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Bishop Invests in Robots for Catholic Schools
Wednesday, March 10th 2021, 6:39 PM EST
By Annette Gutierrez
SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) - The Diocese of Venice’s Bishop is investing in the little leaders of tomorrow… and it involves Robots.
"I’ve never done anything like this, that’s this big and cool," St. Martha Catholic 7th-grade student, Hope Smithers said.
Bishop Frank Dewane invests in Robots for all 15 Catholic schools on the Suncoast. An effort to help improve STREAM education, which stands for Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math.
"I just think we’re in a world where everything is modernized," Bishop Dewane said. "If we don’t teach our students to work in teams, to be leaders in their respective disciplines, or where their intellectual gifts lead them, we have to be able to do that in every way.”
The investment was all made possible through a partnership with a Global Robotics Community called FIRST, ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,' an effort to promote catholic virtues.
"Science and faith have gotten spared in our world today," Bishop Dewane said. "In every dimension of science, of technology, or whatever; it has moral implications. There has to be an underlying, ethical reason on why we act on something. And why we act in a proper way for the best of humanity.”
"I think if we work hard enough," St. Martha Catholic 6th-grade student, Emily Scarbrough said. "We can make faith and science work as a complete whole and have just an amazing thing to happen.”
These kits use LEGO products and increase in difficulty from the youngest to oldest. From 5th graders creating a heart monitor….
"We learned about teamwork and how STREAM can be fun and exciting," 5th grader, Lyrc Carey said.
… to middle schoolers programming a robot’s path.
"Using its computer language to put in the block coding to make it do all the missions," Scarbrough said.
And even if they hit a roadblock, they learn from it.
"And that’s just preparing us," Scarbrough said. "If we like this will be our hobby or our job to be engineers, then we could help people in the world who need to solve problems and help them with robotics and show them the technology that’s being used today.”
By middle and high school, students will be building competition robots.
Bishop Dwane says he hopes the students will combine morals and intelligence in science.
By Annette Gutierrez
SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) - The Diocese of Venice’s Bishop is investing in the little leaders of tomorrow… and it involves Robots.
"I’ve never done anything like this, that’s this big and cool," St. Martha Catholic 7th-grade student, Hope Smithers said.
Bishop Frank Dewane invests in Robots for all 15 Catholic schools on the Suncoast. An effort to help improve STREAM education, which stands for Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math.
"I just think we’re in a world where everything is modernized," Bishop Dewane said. "If we don’t teach our students to work in teams, to be leaders in their respective disciplines, or where their intellectual gifts lead them, we have to be able to do that in every way.”
The investment was all made possible through a partnership with a Global Robotics Community called FIRST, ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,' an effort to promote catholic virtues.
"Science and faith have gotten spared in our world today," Bishop Dewane said. "In every dimension of science, of technology, or whatever; it has moral implications. There has to be an underlying, ethical reason on why we act on something. And why we act in a proper way for the best of humanity.”
"I think if we work hard enough," St. Martha Catholic 6th-grade student, Emily Scarbrough said. "We can make faith and science work as a complete whole and have just an amazing thing to happen.”
These kits use LEGO products and increase in difficulty from the youngest to oldest. From 5th graders creating a heart monitor….
"We learned about teamwork and how STREAM can be fun and exciting," 5th grader, Lyrc Carey said.
… to middle schoolers programming a robot’s path.
"Using its computer language to put in the block coding to make it do all the missions," Scarbrough said.
And even if they hit a roadblock, they learn from it.
"And that’s just preparing us," Scarbrough said. "If we like this will be our hobby or our job to be engineers, then we could help people in the world who need to solve problems and help them with robotics and show them the technology that’s being used today.”
By middle and high school, students will be building competition robots.
Bishop Dwane says he hopes the students will combine morals and intelligence in science.
Catholic students throughout Sarasota County will follow a curriculum plan that focuses on science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math.
by: Brynn Mechem Staff Writer
Schools across the U.S. are no strangers to programs that increase focus on STEM education, and now, Catholic students across Sarasota County will see changes in their curriculum too.
The Diocese of Venice, which serves about 4,500 students across five Florida counties, including Sarasota County, is updating its curriculum to strengthen STREAM education.
STREAM is an extension of STEM education to include a focus on science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math. The update is made possible through a partnership between the diocese and FIRST, a global robotics community.
The ultimate goal of the change is to place the diocese’s students ahead of the curve in primary fields of education while promoting core Catholic values.
“We want to create leaders,” Superintendent of Catholic Education Father John Belmonte said. “That’s what we do in our Catholic schools, we create leaders for civil society and the church, and in order for them to be leaders in the future of these areas, we have to educate them for excellence.”
The new curriculum, titled “The Gifts of Christ,” will focus on teaching students about conventional Catholic values — truth, beauty, goodness, affability, fortitude, humility and prudence — through traditional STEM lessons.
“We try to teach to the whole person, so religion is an important piece for us because it captures our Catholic faith,” Belmonte said. “The science, technology, engineering, art and math is just like any subject but we’re going to be able to integrate our faith through these key concepts.”
Bishop of the Diocese in Venice, the Rev. Frank Dewane said the focus on the seven values through project-based learning will help students build soft skills to prepare them for success in the working world while building up their religion.
“This is a great opportunity to look at how students need to look toward goodness, fortitude, beauty and so on and how to put all that together to build up not just the intellectual side, but also the spiritual dimension at the same time,” Dewane said.
The new curriculum will be implemented at all age levels thanks to a commitment from the diocese. More than 500 robots, LEGO and curricular resources were provided by the diocese to make programming possible.
All schools will be given age-appropriate kits and robots to complete their curriculum and compete at various robotics competitions through FIRST programming.
Younger students will use LEGO products such as Duplo blocks, while older students will use more traditional blocks to learn various mathematical and engineering concepts. Students also will use artistic expression to design their robot’s facade.
Each kit increases the difficulty and expands on concepts learned in earlier years. By the time students reach middle and high school, they will be able to build competition-ready robots.
Although robotics is a major part of the program, it is a tool that allows the school system to expand upon the idea of project-based learning and cognitive thought process, diocesan curriculum specialist Jennifer Falestiny said.
School leaders hope the teamwork needed to build the robots and to compete can help students gain self-confidence and real-world skills for careers in the STREAM fields.
“I hope students are given an advantage, a good, solid education that prepares them for whatever future they choose,” Dewane said. “I hope it sparks in each one of them, the gifts they’ve been given by the Lord in terms of their intellect, their creativity, their visioning.”
The program is currently being run in five schools as a pilot program, and Dewane said the response has been positive, so the diocese decided to implement it at every educational level.
Dewane said leaders first discussed implementing it with first grade students and then adding a year each year as the students age, but eventually decided against that plan.
“If it’s going to make the contribution we believe it will, then it’s worth doing it across the board,” he said.
Falestiny said the schools will begin integrating the program for the final quarter of the 2020-21 academic year. Teachers will then receive additional training throughout the summer to be prepared for full implementation in the 2021-22 academic year.
Schools across the U.S. are no strangers to programs that increase focus on STEM education, and now, Catholic students across Sarasota County will see changes in their curriculum too.
The Diocese of Venice, which serves about 4,500 students across five Florida counties, including Sarasota County, is updating its curriculum to strengthen STREAM education.
STREAM is an extension of STEM education to include a focus on science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math. The update is made possible through a partnership between the diocese and FIRST, a global robotics community.
The ultimate goal of the change is to place the diocese’s students ahead of the curve in primary fields of education while promoting core Catholic values.
“We want to create leaders,” Superintendent of Catholic Education Father John Belmonte said. “That’s what we do in our Catholic schools, we create leaders for civil society and the church, and in order for them to be leaders in the future of these areas, we have to educate them for excellence.”
The new curriculum, titled “The Gifts of Christ,” will focus on teaching students about conventional Catholic values — truth, beauty, goodness, affability, fortitude, humility and prudence — through traditional STEM lessons.
“We try to teach to the whole person, so religion is an important piece for us because it captures our Catholic faith,” Belmonte said. “The science, technology, engineering, art and math is just like any subject but we’re going to be able to integrate our faith through these key concepts.”
Bishop of the Diocese in Venice, the Rev. Frank Dewane said the focus on the seven values through project-based learning will help students build soft skills to prepare them for success in the working world while building up their religion.
“This is a great opportunity to look at how students need to look toward goodness, fortitude, beauty and so on and how to put all that together to build up not just the intellectual side, but also the spiritual dimension at the same time,” Dewane said.
The new curriculum will be implemented at all age levels thanks to a commitment from the diocese. More than 500 robots, LEGO and curricular resources were provided by the diocese to make programming possible.
All schools will be given age-appropriate kits and robots to complete their curriculum and compete at various robotics competitions through FIRST programming.
Younger students will use LEGO products such as Duplo blocks, while older students will use more traditional blocks to learn various mathematical and engineering concepts. Students also will use artistic expression to design their robot’s facade.
Each kit increases the difficulty and expands on concepts learned in earlier years. By the time students reach middle and high school, they will be able to build competition-ready robots.
Although robotics is a major part of the program, it is a tool that allows the school system to expand upon the idea of project-based learning and cognitive thought process, diocesan curriculum specialist Jennifer Falestiny said.
School leaders hope the teamwork needed to build the robots and to compete can help students gain self-confidence and real-world skills for careers in the STREAM fields.
“I hope students are given an advantage, a good, solid education that prepares them for whatever future they choose,” Dewane said. “I hope it sparks in each one of them, the gifts they’ve been given by the Lord in terms of their intellect, their creativity, their visioning.”
The program is currently being run in five schools as a pilot program, and Dewane said the response has been positive, so the diocese decided to implement it at every educational level.
Dewane said leaders first discussed implementing it with first grade students and then adding a year each year as the students age, but eventually decided against that plan.
“If it’s going to make the contribution we believe it will, then it’s worth doing it across the board,” he said.
Falestiny said the schools will begin integrating the program for the final quarter of the 2020-21 academic year. Teachers will then receive additional training throughout the summer to be prepared for full implementation in the 2021-22 academic year.
Diocese of Venice unveils robotics program to enhance ‘STREAM’ learning
Seventh-grade students at St. Martha Catholic School, from left, Ana Martinez, Keira Smith and Ainsley Young, program a robot to follow a path and perform tasks Wednesday morning during a demonstration at the school. Mike Lang, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
SARASOTA – With a few taps of her finger on an iPad, St. Martha Catholic School sixth-grader Emily Scarbrough sent a robot on a series of preprogrammed tasks that included knocking down a bench and raising the height of a basketball hoop.
That was all part of a student demonstration on Wednesday as the Diocese of Venice unveiled a new partnership with FIRST, a global robotics community. The alliance is anticipated to enhance the level of Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math education in the 15 Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Venice.
Emily, 12, and other students used block-based code to direct the robots to perform their tasks.
Drew Beall, an eighth-grader and part of the same team, stressed that the students were “not writing JavaScript or anything fancy; it’s all block-based.”
The block-based code, however, is perfect for the students to develop both experience and confidence as they learn. It is translated into traditional binary code – zeroes and ones.
“Once we put in the block-based code then once we play it, it will automatically send the binary code to do the tasks,” Emily said.
Of course, each precise robotic movement requires several block codes.
“It’s a lot more complicated than this,” Hope Smithers, 12, said as she pointed out the coding on the iPad Emily held.
At a neighboring demonstration table, Ana Martinez, 12, Ainsley Young, 13, and Keira Smith were able to overcome adversity, after their long string of block code was accidentally erased Tuesday.
“All this we did just five minutes ago,” Ainsley said, as their robot performed on mission.
FIRST is an acronym for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”
While FIRST has worked with the Diocese of Orlando, the partnership with the Diocese of Venice is the first of its type in the state.
Diocesan Curriculum Specialist Jennifer Falestiny broached the idea of partnering with FIRST last summer.
Wednesday’s demonstration was the product of a pilot program.
In addition to St. Martha, the robotics program was used as a pilot in four other schools: St. Mary Academy in Sarasota, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers, St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte.
Some schools will institute the FIRST program in the fourth quarter, while the balance of the schools will do so this fall.
The demonstration at the Zazarino Center at St. Martha also highlighted a gift of 500 robots and supplies to the diocese.
These kits use LEGO products: Duplo blocks for the youngest students, and more traditional blocks for older students.
The more advanced the kit, the more advanced the robots and learning process.
By middle and high school students will be building their own competition robots, to participate in competitions hosted through FIRST.
“Our bishop really wants religion to be integrated in every subject, so we spent quite a bit of time developing how we can do that,” said Father John Belmonte, the Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education
The robotics courses are taught within a framework of the basic concepts of Catholic Intellectual History of virtues through the Gifts of Christ: Affability, Beauty, Fortitude, Goodness, Humility and Prudence, Belmonte noted.
“Those are supposed to inform their work together in groups. Robotics, as you may know, has to do with working in groups. Project-based learning,” he added.
In addition to that, he added, the STREAM program emphasizes Truth, Beauty and Goodness.
Rev. Frank J. Dewane, bishop of the Diocese of Venice, said he liked the way the robotics program will keep students engaged and prepare them for a competitive future.
“It has to do with who our students are today and who they have to become for tomorrow,” Dewane said. “I think we need to prepare them well not just in terms of future jobs but prepare them for university studies.
“Teachers always have a challenge: How do you keep the student interested and engaged?” he said. “And looking at this and reading about it and hearing about it, I think it’s one more way to keep students engaged in every aspect of that STREAM program.”
Greg Harrell, a Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School alumni and engineer who designs bridges, said, “You had me at robots.
“In a word, it’s very exciting," he said, adding that he believed faith and science could coexist.
“Understanding and truly believing that we don’t have to choose between science and God but that we have science because of God will give my kids, these kids, all the kids that benefit from this program a solid foundation for living a faithful life,” he said.
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.
That was all part of a student demonstration on Wednesday as the Diocese of Venice unveiled a new partnership with FIRST, a global robotics community. The alliance is anticipated to enhance the level of Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math education in the 15 Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Venice.
Emily, 12, and other students used block-based code to direct the robots to perform their tasks.
Drew Beall, an eighth-grader and part of the same team, stressed that the students were “not writing JavaScript or anything fancy; it’s all block-based.”
The block-based code, however, is perfect for the students to develop both experience and confidence as they learn. It is translated into traditional binary code – zeroes and ones.
“Once we put in the block-based code then once we play it, it will automatically send the binary code to do the tasks,” Emily said.
Of course, each precise robotic movement requires several block codes.
“It’s a lot more complicated than this,” Hope Smithers, 12, said as she pointed out the coding on the iPad Emily held.
At a neighboring demonstration table, Ana Martinez, 12, Ainsley Young, 13, and Keira Smith were able to overcome adversity, after their long string of block code was accidentally erased Tuesday.
“All this we did just five minutes ago,” Ainsley said, as their robot performed on mission.
FIRST is an acronym for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”
While FIRST has worked with the Diocese of Orlando, the partnership with the Diocese of Venice is the first of its type in the state.
Diocesan Curriculum Specialist Jennifer Falestiny broached the idea of partnering with FIRST last summer.
Wednesday’s demonstration was the product of a pilot program.
In addition to St. Martha, the robotics program was used as a pilot in four other schools: St. Mary Academy in Sarasota, St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Fort Myers, St. Andrew Catholic School in Cape Coral, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Port Charlotte.
Some schools will institute the FIRST program in the fourth quarter, while the balance of the schools will do so this fall.
The demonstration at the Zazarino Center at St. Martha also highlighted a gift of 500 robots and supplies to the diocese.
These kits use LEGO products: Duplo blocks for the youngest students, and more traditional blocks for older students.
The more advanced the kit, the more advanced the robots and learning process.
By middle and high school students will be building their own competition robots, to participate in competitions hosted through FIRST.
“Our bishop really wants religion to be integrated in every subject, so we spent quite a bit of time developing how we can do that,” said Father John Belmonte, the Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Education
The robotics courses are taught within a framework of the basic concepts of Catholic Intellectual History of virtues through the Gifts of Christ: Affability, Beauty, Fortitude, Goodness, Humility and Prudence, Belmonte noted.
“Those are supposed to inform their work together in groups. Robotics, as you may know, has to do with working in groups. Project-based learning,” he added.
In addition to that, he added, the STREAM program emphasizes Truth, Beauty and Goodness.
Rev. Frank J. Dewane, bishop of the Diocese of Venice, said he liked the way the robotics program will keep students engaged and prepare them for a competitive future.
“It has to do with who our students are today and who they have to become for tomorrow,” Dewane said. “I think we need to prepare them well not just in terms of future jobs but prepare them for university studies.
“Teachers always have a challenge: How do you keep the student interested and engaged?” he said. “And looking at this and reading about it and hearing about it, I think it’s one more way to keep students engaged in every aspect of that STREAM program.”
Greg Harrell, a Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School alumni and engineer who designs bridges, said, “You had me at robots.
“In a word, it’s very exciting," he said, adding that he believed faith and science could coexist.
“Understanding and truly believing that we don’t have to choose between science and God but that we have science because of God will give my kids, these kids, all the kids that benefit from this program a solid foundation for living a faithful life,” he said.
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune.
Bishop Hands Out Robots to Students
FOX13 4:00 News
Robots for Students
NewsChannel 8 at 5:30PM
St. Mary Academy ~ We Did It Again!!
St. Mary Academy students get introduced to the Ukulele
January 19, 2018
SARASOTA, FL (WWSB) - Two groups joined forces to bring music to the ears of some Suncoast students today.
The Knights of Columbus and the Young Musicians Education Foundation donated 46 ukuleles to St Mary Academy.
The students were each given an instrument along with their first lesson from members of the Gulf Coast Banjo Society.
Great things are happening at St. Mary Academy.
http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/st-mary-s-students-get-introduced-to-the-ukulele/article_8a51b7b2-fd5f-11e7-8cf5-3b92d20867f4.html
SARASOTA, FL (WWSB) - Two groups joined forces to bring music to the ears of some Suncoast students today.
The Knights of Columbus and the Young Musicians Education Foundation donated 46 ukuleles to St Mary Academy.
The students were each given an instrument along with their first lesson from members of the Gulf Coast Banjo Society.
Great things are happening at St. Mary Academy.
http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/st-mary-s-students-get-introduced-to-the-ukulele/article_8a51b7b2-fd5f-11e7-8cf5-3b92d20867f4.html
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Sarasota students participate in the largest learning event in history
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By Jennifer Kveglis December 8, 2017
SARASOTA- From coloring books to coding. As technology evolves, so are school curricula. “They’re beyond excited. They go home and they tell their parents and their parents can’t believe it and they try it, which is exactly our goal,” said Maria Beall, Technology Curriculum Integration Specialist at St. Martha Catholic School. Friday morning, St. Mary and St. Martha Catholic schools join the hundreds of millions of students in the Hour of Code, a language built for humans and computers. Beall said, “Create things like games, which is really how they get the kids interested in coding off the bat. Building websites that they work on…coding robots and understanding robotics.” |
Friday morning, St. Mary and St. Martha Catholic schools join the hundreds of millions of students in the Hour of Code, a language built for humans and computers. Beall said, “Create things like games, which is really how they get the kids interested in coding off the bat. Building websites that they work on…coding robots and understanding robotics.” Beginning as early as 4 years old, using a “coderpillar”. 8th graders using ozobots, gadgets that recognize color as codes. Just one week into learning how to code, and 13 year old, Hayden Garriott is hooked. “My teachers have encouraged me to follow technology science into my career,” he said. Special needs students at St. Mary code through games. “You drag things, like little text bubbles over to a working space and then you click on start and it does it what it tells you to do,” said Kamden Bailey. these students create sequences through Hot Wheels. Beall says St. Mary and St. Martha are part of the 40% teaching their students computer science. “Eventually that might set them apart from somebody else who’s going after the same job that they’re trying to get,” Beall said. |
St. Mary Academic Gives Thanks with a Grateful Heart
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November 20, 2017 Students, staff and community members gathered at St. Mary Academy on Monday, November 20th to celebrate the Annual Thanksgiving Feast. It is a wonderful day to give thanks for the many blessings received. We thank everyone for the support to St. Mary Academy |
Saint Martha's Catholic School takes part in solar eclipse project
August 18, 2017
SARASOTA, FL (WWSB) - The 7th and 8th graders at Saint Martha's Catholic School are ready for the solar eclipse. They have their ISO certified filter glasses and they've read several articles about this rare event. "I'm very excited to see and get the whole experience of the solar eclipse," said SMCS 7th grader Hayden Garriotte. But Hayden and his classmates aren't just going to experience the natural wonder, they will be rolling up their sleeves and contributing to science. "We're going to be recording data for NASA" said student Erin Galvin. On Monday, some SMCS science classes will head outside to perform experiments and record their results. Their information will then be uploaded to several websites, including NASA's, where it will be used as part of the citizen scientist program. |
"We wanted to be included in this and we started in the summer. Even though we are not in the path of totality, this is something that's special for us and we can contribute in a meaningful way, " said teacher Mary Ann Kiger. The students will observe animal behavior, measure air and surface temperatures, as well as record a slew of other changes resulting from the eclipse. Kiger is one of the teachers who will be overseeing the experiments and she says incorporating the total solar eclipse into her lesson plan gives the students hands on experience and a better understanding of the material. "Part of the curriculum for 7th grade is a lot of space, planetary movement, and Kepler's Law, an eclipse is a really, really nice model of how the law works, so that works really nicely with this grade level for us," added Kiger. As for the students, they say Monday can't come soon enough. "I love science. I love the way it works, so I'm just every excited," added Galvin. Her classmate Hayden agrees, "It's very exciting because I've never experienced anything like it before." Many public schools on the Suncoast are doing similar things. The Sarasota County School District is allowing some teachers to take students outside during the eclipse and incorporate the event into their lesson plan. Manatee County School officials say students won't be allowed outside but the event will be part of the curriculum. |
St. Martha's and St. Mary's schools unveil new student center
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New Zazarino Center includes gymnasium, additional classrooms and an event hall. The St. Martha Catholic School campus has expanded with the official opening of the new Zazarino Campus. The facility broke ground in October 2015 and was completed in time to start the school year in August. Bishop Frank Dewane was present Monday, Sept. 12 to assist in cutting the ribbon and blessing each room of the facility. Named for benefactor, Louis Zazarino, the facility adds 26,000-square-feet of space for students to the campus. The centerpiece of the Zazarino Center is a gymnasium with a basketball and volleyball court. There are also additional classrooms, locker rooms, performance and event space. |
St. Mary Academy celebrates new beginning
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Monday, August 29, 2016 Bishop Frank Dewane stands with Students stand with words used to spell out the St. Mary motto of F.I.R.E. Dreams Are Free Catholic School is re-named St. Mary Academy. by: Amanda Morales Staff Writer The former Dreams Are Free Catholic School at Bishop Nevins Academy is now officially known as St. Mary Academy. Students from St. Mary Academy and St. Martha Catholic School gathered for morning mass and ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Bishop Frank Dewane. During the assembly Dewane described the meaning behind choosing St. Mary and her biblical relationship with St. Martha during a school assembly. “They were two sisters who complimented each other,” Dewan said. The schools share a campus connected by hallways. Now the name will reflect the partnership as well. About a year ago Principal Rebecca Reynolds met with Venice Diocese Bishop Frank Dewane about changing the name in response to the growing enrollment. The school which was established in 2000, addresses students with special learning needs from Kindergarten to eighth grade. When it was created it became the first school in the Diocese of Venice that addressed students with learning disabilities. According to Director of Development Connie Taft enrollment had increased by 40% in the last two years. “The new name shows the Catholic identity of the school,” Taft said. “It’s also a better representation of the tie with our sister school St. Martha.” The school which was established in 2000, addresses students with special learning needs. When it was created it became the first school in the Diocese of Venice that addressed students with learning disabilities. |