Pace High School celebrated the achievements of its Class of 2017 in their final days as Pace students, starting with the traditional Baccalaureate Mass held at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church on May 21.
Pace’s legacy was present at the mass, as Pace president Reverend Paul Vuturo celebrated the service along with Class of 2006, Pace alumnus Father Bryan Garcia. The two were joined by Deacon Matthew Gomez, a Class of 2009 graduate and his siblings Alex Gomez (Class of 2011) and Mark Gomez (Class of 2013) participated as altar servers.
After the mass, the celebrants, the Class of 2017, and Dean of Students Samuel Lilly, a Class of 1976 Pace graduate who will be retiring after 36 years at Pace, posed for a group photo. Senior class president Jaesha Morley addressed the Class of 2017 and acknowledged the faculty, staff, administration, and Pace family for their constant support throughout their high school journey.
\After revisiting campus a few times during the week, the Class of 2017 seniors finished their high school careers at Pace’s 54th Annual Commencement Exercise on May 26 at Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
Senior Natalie Verdiguel gave the farewell address, reminiscing about the memories her and her fellow seniors made, the things they learned and the legacy they left behind.
In her address to the seniors, principal Ana Garcia wished the graduates well and told them that they would always be Spartans. She expressed that she expects great things from them, announcing that the Class of 2017 received $7.4 million in academic scholarships and $1 million in athletic scholarships.
Finally, after receiving their diplomas, moving their tassels from the right to the left, and walking out of the auditorium, the Spartan Class of 2017 celebrated by tossing their caps into the air, creating one more memory for the road.