4 AQUINAS LANDMARK | WINTER 2026 At Aquinas, stories of dedication, creativity, and heart are happening everywhere, sometimes in plain sight, and sometimes quietly behind the scenes. From past traditions to present-day triumphs, these hidden stories often go unnoticed amid the hustle and bustle of daily school life. What you’ll find here is just a glimpse—a collection of moments, achievements, and acts of spirit that remind us why Aquinas is more than a school: it’s a community, a family, and a place where every story matters. DID YOU KNOW? hidden stories of aq Briar Hinds ’28 consoles another player from the opposing team (Kate Pinto of Pittsford Sutherland) while her teammates celebrate winning the Girls Soccer Section V Class A Championship. Brendan McDaniels P’23 & ‘25, Academic Intervention Services Coordinator, is also an ESPN+ announcer for various sports including, college volleyball and basketball, the Rochester Knighthawks, and the Buffalo Bills. Mathematics Teacher George Flevares is a radio host for Rochester Free Radio and is an ESPN+ play by play announcer for St. Bonaventure University Rugby. Ted Lauzon ’94 and Chuck Porcari ’80 met for the first time recently at the Washington, D.C. alumni event. They discovered they not only grew up on the same street in Rochester, but in the very same house just years apart. Talk about a small world! No matter where life takes you, you’re bound to find a fellow Aquinas connection along the way. It’s the worst kept secret at the school: Aquinas has a swimming pool. And that swimming pool was never used. Built in 1925 beneath the cafeteria, the 40x60-foot pool was fully constructed with lockers, showers, and a filter room. Plans to fill it were scrapped after a local tragedy the summer before the school opened, when a young girl drowned in a nearby pool. Today, the pool remains a hidden relic: its outline can still be seen under the floor in the corridor near the Reading Room, along with exposed plumbing and red brick ledges— quiet reminders of Aquinas’ “lost” pool. is summary is courtesy of Bob Gibbons ’65. Harold Clark, Class of 1917—back when Aquinas was known as Cathedral High—was the school’s first alumnus to play in the NFL. Clark played 25 games from 1920, the NFL’s inaugural year, through 1925 as an End for the Rochester Jeffersons. Although Cathedral High did not have a football team, Clark excelled on the basketball court, earning unanimous selection to the All-Interscholastic Team. He also proudly served in the U.S. Navy during WWI.
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