A Letter from the President

Dear Lancer Families,

I am proud to announce that Mr. Keith Gibalski will serve as Salpointe’s interim principal for the next two years. Over these past months, Mr. Gibalski has demonstrated strong leadership and impeccable judgment. He has earned the trust of both our Salpointe community as well as our Tucson Catholic community over the past 40 years, serving here at Salpointe for 27 years and at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School for the previous 13 years. Mr. Gibalski has worked collaboratively with me since Sr. Helen’s departure, clearly and consistently championing the Catholic, Carmelite values and mission as well as the high standards cherished at Salpointe. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Gibalski!

I am also pleased to announce that Mr. Tony Gerrettie has been selected as Salpointe's Assistant Principal for Academics. This position is responsible for the education, supervision and professional development of faculty. Mr. Gerrettie has taught English at Salpointe for the past 12 years. He has coached Speech and Debate, moderated the Europe trip for eight years, coached men's tennis, functioned as game administrator at multiple athletic competitions, and consistently attended countless Lancer activities. Mr. Gerrettie recently completed his M.Ed in Educational Leadership-Instructional Leadership through Northern Arizona University. Mr. Gerrettie is thrilled to assume this leadership position, noting, “ I have pursued and achieved excellence in my responsibilities as teacher, coach, and more over the past twelve years. I am ready to do so in a leadership role” Congratulations, Mr. Gerrettie!

May 11-15 was National Teacher Appreciation Week. Salpointe is eternally grateful for the dedication and commitment of our exceptional teachers and staff. For most of them, working at Salpointe is not a job: it is their ministry, their mission and their life’s purpose. At this difficult and unprecedented time in our world, Salpointe’s teachers and staff continue to strengthen our faith, build community and deliver valuable educational content through distance learning. Keep these educators in your prayers!

We at Salpointe want to do everything in our power to help our Lancer families in need: financially, academically, spiritually, emotionally, etc. If you know of a Lancer family that needs help, please contact me directly or reach out to the Finance, Campus Ministry or Counseling offices. We want to be there for our alums and we want every current Lancer student to return in August, healthy and ready for Salpointe’s treasure of on-campus traditions!

This time of year, the Class of 2020 would ordinarily be participating in the senior slideshow, the senior banquet, graduation practices, Lancer Legacy breakfast and a host of other powerful and emotional traditions unique to Salpointe. But these are not ordinary times. Nonetheless, Salpointe teachers and staff share heartfelt pride in these 275 Lancers. They have been our inspirational student leaders in every aspect of our holistic educational program for the past four years: in the classrooms; on the fields, courts, pools, tracks and courses; at Kairos; in band, choir, dance and drama; in Horizons and Speech and Debate; in STUCO, in STEM, in Humanities, and the list goes on. This pandemic has challenged us all, but it is the Class of 2020 who has lost the opportunity to shine and be celebrated for their determination and their success. They have met the challenge with grace, gratitude and resilience. 

These Lancers have earned our respect. Check out the impressive list of 173 colleges accepting these students, earning over $21M in merit scholarships. Check out the venerable list of Salpointe Scholars, students who graduate with 4.0+ GPAs! And finally check out the long list of senior athletes who have committed to play their sport at the collegiate level. We look forward to celebrating Lancer graduation traditions, Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement on August 4 and 5, but in the meantime, please join me in congratulating this remarkable group of Lancers!

After reaching the $9M mark in early March, fundraising for our $10M capital campaign, Aspire: Arts Academics Athletics was put on “pause” due to COVID-19 priorities. This campaign features the Stearns Center for the Arts as well as transformational improvements in classrooms and sports facilities. We now plan to launch the final fundraising phase in June and July, a public campaign in which all members of our Salpointe community will have the opportunity to participate--and create a personalized plaque for as little as $1000 over five years. Please help us successfully finish this campaign. If all goes well, we will dedicate the Center for the Arts on Friday, October 2 during Homecoming weekend!

Finally, regarding next year, Salpointe tentatively intends to open our campus as we do every August, assuming that all goes well this summer with a reduction in COVID-19 cases. We will have every area of our beautiful campus ready to launch another fantastic school year. The first day of school for incoming freshmen is Monday, August 10 and for upperclassmen, August 11. Get ready!

Thank you, Salpointe community, for your strength and resilience, for your gratitude and inspiration, for your commitment to one another, and for your tangible faith as we struggle through this crisis together. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Pray!

Kay Sullivan
President
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Salpointe Catholic High School

1545 E. Copper St.,
Tucson, AZ 85719
(520) 327-6581
Attendance: (520) 327-1990
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