Pardon Our Dust: Update
We continue to make great strides to enhance our campus and further the objectives of the vision and direction of the school. We’ve made a lot of progress since the Easter break, including the completion of the entrance signs on 127th Avenue and 6th Street. The development of the Arroyo Quad is in full swing with the planting of six Cypress trees. So far, a total of 16 large specimen trees have been planted in the quad. We’ve also started construction on concrete planter seating.
The Raúl and Nidia Rodríguez Science Pavilion Patio has also received much needed attention. The entire patio was remodeled. New pavers were installed and a statue of Father Matteo Ricci, S.J. - an Italian Jesuit priest and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions - has been installed. Additionally, new seating has been put in and a map of the world will be hung on the wall.
Now that we’ve secured the necessary approvals from the Miami-Dade County Commission, we are moving full steam ahead with the construction of the Our Lady of Belen Chapel. The groundbreaking will take place at the end of the month and has an anticipated completion date of 2021.
The county commissioners also approved lights for the football and varsity baseball fields. We will do our best to try and have the lights installed in the De la Cruz Stadium in time for football season. Plans are also underway to update our public address (PA) system that services the athletic fields, adding additional safety netting to the Hernandez Field, updating landscaping on 127th Avenue and relocating the trees from the future site of the chapel to the fields.
Still on the horizon is the construction of the STEAM center, which will be located on the second floor of The Roberto Goizueta Athletic Center. Construction will begin during the 2019-20 academic year.
Click here to see the renderings for the Arroyo Quad, STEAM Center and Our Lady of Belen Chapel.
These projects wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for the generosity of many people. We continue to strive for greatness and need your help in achieving our goal. If you would like to contribute to these campus improvements please contact Phil Fernandez ’94 at ffernandez@belenjesuit.org or call him at 305-804-7683.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@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 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 sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.