A Legacy of Hope, Service, and Joy
St. Agnes Catholic Academy recently welcomed a very special guest, Mayor Joe Rasco, for a tribute honoring his many years of service to Key Biscayne. Students, faculty, staff, parents, and guests gathered to thank a man who has never received a Peacemaker Award from our Academy, yet has spent much of his life doing exactly what peacemakers do: helping others and making our community better.
Helping Build Our Village
For 35 years, Joe Rasco has served Key Biscayne. In 1990, before Key Biscayne was an incorporated Village, he joined neighbors who believed local families deserved a safe, welcoming place to call home. In 1991, he served on the first Village Council and helped lay the foundations of the Village we know today. He later served as mayor from 1998 to 2002, and again from 2022 to 2026.
Our students learned that many of the places they love, like Village Green, the Community Center, and the police and fire services that keep us safe, grew out of the work of leaders like Mayor Rasco. As our pastor reminded everyone, his story is about more than dates or titles. It is about a willingness to serve.
Living Out JOY
When asked what JOY stands for, our students answered right away: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last! Mayor Rasco’s years of service reflect those same values. He has led with an open heart, an open mind, and a readiness to listen, knowing that behind every question or concern is a real person who deserves respect.
True leadership is not about feeling important. It is about helping people know that they matter.
A Message for Our Students
Students were reminded that Jesus taught us greatness is found in serving others, and that you don’t have to be a mayor to make a difference. Helping a classmate who is struggling, inviting someone who feels left out, listening before speaking, and choosing kindness are small acts of love that can change someone’s day, and over time, a whole community. That is how we become peacemakers. That is how we live JOY.
A Gift of Gratitude
Our pastor also shared a personal word of thanks, recalling how Mayor Rasco has been a friend, a source of wisdom, and a steady encouragement throughout his 12 years as pastor of St. Agnes.
In place of a Peacemaker Medal, the Academy presented Mayor Rasco with a statue of St. Joseph. God entrusted Joseph with caring for Mary and Jesus, and he protected his family with courage, humility, and faithful love, without asking for applause. The statue honors Mayor Rasco’s commitment to his own family and to the families of Key Biscayne. We pray that St. Joseph watches over him, Ana, and their children and grandchildren in the years ahead.
The tribute ended with a big St. Agnes round of applause from our students. Thank you, Mayor Rasco, for leaving our community a legacy of hope, service, and joy.
