Hannan High marks 25 years of success, resilience

Archbishop Hannan High School celebrated more than the blessing of new buildings with a 25th anniversary Mass on Jan. 31. When alumni, students, parents, teachers and friends gathered on the campus, they were also celebrating the building of new bridges – bridges between the school’s past in St. Bernard and its future in western St. Tammany.

Sure, the new 10-classroom building and spacious new library were highlights of the evening. And yes, the new football/soccer field was lit for all to see. And, just for fun, a new victory bell was given a good ringing by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, who received his very own Hannan baseball cap from principal, Dominican Father Charles Latour.

But before all of that, alumni were invited to view the unveiling of Heritage Hall, a tribute to the school’s history, including its many years in Meraux, where Archbishop Hannan High opened in 1987 and prospered until Hurricane Katrina destroyed the campus  in August 2005 and led to its eventual relocation near Covington.

A storied quarter-century

Heritage Hall, on the first floor of the main school building, tells the school’s story. The walls are lined with memorabilia, including a   display dedicated to items from the late Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, whose vision made the school a reality in 1987. 

There are pictures of first principal John Serio who served for 20 years and the school crest listing “Meraux” as its location. And there is a wall adorned with hundreds of pictures, new and old. Assistant principal Nancy Baird perused dozens of Hannan High yearbooks for the pre-Katrina pictures.

“It is a great way to honor our past,” she said.

The alumni who attended  the unveiling of Heritage Hall seemed grateful as they looked, pointed and snapped pictures of the pictures with their phones.

Heritage Hall was the brainchild of Father Latour, who has been principal since 2009 and has worked hard at connecting the Hannan family. He says Heritage Hall’s opening lets people see that “healing is taking place.” 

“Heritage Hall is a great way to bring closure and build new bridges,” he said, especially with the alums who have been coming in greater numbers to school functions, such as homecoming, in the past two years. 

Cherished alma mater

Paul and Lynda San Fillippo were on hand to view the photo display. They’ve sent their three children, Tim, Mike and Amy, to Hannan. 

“Everything was just perfect,” Lynda San Fillippo said of her children’s time in the school in St. Bernard. “It was the best money I ever spent. … We loved it, and the kids loved it.”

Paul San Fillippo remembered the first parent-teacher meeting he attended at Hannan. “I was apprehensive, but then (Principal John) Serio said, ‘Years from now, your children will be proud that they walked these halls.’”

And they are proud, San Fillippo said, even though those “halls” are gone. In their place is Heritage Hall, miles away but carrying the Hannan spirit forward. Tim San Fillippo, in fact, carried a statue of the Blessed Mother forward at the beginning of the Mass that took place after Heritage Hall was unveiled, placing Mary on a table along with other Hannan symbols, including a framed picture of the school’s namesake.

Rich legacy recalled

It was that namesake, Archbishop Aymond said in his homily, who left “handprints and heartprints” on Hannan High. 

“His vision made this night possible. …  I know that Philip Matthew Hannan is smiling down on us; we thank God for his vision.”

There were others who left their “handprints and heartprints” on the school, such as Serio. It was Serio who helped move the school to its temporary quarters at St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College after Katrina. The school moved to its present campus north of Interstate 12 near Covington in November 2008.

“His handprints and heartprints are deeply embedded in this community,” the archbishop said. “Because of him, we gather here tonight.”

There also were countless students who left their imprints on the school, Archbishop Aymond said, including some who attended the celebration on Jan. 31, such as Father Jeff Montz, a Hannan graduate, and Jesse Shaffer, Class of 2005, who was honored with the Hannan Way Award.

Shaffer and his father, Jesse Shaffer Sr., used their boats to save Braithwaite residents who were trapped in their flooded homes when Hurricane Isaac hit in late August.

“They risked their lives, saving 120 people in 12 hours of work in the middle of a hurricane, not because they had to, but because it was the Hannan Way,” said Father Latour, who is leaving his own unique “handprints and heartprints” on the high school.

Steady uptick in enrollment

Father Latour oversaw construction of the new school building, library building and football/soccer field and the school’s annual increases in enrollment. This year, there are 380 students enrolled, with 450 projected next year, assistant principal Baird said.

“Father Charlie Latour has totally invested himself here. He has made available his heartprints to make this the best school it can be,” Archbishop Aymond said, adding: “It is a privilege to make history and bless these new buildings. It is always nice when a family gets bigger.”

And Archbishop Hannan High is family. Father Latour said he was visiting relatives and friends over the holidays when he realized something amazing: “I had become one of those parents who always show pictures of their kids.”

He described how he would pull out pictures and tell friends and relatives about the new football field, the wonderful things his kids were accomplishing in school, and much more. That’s because Hannan High is family, he said, which means more than buildings. It means connections between past, present and future.

“The spirit of this school is in the hearts and the attitudes and the smiles of these young men and women. … I am honored to follow in the footsteps of John Serio.  We are all family; we are one.”

Karen Baker can be reached at [email protected].