GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Principal Antonette Aguilera experienced Mother’s Day a little early on Friday, when her mother, Domenica Cowan, came for a visit during Grandparents' Day.
“I think Antonette is doing a wonderful job, and I am so proud of her,” Cowan said. “I have two good daughters. Each one of them has such beautiful qualities. The Lord truly blessed me.”
During her stay, Cowan was also able to spend time with her grandchildren – Aguilera's son, John, an 8th grader, and her other grandson.
Cowan loves the feeling she gets every time she steps on the campus of St. Pius X, explaining how it matches the ideals of their hometown of Reggio Calabria, Italy.
“We came from a traditional Italian family, and this school matches so well with Antonette. When she was little, she learned tradition and her Catholic faith. She went to school with the nuns, and this place brings it all together,” Cowan said.
A mother knows best, and Aguilera agrees the Catholic school she attended as a youth in Los Angeles reminds her a lot of St. Pius X.
Yet, instead of mirroring her childhood memories at St. Pius the X, she takes direction from a different inspiration – the late Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, former pastor of the parish.
“We make sure Monsignor’s vision for this school is always alive and well,” Aguilera said. “A beautiful campus, a spiritual place—that is what I am trying to create. If I can accomplish that, I feel like I am doing a good thing.”
— Lisa M. Geraci
HUNTERSVILLE — After nine years of administrative guidance, Christ the King students and staff bid farewell to beloved president Dr. Carl Semmler.
He won’t be far as he transitions into his new role as executive director of Catholic Identity, Operations and Capital Improvements for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic Schools office.
His fan club of 435 students and 60 staff gobbled down donuts decorated in Crusader colors – white frosting and blue sprinkles – while students repeating the pun, “'Donut' know what we’re going to do without you.”
Greg Stump, art teacher and stained-glass artist, designed a memento for Semmler, a commemorative plaque made from Polish blue glass.
“This is the same glass used to make the St. John Paul II glass window in the chapel, something Dr. Semmler has admired for years,” Stump said.
Embedded in the glass is the white CTK crest with its mantra, “Crede + Cogita + Servi,” Latin for “Believe, Think, Serve.”
Although he is leaving the school, Semmler ended the event by reassuring all, “once a Crusader, always a Crusader.”
— Lisa M. Geraci
