For St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton, a legacy of faith, academics, leadership

When St. Joseph Catholic School opened, it consisted of grades one through four with 42 children.

The year was 1954.

“It was started by parents who came together and wanted a Catholic school,” Principal Deborah Suddarth said. “Seventy years later, it’s still going strong.”

That milestone will be celebrated by the school’s community at its gala fundraiser next Saturday at IMG Academy Golf Club. Today the school has an enrollment of 300 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and is undergoing renovations to increase capacity.

Yet the legacy remains.

“Parents have been very involved from the beginning,” Suddarth said. “We’re very much a family – families, teachers, everyone – working together for the children. There’s a lot of continuity, reinforcing what families are doing at home and at school.

“There’s always been a big push for academic excellence. We combine religion, but always put a big emphasis on doing your best, using your gifts and talents, giving children lots of different experiences – music, art, learning a language, academic skills …”

Then there are the alumni.

“What’s amazing,” she said, “is the number of people in the community – doctors, dentists, attorneys, community leaders – who are graduates.”

Such as Angel Colonneso, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, whose surname is synonymous with the school.

“My dad went there in the '50s. So did my uncle,” she said. “My brother went there and my niece and nephews. It’s very tied to my family.”

Likewise for alum Stephen Ierulli, president of IMS Claim and Catastrophe Services, whose children are also alums.

“It’s a foundation of how I raised my kids, an anchor for their religious foundation,” he said. “We cherish it.”

So does alum Ogden Clark, the communications coordinator for Manatee County’s public works department.

“My greatest memory is the relationship I had with teachers,” he said. “Running into them grocery shopping or whatever, there’s that connection still – like running into a family member.”

· Dave Moates is 76 years young.

· And Anne Kinnan is 39. Again.

· Big ups to Braden River High girls weightlifting, unbeaten back-to-back district and Manatee County champs, a program first. Individual district champs were Ericka Freeman, Ali Gonzalez, Ashlyn Henry, Baylee Hinkle, Payton Mangay-Ayam, Ivy Nguyen, Jada Phillips and Chloe Pogoda.

· There will be food, fun and fellowship when Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, 833 Magellan Drive, Sarasota, hosts Trivia Night Saturday, 5:45 p.m. at Flynn Hall with host Larry Jessen.

· And how is Janet Smith feeling after knee surgery?

Grandma promised, “Give me a couple of months and I’ll be break-dancing.”

Vin’s People runs Sundays. Email Vin Mannix at vinspeople@gmail.com. Or call 941-962-5944. X (formerly Twitter): @vinmannix.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: VIN MANNIX: St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton celebrates 70 years