Pace hosts Spartan Alumni Fiesta; two retiring staff members honored

Monsignor Edward Pace High School (PACE) continued an established tradition with its second annual alumni party on May 4. The theme of this year’s event was Cinco de Mayo and once again the school welcomed five decades of PACE graduates to the festive Spartan Alumni Fiesta.
Two hundred guests gathered in the school’s Spartan Center for an evening of food, cocktails and dancing. The party brought together alumni from 1954 to 2018 and they all enjoyed an evening of fun and nostalgia among former classmates and teachers.
At the start of the evening principal Ana Garcia took a few moments to welcome everyone back to their beloved high school and class of 2006 alumnus Father Bryan Garcia offered the opening prayer for the evening.
This year was a special year for PACE as the school celebrated the upcoming retirement of two long time members of the PACE family who will be retiring in June, director of Public Relations and Special Events Elvita Reigosa and long time PACE athletic director coach Joe Zaccheo.
Following emotional speeches from Garcia and the honored guests, a quartet of Mexican mariachis entered the Spartan Center to serenade all in attendance. Guests mingled and enjoyed a delicious taco bar and pastries, courtesy of class of 1990’s Amy Cao of Vicky Bakery. The main sponsor of the evening was Bank United.
Festivities went into overdrive as a “Hora Loca” celebration began. Party enthusiasts entered the Spartan Center with feather headdresses and beautifully illuminated costumes inviting the crowd on to the dance floor. As the night continued, giant LED robots danced with guests while holding CO2 fog machines. Herff Jones Miami sponsored a fun photo booth with themed props and hats allowing guests to take home a fun photo memento of their evening back at PACE.