January 26, 2024

The Groundbreaking of the Bellini Center for the Arts

Lauren and Arnie '76 Bellini, pictured above at the Bellini Center for the Arts Groundbreaking Ceremony on Thursday.

Thursday marked a historic moment for Tampa Catholic High School with the Groundbreaking of the Bellini Center for the Arts!

Director of Advancement, Sherry Copestick shared that this contribution is the most impactful enhancement to life at Tampa Catholic since it's inception in 1962. Principal Bob Lees publicly announced that Lauren and Arnie Bellini '76 increased their initial gift from 7 million to 15 million dollars. This remarkable contribution is not only the largest gift to a Catholic school in Florida but also one of the most significant donations to any school in the state.

The elevated 28,000 square foot building is estimated to be completed in March 2025. The impressive space will include a 750 seat auditorium, a large lobby and event space, a new fine arts classroom, video production studio, computer graphics classroom and stagecraft production shop.

January 29, 2024

Weekly Calendar Updates

MIKE GREGORY NAMED

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

Tampa Catholic High School is thrilled to announce the appointment of Mike Gregory as the new head football coach for the Crusaders. Coach Gregory returns to Tampa Catholic with impressive experience, having previously coached football and taught Social Studies at TC from 2013-2017. His extensive resume includes roles as the assistant head coach at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, and as an offensive analyst at Georgia Tech for three years. Notably, Gregory spent his last two seasons as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator from the national team at IMG Academy.

Coach Gregory, a seasoned and highly respected figure in the football community, joins Tampa Catholic with a proven track record of success. His coaching philosophy emphasizes not only on-field excellence but also the holistic growth of student-athletes, aligning seamlessly with the core values of Tampa Catholic High School. His experience at the collegiate level adds a valuable dimension to the coaching staff, providing students with insights into the intricacies of the recruiting process.

Tampa Catholic High School eagerly anticipates the positive impact Coach Mike Gregory will bring to the football program, building on the school's tradition of faith, excellence, and family.

CROSS & SHIELD GALA 2024

Purchase your Tickets & Sponsorships for the 2024 Cross & Shield Gala

Click HERE for the BidPal link to purchase.

Come enjoy an evening at the Tampa Wine Room

and support the Gala!

RSVP to Tammy Garcia at tammy1019@me.com

Other ways to support the event:

Program Ads - URGENT NEED!

We are looking for TC families and local Tampa companies to advertise in our Gala program. Click HERE for more details. Ads due February 9th.

Parent Service Hour opportunity: We need help from 1-2 parent volunteers to contact local businesses to place ads in our event program. This can be done in the evenings and the majority may be done via emails. If you are interested, please contact the Program Ads Chair, Renee Miller.

Donations

Donations of items for the silent auction are welcomed! And can count towards your Parent Service Hours!

Take a look at our NEW Wish List on Amazon. We have great items listed that will make excellent additions to our Silent Auction baskets.

Be sure to complete the Auction Donation Form and submit with any items you donate.

Questions/information about Gala: Tammy Berard or Courtney Frisch

JUNIOR RING MASS CEREMONY

The 2024 Junior Ring Ceremony will take place on Monday, January 29th at St. Lawrence Catholic Church.



Here are some information details for this event:

• Address: 5223 N Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33614
• Student Arrival Time: 6:00 p.m. sharp
• Family & Friends Arrival Time: 7:00 p.m.
• Dress Code: Students are required to dress in their Sunday best attire
• Attendance is mandatory for Juniors

This event is by invitation only. Parents of Juniors should have received invitations in the mail. If you have questions regarding the ceremony, please contact Ms. Verst.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR GRANDPARENTS DAY

We look forward to hosting Junior and Senior Grandparents day on February 1st at 8:30 a.m. in the gym.

Please contact chair Kathy Baker-Abrams P '26 if you need to cancel your RSVP.

IMPORTANT EXAM AND GRADUATION INFORMATIONS FOR SENIORS

Spring is almost here! And that means it's time to start thinking about Senior exams, graduation and other events. The first deadlines will be here before you know it, so please click here to download the Memorandum from Dean Claire Harpole. This document has all the important dates, deadlines and information for the remainder of the year.

SUPPORT THE FRESHMEN CLASS BY SURPRISING YOUR VALENTINE WITH A CANDY GRAM!

The freshmen class will sell candy grams during lunch periods the week of 2/5-2/9! The candy will range from $1.00 - $4.00 and include a Valentine note. Candy grams will be handed out on Valentine's Day.

REMINDER: PREP YOUR STUDENT FOR

THE SAT/ACT IN 2024

In preparing for the ACT exam, the ACT Saturday Prep program will continue on Saturday, January 27, 2024. Students will practice ACT type questions, learn test taking skills and strategies, track their progress and experience full practice tests through this condensed six-week program. Limited spots are available to ensure quality of learning and practices. Secure yours now!

Time: 8:30 a. m. - 11:30 a.m.

Schedule: 

To register, click here or on the flyer above.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Girgus at cgirgus@tampacatholic.org.

Volunteer Spotlight

Below you will find opportunities with an urgent need to volunteers:



Monday, January 29 -

Junior Ring Ceremony

Two more volunteers are needed to help with the reception after Mass.

Wednesday, January 31-

Catholic Schools Week

One additional volunteer is needed to cut and serve cake to students during the lunch periods.

Thursday, February 1 -

All School Mass Set-up/Breakdown

Several volunteers are needed to help with chairs and other fixtures in the Kevin Knox II Fieldhouse for all school Mass. There are two shifts for each Mass date. One is to set-up and one is to breakdown.

Saturday, March 9 -

Cross and Shield Gala

All volunteer positions are now posted in X2VOL. Secure your spot as a volunteer at one of our biggest social events of the season today! Contact Courtney Frisch to become involved with one of the committees.

Various Dates -

Spring Sports

Several home games have been posted and volunteers are needed to help support our athletes during our home games. Please review X2VOL for opportunities.

New Parent Committee -

Prom Decorations

A new committee is being formed at the request of our student government officers. They have a plan to decorate for prom and need some adults to help in person and with donating decorations. Please contact Missy Vivino if you are interested in leading this committee or assisting in any way.

Please sign-up using your X2VOL parent account. Contact Missy Vivino with any questions regarding your X2VOL parent account.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

A special shoutout to Mrs. Tutrone and AJ Spicola '25! Mrs. Tutrone mentored AJ through the creation of an original art piece which was gifted to Arnie and Lauren during the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday.

Our very own, Eddy Pierre-Louis '24, was awarded Hillsborough County’s “Outstanding Lineman” award! We are so proud of this young man’s work ethic and heart.

Thank you to Chris McDuffie '24 for providing beautiful music with his group "Stingin it" at the Bellini groundbreaking ceremony.

Grants/Financial Aid

Grant/Aid

• The FACTs grant/aid application for the 2024-25 school year is now OPEN.
• Tampa Catholic tuition assistance awards must be reapplied for each year
• The committee is currently reviewing applications on a rolling basis until the budgeted amount is depleted. 
• Parish members may be considered for CSTAG (The Catholic Schools Tuition Assistance Grant) also from the FACTS application, NEW for the 2024-2025 School Year, there will be an “early” decision round. Early Decision notifications will be made by March 15, 2024. 
• To qualify for this early decision for CSTAG, FACTS applications need to be submitted by February 1, 2024 in order for them to be reviewed by FACTS and an early decision to be made by March 15, 2024. 
• Final cutoff for CSTAG is April 30, 2024.

For more information, please visit our website here.

CATCH TC HOME GAMES

AVAILABLE NOW FOR STREAMING

Did you know that many of TC's home games are available for streaming? To view the events online, visit TC's Team 1 Sports here.

Alternatively, you can always go to our website and visit the TC Athletics page here. Look for the Team 1 Sports image in the sidebar.

You can see the livestream schedule of future TC athletic events at the bottom of our Team 1 Sports page.

Go Crusaders!

All students are admitted free into our home contests with a student ID. You must have your ID with you.

Fans are reminded that all home game tickets must be purchased on GoFan. Tickets can be bought on the GoFan app or on GoFan.co There will be no cash ticket sales at the door. Please note that the concession stand at our games will only accept cash. 

See you at our games!