WWW.QNS.COM THE VILLAGE GAZETTE MAY 18, 2017 5 A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE FROM A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE By Matthew Pezzulich (Class of 2018) and Laura Jans (Class of 2017) Far different from the way it exists today, in 1975, Christ the King was an institution characterized by strikes, walkouts, and a general air of discontent.The strike was the first major event in a series which would eventually lead to the closure of Christ the King.On October 16, 1975, Serphin R. Maltese wrote the following: “...The parents and students of Christ the King High School were confronted as of Monday evening, October 6th with a closed school and the stark fact that all students except for the Senior Class had no options except transfer to another school, if they could find one.” Faced with the frightening prospect of Christ the King’s closure, individuals all around the community rallied into action to fight for their beloved school.Parents offered to mortgage their homes in order to raise money, students organized sit-ins in the school lobby, and more than 1,500 people gathered in the school cafeteria to discuss solutions that would prevent the school’s closing.An entire community worked to help in any way that they could. Deacon Paul Norman, Class of 1977, was a junior at the time of closure. Mr. Norman, who is now a religion teacher at Christ the King and a Deacon at Our Lady of Hope Parish, spoke about how the closure and transition affected him and the strength the CK community had. During the length of the closure, Norman attended Mater Christi, a change that left him missing Christ the King, the school he had known for two years. He reflected on this below: How did you find out about the closure and what was your initial response to the news? “The school was on strike in September and we had a skeletal crew up until October when the bishop officially decided to close the school. The only students that could stay were the seniors. I was upset; panicking. I didn't know where I was going to go to school. It was just a horrible experience: a place that you love so much was being taken away from you. Seeing teachers you admired on strike provided a different side of them. Some of them became outright nasty.” Many students participated in “sit-ins” or other forms of protests as a result of the closure.Were you a part of any of these protests or did you know about them? “I participated in a sit-in in the lobby. We refused to leave. The hardest day was the day we came into school. There were padlocks on the door and a police presence. We went to homeroom where our homeroom teacher handed us our transfer papers. We were guaranteed a seat at Mater Christi high school. And Students chose to go to different schools and had to make a commitment saying they wouldn't leave the newly registered schools.” What did you miss most about Christ the King? “The teachers that I loved, and a lot of my classmates. As soon as the strike was settled and we became a regional high school, I ran back like hell.” Now as a teacher at Christ the King 40 years later, how has CK changed? How has it stayed it the same? “Well, for one thing, the lack of religious presence. When I went here, there were nuns and brothers. It's also hard to say because the administration has changed. It's different. The students have also changed with time. We are dealing with a different kind of student and parent. The whole mentality has changed not just here, but across the board. If I had to do it all over again I would. I spent four years as a student and thirty-three as a teacher. My family went here. My children went here, and my youngest is coming in September. It is home.” Why do you think people were so passionate to keep Christ the King open?What was special about the school?Do these elements still exist? Are there any new elements? “People were passionate because it is a school that offered a good education and good values. A lot of good has come out of this school. When you truly believe in something, you fight for it. I always look at this school as the Phoenix. We rise out of the ashes. There is a divine purpose. With each obstacle, the school rose above the occasion and powered through. If that is not the hand of God coming through, I don’t know what is.” ************************** Ms. Mimi Valenti, Class of 1979, is currently an English and Religion teacher at Christ the King High School as well as a National Honor Society Moderator and Writing Club Moderator. She was Director of Alumni Development and instrumental in its start up. Only a freshman at the time of closure, Ms. Valenti faced the arduous task of leaving the Christ the King community just as she was beginning to call the school home.She reflects on the hardships faced during her short time at Grover Cleveland, and how it felt as if no school wanted her: How did you find out about the closure and what was your initial response to the news? It was all over the news.We watched our televisions at home and we knew of meetings occurring at CK.Senator Maltese and a few parents had gotten up there and they would speak and they didn’t want the school to close. The students did not want CK to close either, but then it was decided that the school would close. Where did you go to school instead and how long did you attend that school? As an eighth grader, I had gotten into all three of my school choices, so when we closed I called the other two schools and they said ‘There's no room for you here.’So, then I had to go to Grover Cleveland and when I went there, the students were yelling ‘Go home, we don't want you!’Grover Cleveland was so crowded that they didn't even have full days of school.They had split sessions-morning and afternoon.The school we were at was closed and the Catholic schools had no room for us and the public schools did not want us. What did you miss most about Christ the King? Just not having my own school, nobody wanting us. I was only there a few weeks. ************************** Mr. John Bellington, Class of 1978, was a sophomore at the time of closure. In this interview, he emphasizes what elements make Christ the King so special and why he believes so many graduates come back as teachers. From his participation in protests to his current work in the History Department and Theatre Arts group, it is clear that Mr. Bellington has an immense love for the school he fought. Many students participated in “sit-ins” or other forms of protests as a result of the closure.Were you a part of any of these protests or did you know about them? Yes, I stayed over at the school and was on the local TV news with some of my friends. What was Christ the King like under the Board? How was it different than before if you knew? As a teacher, I now know that the board became much more involved. There was more of a sense of us being all in this together, like a team or a community. Why do you think people were so passionate to keep Christ the King open?What was special about the school?Do these elements still exist? Are there any new elements? CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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