The St. Peter Chanel High School building is no more, but the school is far from being just a memory. The mission of Chanel, “To Seek What is Above” is still very much alive in its alumni and the various projects they continue to support.
One of those alumni who is helping to keep the Chanel spirit alive is Sam Fiorentino, the current president of the St. Peter Chanel Foundation, Inc. In 1960, he started at Chanel as a freshman, and has played different roles in the life of the school since then, including teacher, coach and parent.
Chanel was opened in 1957 by the Society of Mary (Marist priests) who both lived in the building and taught there. The high school was an all-boys school then, eventually going to coeducational in the late 1980s. Due to low enrollment and money concerns, the diocese finally decided to close the school’s doors at the end of the 2012-2013 school year after 56 years in service. The Bedford City School Board purchased the building and property in 2018.
For Fiorentino and other alumni, the idea of the school closing was a hard reality to face. Almost immediately, plans were put into place to develop a separate entity to continue the Chanel tradition for the years to come.
“When the school announced they were going to close in 2012, Pat Winslow (class of ’71) set up the entity called the St. Peter Chanel Foundation, Inc,” said Fiorentino, “He filed it with state of Ohio.”
Before that, Chanel had a traditional alumni association, but this new entity, which became a 501(c)3 in 2015, now has its own bylaws, mission, vision and executive board. This set up allows the foundation to continue to perform the philanthropic work the school had been doing for years. One of those projects is a Christmas Party it runs each year for youth who have cerebral palsy and for their families.
The Annual Christmas Party
The tradition of the party goes almost as far back as the start of the school itself. Fiorentino said the celebration began in 1965 as an idea by one of the early Chanel Student Council presidents. He said that last year, 157 children from the region and their families were served a warm sit-down dinner that included holiday decorations and wrapped gifts. He said those that attend really seem to enjoy the day.
“What the families … say is, and its almost like they are in tears when they tell it to us … they come there and they feel like they are home, because they don’t have people looking at them like they are different. It’s a comfortable ‘get away from everything’ day, and they are so appreciative, it is priceless.”
When asked about costs for the event, Fiorentino said they have spent at most about $12,000 each year. Much of the cost goes toward the hot meal and the presents. Fiorentino said the foundation normally does a separate fundraiser each year specifically for the party, and that they have never had a problem collecting more than enough money for the event. He said they work with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland to put on the party.
“We do up an invitation and they do the mailing, because they can’t disclose the information (about the) people for privacy reasons,” he said. “The people reply to us and we’ll talk to the families — especially to the special needs child — to see what kind of gift would be suitable and then tailor it to that child.”
Besides food and presents, the party also includes live music, a craft table, cookie decorating, balloon tying, face painting, and even provides a Santa and Mrs. Claus. The siblings of the special needs children also receive gifts.
Unfortunately, because of Covid-19, the foundation is not going to be able to host the party this year like they usually do. But, he said, “We are still going to do something. We are going to find a way to give gifts to the kids.”
He said the party had always been held at Chanel until the school closed. “And the first year, when we had nowhere to go, we used the Regina gym up by Notre Dame College. … then Walsh Jesuit let us use their cafeteria.”
Since then, he said Padua Franciscan High School has stepped up and let them use their gym, and the school also provides students to help out with the evening. He said that Padua has a nice big entrance to allow the families to enter and leave in an easy and safe fashion.
Saying Goodbye to the Building
Fiorentino said even after Chanel closed as a high school, he was still hoping the structure could maybe be used for some other purpose. The large limestone-brick building had been a staple on Northfield Road for so many years, and it still included an all-weather track and football stadium. After the Bedford Schools purchased it, Fiorentino went to the school board to ask them to consider keeping it.
“I said “Look, I’m glad to see (the land) is still going to be used for education,” he said. “I understand you have to do what you have to do for your community and the people who pay your taxes. I’m OK with that. I’m just making a plea that if you think you can keep it, we’d love to see you do that.”
Unfortunately for those hoping the building would survive, the board narrowly decided that it would better to build from scratch, and demolition on the Chanel building officially started on July 29 this year. Since then the heavy machinery has been dismantling a section at a time until rubble is pretty much all that is left.
Many artifacts and memorabilia were removed from the building prior to its demolition, though. A number of those items that had special meaning to certain alumni and their families have already been given away. The rest have taken up residence in Fiorentino’s insurance planning offices in Hudson. These include photos, yearbooks, trophies, signs and sports equipment. He said he takes the different articles to Chanel gatherings such as the annual golf outing and class reunions to help the alumni reminisce about their high school days.
Fiorentino played football while at Chanel, and was also a coach at the school at times during his 50-year football coaching career. Because of that, there is one artifact in the collection that means a lot to him in particular. That is the trophy from the 2001 Division V football championship team, of which he was one of the coaches. It was a team that went 15-0 and was known for its excellent running game.
(As a side note, Fiorentino said he would have loved to have seen how Chanel would have stacked up against Division I champ Cleveland St. Ignatius that year. He said he doesn’t think they could have stopped Bedford’s running game with Tony Franklin leading the way. During the regular season, Bedford had beaten the Division III state champions Mentor Lake Catholic and also powerhouse Avon Lake.)
There are other sports-themed pieces including the 1999 Division III state champion basketball trophy, and a metal sign that used to hang outside of the school commemorating that season. Another green metal sign naming Northfield Road as the “Avenue of Champions” is also a member of the souvenirs. Fiorentino said the wrestling team also won titles in the 1970s and 1980s, and the collection includes awards won by them and other sports teams.
Fiorentino also has a couple of articles that commemorate a beloved priest and teacher who served at Chanel, the Rev. Edward O’Connell. These include a picture of him, a memorial booklet and the jacket he wore during WWII when he was a chaplain on an aircraft carrier.
Other Chanel keepsakes take a trip
Just recently, a number of large items from the Chanel building were transferred to Marist High School in Atlanta, where Fiorentino said they are planning to create a memorial for Chanel High School. Father William Rowland, who was priest at Chanel, is in residence at that school now. Some of those items that were moved include a painting of St. Peter Chanel, a St. Peter Chanel stone etching, the Marist crest stone etching, and a Marble etching of the Virgin Mary. They also send to Atlanta the 1956 Block from the front of the school that included a time capsule. (Editor’s note: There will be a separate Bedford Tribune article about the contents of the time capsule.)
White boards were used to surround the keepsakes and protect them on the truck during the trip. But before they were used for packing, the boards were brought to the Chanel High School site where Fiorentino said about 200 alumni came out to sign them on Aug. 23. The boards could be used as part of the memorial, as well.
One memento from the school, however, has taken up residence in Bedford and can be viewed when patrons enter Sirna’s Cafe. The restaurant was given the plaque that used to decorate the based of the St. Peter Chanel statue on the Chanel property.
Keeping up the tradition
Along with the Christmas party, the foundation is also keeping alive its annual golfing event. The Kaz Szczepanik 8th Annual Golf Outing was held at Coppertop Golf Course on Aug. 30 and 136 golfers attended. Any money made from the event goes into a scholarship fund for families members of Chanel alumni.
Fiorentino said for the last three years the foundation has been able to give 10 scholarships in the amount of $500 for students to pursue an education, including high schools or colleges of their choice. This year, the award will be $1,000. He said candidates fill out applications and write essays that are judged by a certain criteria. Fiorentino said children or grandchildren or faculty or alumni of Chanel High School are eligible to apply.
Whether it is the annual scholarship, the Christmas party, or the other get-togethers that alumni participate in each year, the Chanel High School experience lives on. And the influence of those who graduated from the school can be seen strongly in area business, local government and in the schools. The building may be no more, but Chanel High School has school still has a tradition that is robust.
