cyrus-jollivette-cc-fc_web.jpgMIAMI — The Florida Blue Foundation — formerly Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation — and Archbishop Curley Notre Dame (ACND) Prep congratulated Dr. Cyrus Jollivette (Archbishop Curley Class of ’64) on his retirement as the chair of the board of directors for the Florida Blue Foundation.

 

Dr. Jollivette has been recognized for his love and dedication for the school and the generosity of Florida Blue Foundation for its commitment to ACND Prep’s summer programs.

A plaque commemorating his years of service and recognizing Florida Blue Foundation’s $5,000 donation to ACND Prep has been installed outside of one of the school’s main floor classrooms.

 

The financial gift will be applied to the school’s Classroom Technology Upgrades Fund that allows the school to purchase 10 iPad 2s so that student recipients do not have to pay additional fees for both the iPad and ETexts.  As of the 2012-2013 school year, all students from grades 6 to 12 received an iPad.

 

“It was our goal to continue to purchase more iPads and Apple TVs through donations and fundraising efforts,” said Douglas Romanik, ACND’s principal.  “To date, we have purchased five additional iPad 2s, seven 55” televisions and seven Apple TVs.  We thank both Dr. Jollivette and Florida Blue Foundation for their help.”

 

In February, 2011 Dr. Jollivette returned to his alma mater to be recognized along with other classmates from the classes of 1960-62 in an event that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Archbishop Curley (the boys’ half of two schools that have since merged to create ACND Prep) being the first Florida high school to integrate — 10 years before Miami-Dade County public schools complied after receiving a federal court order.

 

Jollivette and former high school classmates Paul Wyche Jr. and Carlotta Rhetta, who attended school together from grade school at Holy Redeemer, came from families that played major roles in desegregation and social change in Miami.

Jolivette’s father owned and ran a chain of pharmacies and his mother worked as a Miami-Dade school principal.  She helped integrate the faculty at Miami Jackson High.

 

A multimedia presentation of this historical event titled History Detectives, by professional photographer Tom Salyer, was launched on the school’s website Dec. 15, 2011.

Since its release History Detectives has been accepted into the archives of such renowned institutions as The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library, New York; and HistoryMiami.

 

“It’s ACND’s goal as an Edmund Rice school to value the diversity of the human family and seek to reflect local diversity in its student population and professional staff,” said Romanik.

 

“Thanks to Florida Blue Foundation’s generosity this year and past ones too, we have been able to ensure that advancements in all of our education programs are done so in an affordable way and accessible to all.”

*Pictured above is Dr. Cyrus Jollivette.