Danca said that seeing those children every day is a big part of what she will miss the most about being an administrator at the school.

“I love being part of this community which is so faith filled and so generous with everything that they have,” she said. “It really is a gift for me to come here every day. I will miss the people more than anything.”

Following Hurricane Sandy, Danca said she was proud of the way both the school and community recovered and said that the storm never influenced her to consider retirement.

“If anything, I was more committed to this school after the storm when I realized how the faculty and staff put all of their challenges behind them so that they could provide an environment for the children that would allow them to be safe,” she said.

Long Beach Catholic played a role in the community’s recovery by hosting different groups that came to feed the people of Long Beach over the holiday season, and Danca said she was inspired by the response to help those affected.

“To experience this wonderful giving, sense of generosity toward not only our school, but our city was a tremendous gift that I would have never wanted to miss out on,” she said.

After her retirement, Danca said that she and her husband will take some time to travel to places that they haven’t been able to visit before, but they will always have their “roots, foundation and permanence,” in Long Beach.

“Wherever we go, Long Beach will always be our home,” she said.