During that time Rothweiler served as a counselor, assistant principal-dean of students, and assistant principal-curriculum and instruction. She spent the past 15 years as principal of St. Pius X.
The first grotto on the campus of St. Pius X High School, a special project of the late Deacon Rene Greivel, has come to fruition. Honoring the Servant of God Sr. Blandina Segale, S.C., the grotto was dedicated and blessed by Archbishop John C. Wester on Feb. 28, 2020.
St. Pius X High School’s Deacon Rene Greivel passed away March 31, 2020. Deacon Rene headed our Campus Ministry Team, Reconciliation Days, Liturgical Ceremonies and Retreat Program for more than 20 years.
“Healing is all about love; love forgives and reconciles, love heals and unites,” says Mary Jo Grethel ’61, who through her congregation, the Medical Mission Sisters, for 51 years has served missions in Afghanistan; Ghana, West Africa; Kampala, Uganda; and the United States.
“I owe all my success and blessings to Saint Pius,” says Justin Lucero ’09, Deputy Director of Research Compliance for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. “It was a challenge, but what St. Pius does is give you the tools to learn.”
“I encourage students to really take a chance and explore,” says Armann Ortega ’07, owner of an interior design firm in New York. “That exploration could cause you to change your outlook and future goals and pursuits. It was a pivotal moment in my life.”
St. Pius X wrestler Matthew Sanchez earned a 2020 4A state championship at 120 pounds before COVID-19 shut down all spring sports in March.
The St. Pius X High School’s annual Athletic and Fine Arts Signing Day moved from the gym to the cloud with a Virtual Signing Day held on April 29. Ten seniors with their families celebrated continuing their sports and activities at the next level, signing their college letters of intent over a shared Zoom call.
Jeanette French taught at St. Pius X High School for 23 years, inspiring the students of 1962 to 1985 with English and social studies courses that were unique and thought-provoking. In honor of Miss French’s impact, we have gathered a number of memories from former students and colleagues and are publishing them here. In addition, a group of alumni have established an endowment initiative to create the Jeanette French Endowment to support tuition assistance for students through the St. Pius X High School Foundation.
The success of the Feb. 15 Mardi Gras Gala at Hotel Albuquerque, themed “For One Night, Let’s All Reunite!”, was made possible through the generous sponsorships, live and silent auction bids, volunteer time and attendance of the St. Pius X community.
Akira, the SPX Literary and Art Magazine, was published digitally this spring featuring the writers, poets, photographers and artists of St. Pius X High School.
The mission of St. Pius X Connections is to provide alumni and friends of St. Pius X High School with news, information and inspiration regarding the school and each other.
St. Pius X Connections is published by the St. Pius X High School Advancement Office.
St. Pius X High School Advancement Director
St. Pius X High School Associate Director of Advancement and Alumni
St. Pius X Connections Editor