Couple retires from Catholic education

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

MIAMI | Ana and Eddy Garcia met in the eighth grade. She attended St. James School in North Miami, and he went to Immaculate Conception School in Hialeah. They bonded in a youth group at Immaculate Conception Church and their friendship blossomed at Msgr. Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, where they graduated in 1980.

“God has blessed us,” Eddy said. “Little did we know when we started at Immaculate and got married 40 years ago how it would turn out. We never foresaw it.”

Along with their lasting marriage, what is unique about the Garcias is that they are both principals at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami. At the conclusion of the 2023-2024 academic year, they will retire with a combined 50 years of service to Catholic education.

‘This is for the kids’

Ana has served as Pace’s principal for 20 years and assistant principal for five years. She started working at Pace after her pastor asked why she wasn’t working there. The school needed someone to assist and train teachers on working with special needs students — Ana’s passion. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the field.

Ana worked in public schools for 15 years because, at the time, Catholic schools did not offer many programs for special needs students.

“The teachers here have always been amazing. They didn’t know what it was called, but they were already meeting the needs of special needs kids. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would end up back here walking these hallways,” said Ana, who returned to Pace in 1999 as an assistant principal, focusing on curriculum and instruction.

In 2004, Ana became principal of Pace. Along with her team, they added programs, academies, and clubs to cater to various student abilities and talents. The Spartan Sword and Shield Honors program prepares top-achieving students for Ivy League universities, while the Spe Salvi (Saved in Christ) program helps students with intellectual disabilities earn a special diploma.

“These students take electives with the general education population, participate in sports, clubs, lunch, and campus ministry. They’re not excluded; they are brought in,” said Ana.

Making sure that all students feel loved and welcomed and have the best possible high school experience has always been a goal at Pace. Her motto has been, “This is a team effort.”

“This is for the kids. Our kids recognize it. And if they don’t recognize it when they’re here, they definitely recognize it when they leave,” said Ana.

Students often return to visit after graduation, and a few, like Ana, even come back to work at their alma mater. Currently, there are 32 Pace alumni on staff. Nayelis Herrera, class of 2021, is one of them.

“I have a running joke with Ana. I tell her, ‘When you shook my hand at graduation, it was a contract. I was coming to work here,’” said Herrera, who returned as a substitute teacher in the 2022-2023 academic year and now works as the school’s activities director.

Similarly, when Gabriella Garrastacho, class of 2020, saw the opportunity to work at Pace, she didn’t hesitate.

“I’m going to miss her, but she deserves it,” said Garrastacho.

Ana believes God puts us where He needs us. When she was hired as principal, the school needed a new direction.

“I think I’ve accomplished that,” Ana said. “But this place needs energy, and it needs someone with energy. So, I recognized that the time has come to pass it on to someone with that type of energy because the kids deserve it. Because Pace deserves it.”

In her perspective, Pace needed someone who understood the school’s culture and the dynamics of the faculty, teachers, and students, and that person is Lilian Dubon, who has served as dean of faculty, a guidance counselor, and a teacher.

Finding a Passionate Career

Eddy was principal at St. Louis Covenant School in Pinecrest for 11 years and principal at Immaculate Conception School for 14 years.

After 10 years of marriage, Ana was teaching, and Eddy continued to work at Bellsouth, a job that helped pay for his tuition and care for his family. However, he felt frustrated and contemplated changing his career path.

Looking back at his time as youth director at Immaculate Conception Church, chaperoning with his wife on school field trips, and helping her in the classroom, he said, “I need to do something. Something that fills me with passion.”

With his wife’s support, he returned to school and earned his degree in education. But teaching had to wait as “there was a hiring freeze in Dade County Schools,” Eddy said. Eventually, he started working in a middle school, where he remained for seven years.

“Being able to work with the kids and see the growth was incredible. But I couldn’t share my faith,” said Eddy.

At a priest’s anniversary, the pastor of Garcia’s home parish of Immaculate Conception offered him the position of principal at Immaculate’s school. Coming back to the school that formed him was an unexpected dream come true.

“I lived 10 blocks away, and it was joyous for me to be able to share and have my kids there,” he said.

The Garcias’ three children, Jenise, Bryan, and Steven, all attended Immaculate and later Msgr. Edward Pace High School. At one point, the siblings were students with parents as acting principals in their schools.

“My dad gave me my first detention,” said Bryan, who is now Father Bryan Garcia, a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami and vice-rector and dean of seminarians at St. John Vianney College Seminary.

As principal at Immaculate, Eddy revived traditions established by the Sisters of Mercy from Enniskillen, Ireland, who founded the school in 1954. He supported his faculty and staff and made sure to be available to parents.

“Parents in Catholic schools are different. They want to be able to speak to you and see you. You can’t hide in the office. You have to be present,” he said.

The same approach applied to his students.

“I got to be out there with the kids. I have to go into a class, mess with them, and then walk out, leaving the teacher crazy because the kids are all excited,” he said.

Eddy took the same energy to St. Louis Covenant School when he became principal there in the fall of 2013.

When Eddy interviews a family interested in enrolling their child at St. Louis, he is clear that they must be an active part of the school and the church community.

In his office at St. Louis, his wall of photographs stands out the most. People in the photos include his wife Ana, his kids and family, faculty, teachers, students, alumni, priests, and those he has encountered during his teaching time. They are all part of an unforgettable collage of “momenticos.”

“He always wanted us to nurture those ‘momenticos’ that make a life a life,” said Maria Fernandez, who has worked with Eddy at St. Louis and Immaculate.

The Garcias have been pillars in guiding the growth and success of their school communities. Students feel at ease approaching them, parents trust and appreciate their active and visible presence, and faculty and teachers feel incredibly supported. Educators from other archdiocesan schools have bonded with them, been mentored by them, and respected them.

“They’ve touched so many lives, impacted so many people, done so much for so many. It is astonishing to them, I’m sure, that people react the way they do when they hear they are retiring,” Fernandez said.

Melanie Otero, Dean of Academics at Pace, has worked with both Garcias. She describes them as creative leaders, albeit different in their styles.

At this year’s Pentecost Mass at St. Louis, Eddy was recognized for upholding the relationship between school and church during his 11 years as principal. Though he is retiring, after some rest and travels with his wife, he will return to volunteer—not as a former principal, but as the grandpa of two who attend St. Louis.

Originally, the Garcias had not planned on retiring at the same time. Ana was to retire first, then Eddy. But as her time drew nearer, he decided to retire as well.

“I would have never expected to be where I’m at today. But if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it again with the same person. She is my rock,” said Eddy.

“We’ve loved the life we’ve had and now we’re looking forward to spending time with the grandkids and traveling,” Ana said.