Editor’s note: The Diocese of Palm Beach honors its Catholic high school graduates, particularly the valedictorians and salutatorians, with senior spotlights. In the first of three articles shining a light on excellence in Catholic education, the Florida Catholic spoke with the top seniors at Cardinal Newman High School.
WEST PALM BEACH | Speaking with Dillon Schneider and Sam Almazan Jr., the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at Cardinal Newman High School, they easily call to mind the special teachers who have left positive impressions on them.
The wide-ranging lectures by theology teacher Michael Novak are impressive, Almazan said, as he brings his knowledge and experiences together. Novak’s class on world religions opened his eyes, he said, to form strong Catholic beliefs.
“The church emphasizes learning about the other faiths, and it actually helps,” Almazan said. “Now I know about Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and we even learned about irreligion, and it shows you the facts that we come to and it builds a foundation for the faith.” The class “taught me how to look at other religions with respect, but then at the same time with the Catholic Church, you see why I believe, and why all of us believe who are Catholics, that we’re the one, true church.”
Schneider said English teacher Sally Gibson is tough — “it’s the only class I’ve ever gotten a B in” — but she is “super fair,” he said. “You can bring your essays to her, and she’ll look them over. Red marks everywhere, but totally honest. But she cares about the students. The difference between Day 1 and leaving that class is unbelievable.”
Other exceptional teachers they mentioned include Patricia Smith (math), Anup Sinha (chemistry), Kathy Moormann (social studies) and Hassan Zamani (robotics), along with swim team coach Peter Ninivaggi. Schneider and Almazan competed on the swim team, which especially helped Schneider in his work as a lifeguard at Lake Lytal Park in West Palm Beach.
Besides being an academic heavyweight at Cardinal Newman, Almazan is a state champion weightlifter, four-time regional champ and six-time district titleholder, competing in the 129-pound weight class as a freshman, 139 as a sophomore and 154 as a junior and senior. He said building a team and being a leader are a satisfying part of competition.
Both top students have big opportunities ahead. Schneider, the son of Eric and Michele Schneider, is planning to enter the University of Florida in the fall with his eyes on a double major in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering. “I hope to use that to become an astronaut,” he said. “I’m going to see if I can intern at either NASA or SpaceX or one of the other companies. I just want to be an astronaut.”
Almazan, the son of Sam Almazan and Shannon Harmeyer Almazan, will head to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and start a military career. “My goal is to do 20 years. I don’t know what I want to do in the Army yet. I’ve thought of being a combat engineer, infantry officer or military police. There are so many things I could do,” he said.
Catholic education has been a mainstay for both young men. They both attended primary grades in West Palm Beach, with Schneider at St. Juliana and Almazan at St. Ann. “I love the church. That is the most important part of my life, and I make sure to live it out through all the service I do,” said Almazan, who was an altar server and extraordinary minister of holy Communion and volunteered at the Lourdes Noreen McKeen Residence helping the elderly.
No one becomes a top student without pushing him or herself, sometimes beyond their comfort zone. Both top students offered advice and perspectives they gained as leaders.
“Just put yourself out there. If you want something, you’ve got to go achieve it. You can’t just sit back and have everything come to you,” Almazan said. Schneider added: “You’ve got to try and give it your all. If you fail, that’s OK because at least you tried.”
For more information about Cardinal Newman High School, visit https://cardinalnewman.com, call 561-683-6266 or follow the school on Facebook and Instagram.
