Following an historic snowfall in San Antonio, Texas, in 1985, Sisters Jean Kasko and Rosalia Giba ice skate on the frozen-over breezeway that connected our former St. Francis Academy to the adjoining convent.
After 14 inches of snow fell on San Antonio in 1985, Sister Rosie was in awe at the mountain of plowed snow visible for nearly a month from her classroom at Holy Name School, where she served as principal from 1981 to 1987.
Sleds, Skates & San Antonio
Sister Rosalia Giba shares some
of her most memorable snow stories
From her childhood days growing up on Pittsburgh’s North Side to her teaching days in New Jersey and Texas, Sister Rosalia Giba has always embraced the magic of winter, incorporating snowy themes into her classrooms and venturing outdoors to enjoy nature’s blanketed landscapes.
fun by the dozen
“I have great memories of sledding as a child. In my neighborhood, there were more than a dozen children. So when the snow was high and just perfect for sled-riding, we tied 12 sleds together in one long line. We went to the top of the hill with each child was on his or her own sled. We started from the top of the hill and zoomed all the way down. Some of us toppled off, and that was just fine! The others just kept on going. And then when we reached the bottom, we automatically just rolled off.”
A Close Call
“I remember my sister and I went on another street to sled ride. When it was my turn to use the sled I got on the top of the street and went sliding down. In this case picture the letter T. I was on the vertical part of the T, and the horizontal part was another street perpendicular to it. There was a car parked on the horizontal part. Was I going to bang into the car or what? Just as I reached the car, my guardian angel was with me, and the sled stopped before I crashed!”
Learning to Skate
“I love to ice skate. I learned how to skate after I was already in the convent. I remember going on Friday nights with a lady from the parish where I was working. We went to the 10 p.m. session at Riverview Park Ice Rink in Pittsburgh, when only adults were permitted to skate. We did not have to worry about children running into us as I was learning.”
Skating in San Antonio
“When I was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, I took my ice skates with me. The Sisters there said that they don’t ice skate in San Antonio. Well, God was good to me. When I was there we had a big snow fall. Our convent is attached to the school by an elevated breezeway, which naturally froze quickly. So out came my ice skates, and there I was ice skating in San Antonio!”
SFA alums, do you remember San Antonio’s historic snow storm in 1985? Refresh your memory here.
A courageous Sister Rosie shovels snow off the convent porch roof in Barnesboro, Pa., following the February 1978 blizzard that pummeled the northeast.
Further proof that she’s always been a fan of snow, this photo from the late 1950s shows penguins and igloos adorning Sister Rosie’s first grade classroom at SS. Cyril & Methodius School in Boonton, N.J.