Kaitlyn Angeles

Ayala and St. Paul the Apostle have been neighbors for over thirty years. Over this time, they developed a neighborly dynamic that continues to blossom to this day for the benefit of both institutions.

For as long as Ayala has existed, the Bulldog community and the Catholic community at St. Paul the Apostle have maintained a neighborly dynamic that continues to blossom three decades later. Active Catholics Everywhere (ACE) Club is a club on the Ayala campus that serves Catholic students who want to be more active in their faith.

“ACE Club is there so those who are Catholic and want to be more involved in the ministry can start by joining the club first,” ACE Club President Sophia Musni (11) said. “If they want to go further, there’s other things involving the church that are separate.”

ACE Club coordinates events with the St. Paul Youth Center like Youth Nights and Bible Study. Along with these formal events, the Youth Center also opens their doors to students Monday through Wednesday from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM and Thursday through Friday from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM. 

“We typically get a few students who, after school, will come over here and just hang out, do homework, or just wait for their ride,” youth minister Daniel Ortiz said.

The club is a collaborative effort between the school and the church to give students the opportunity to feel more connected with their faith. ACE Club meetings are held on campus every third Wednesday of the month in room F107. There are also meetings and events hosted off campus, on the church grounds. 

“Sometimes, some of the ACE Club meetings that happen outside of campus happen at the Youth Center, where even the youth ministers, cross trainers, and Catechetical Student Body (CSB) members lead the meeting and prayers. And also, sometimes CSB members, cross trainers, and ministers attend the ACE Club meetings on campus during lunch to do the ongoing collaborations,” Junior High, High School, and Confirmation Coordinator Edric Alcantara said.

The relationship between Ayala and St. Paul the Apostle is not confined to ACE Club. Beyond the religious operations that are coordinated, the church also helps Ayala administer Advanced Placement (AP) examinations by lending their facilities to the school. 

“Whoever is the one in contact with the AP Boards schedules the meetings and they determine how many rooms they need,” Alcantara said. “So if there’s enough room, they’re not going to ask for the hall, but if they need room, [we give it to them].”

The process of setting up the space for AP testing happens months in advance, way before spring. Communication is streamlined in conjunction with the AP Board, Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), and the front office business manager at St. Paul the Apostle on how to set up the testing site.

“It’s an official AP testing area where it’s locked doors. Even myself as a staff, I can’t go in there. Everything is set according to how the proctor wants it,” Alcantara said. 

The AP examinations hosted at St. Paul the Apostle is a way that the church has supported Ayala in service of both Catholic and non-Catholic students, showing the strong relation that the two have had as they are close in proximity. 

“We’ve had a great ongoing relationship,” Alcantara said. “I want to say the AP testing has been going on at our parish hall for at least twelve years.”