We All Win
Alumnus Javier Mariscal from the class of 1986 shares a reflection from this year's Alumni Tailgate where hundreds gathered before the Belen-Columbus football game on September 24.
It’s so much more than a game. That’s the thought that races through my mind as I think about the Belen-Columbus football game. It’s about the friendships and brothers that get together – many after not seeing one another since the last game. It’s about family, fun, and reminiscing. In truth, we all win because when we gather as alumni, parents, and friends we are celebrating who we are as members of the Belen community and our love for the school.
I arrived at the tailgate at a little after 5:30 p.m. After just a couple of steps out of my car I ran into my classmate Jose ’86, who I had not seen in quite some time. We took time to catch up as he stood in shock at how much my son had grown since he last saw him. I remember thinking right then how much the event had already paid off for me in seeing him there.
As I continued to walk I saw my Belen brothers, spanning an array of generations until I reached my fellow 86’ers. Among them were my very best friends for nearly 35 years, many who were at my wedding, my co-best man, the godfather to my daughter, and so on. All of us there to celebrate the bonds that unite us not only as alumni, but also as school parents, administration, faculty and staff, coaches, etc. We were all there for fun and to support our Wolverines as they experience their own personal Belen journey.
Looking around the crowd at the tailgate you saw the Alumni Association staff working side-by-side with the school staff and parents. Kids were running around, parents were talking, friends were hanging out and really enjoying the festivities. It was especially nice to see so many new parents and their sons immersing themselves in the experience. Blue and gold, Wolverine t-shirts and of course, the hit of the night, the Always Belen t-shirt, were in abundance throughout evening.
As the tailgate ended and everyone headed towards the stadium I had the chance to speak with Father Frank Permuy ’85. I reminisced about how we roamed the halls at Belen along with Father Willie ’87 and how I would have never imagined then that I would see them dedicate their lives to our school. The stands were filled with excitement. It was fun watching the seniors have their moment, the comradery of cheering for our team no matter the outcome, and most importantly thinking about my son who was off with his friends and realizing this was yet another great moment in his young life.
These young men lining up on the football field against each other will one day soon be working together in the ‘real world’. There is so much that unites these two school communities-the love for our sons and our daughters, the love of community and family and above all, God’s love and grace that shines on us this wonderful night every year when, regardless of what the scoreboard says, we all win.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.