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NEWSSAINT AUGUSTINE SAINTS VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1 WINTER 2019SINCE 1858e to theWelcom Saintsf theH ome oThe Gift of Catholic SchoolsSister Gloria Agumagu, HHCJ, PrincipalCatholic means universal! This means that we include children from various backgrounds. Catholic schools haveprovided strong and sound education to students from all ages because of their strong academics. If we take alook at statistics in our districts let alone around the globe, students graduating from Catholic schools are soaring.Catholic education provides children with the best academics, Christian values, and virtues that will lasts forever.Life experience is grounded in our institutions. Students are taught how to love and respect one another in the waythat captures who we are within and outside their environments. Our students are resilient, despite societal demise.Catholic education is a promise that students succeed in lifeand have the abilityto compete in a global society.Here are essays from eighth grade students at Saint Augustine Catholic School.Why I Love Saint Augustine Catholic SchoolINSIDEPAGESWhy do I love Saint AugustineSchool? St. Augustine is a communityfilled with children of God, and Iadmire that. When I first came to St.Augustine, in second grade, it wasa completely different environmentfrom my previous experiences. Thefirst thing I noticed, coming froma public school, is how they putGod before anything. Every day webegin with morning prayers and endwith closing prayers. We don’t justpray during those times, we praybefore every class, event, meal, andmore. St. Augustine also providesweekly Mass for all students,Bamlak Yilma, 8th Gradeteachers, and the community.Implementing prayer throughoutmy life has helped me strengthenPartnership with CharacterFormation Program.2Overcoming Racismthrough Resilience.3both my relationship with God andmy faith.Another reason I continued tocall Saint Augustine home is becauseof the environment. St. Augustinehas amazing teachers and facultywho will do anything to help you. Ibelieve that all my teachers have anunlimited amount of love towardsme and my peers. The teachers atSt. Augustine will not only helpyou during class but also outsideof class. “I will help you tomorrowafterschool,” just know they will. Allthe teachers will get up at 5 in thecontinued on page 2Development Corner.4Oldest alumna gets readyfor 100th birthday.5Annual Christmas Show.7For Parents, Alumni, Parishioners and Friends of St. Augustine School in Washington D.C.
continued from page 1Why I Love SaintAugustine Catholic Schoolmorning or stay until 6 in the eveningjust to help you out. The teachersdo not just support us in School butoutside of school. You may see yourmath teacher or your homeroomteacher at your basketball gamecheering you on. Overall, St.Augustine is a family, and they willnever let you down.Lastly,St.Augustineisa Catholic School spreadingthe good news of the Lord,and the nuns here also help with that.We have three nuns: one as a religionteacher, another as a principal, andanother teacher. I’m glad that SaintAugustine assigns nuns to assist usthroughout our academic career.This experience makes me thinkgreater and better. In conclusion,having nuns at St. Augustine has notonly helped me grow academicallyand morally.Debora Abera 8th GradeSister Gloriadoes not only implement rigorousacademics but helps students growand get exposure to many differentthings in life.Saint Augustine is one of themost driven student communitieswhere students take pride intheir intercultural qualities. Thefaculty ensures that everyoneenrolled fosters passion forinquisitive thinking, and becomesvisionaries for the world, puttingGod at the forefront of servicefor others. Most importantly, theschool promotes service to othersthrough its educational programs.Not only is St. Augustinea Catholic school, but is theonly school that has threenuns who work on staff. Thesenuns guide us and help us togrow in our faith. This institutioninfuses many different faithpractices, however it is able tounite everyone, together throughits Catholic Identity.Partnership with CharacterFormation ProgramSaint Augustine is in its fourth year of partnershipwith the Youth Leadership Foundation (YLF). A 501 non-profit, YLF builds character among youth of ourNation’s Capital through its Program for Academicand Leadership Skills for girls and the TenleyAchievement Program for boys. Professor EdwardC. Smith co-founded YLF in 1997, building on acollaboration with two Catholic Study Centers in the 1970s and 80s.During its afterschool program, students in PALS and TAP have amentor who helps them set personal goals and helps to review theirhomework. Each session focuses on a virtue of the day. Students learnabout the virtues from stories of figures that embody the virtue. Thestudents also have the opportunity play in teams for points—bothsports, and strategy games like chess. Teams also earn points mydemonstrating diligence, preparation and hard-work and win specialprizes and field trips.Sixth grade Langston Davis was selected as a Hometown Herobecause of his participation in the YLF boys’ program TAP. He and peersfrom other schools attended a basketball game at George WashingtonUniversity and got a moment of recognition on court during the gamefor his dedication to personal character development in TAP.”Saint Augustine School worksclosely with students to promote asocial, academic, cultural, religious,and scientific aptitude throughamultidisciplinaryapproach.Driven by its passion for instillingculturalsensitivity,inquisitivethinking, and positive change, itprepares young kids to betomorrow’s leaders. This institution22018-2019 School Theme: ““Let all of you come together with one mind and one voice,giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)
Overcoming Racism through Resiliencemorning. The young Andersonwould also deliver morning andafternoon newspapers, eager tomake some extra cash. He tookgreat pride in his appearance, evenif he did not have a great deal ofmoney, and he said that having sucha sense of dignity in one’s personwas very common among AfricanAmerican residents of the city.Harry Anderson ’53 is a lifelongparishioner at Saint Augustine,an usher, and a Fourth Degreemember and a Grand Knight of twoKnights of Columbus councils. Onecan understand how he won theVincent Brooks Award in 2017 forservice to the parish because of hisdedication.But perhaps even more thanthose facts, Harry Anderson’s lifeembodies our country’s originalsin of racism, and his life alsoserves as an example for how manyAfrican-Americans have overcomethis terrible scourge. His life alsomanifests the value of Catholiceducation.When Mr. Anderson tells hislife’s story over a two-hour meeting,one can feel a mixture of emotions:sadness, anger, and also pride inbeing an American and a Catholic.One can feel sadness and angerover the various ways that raciststructures sought to constrict Mr.Anderson earlier in his life.Much of Mr. Anderson’scharacter was formed in his youth.He and his sister would walk toschool at Saint Augustine School on15th Street, N.W., from their familyhome in Georgetown each schoolHarry Anderson had sometalent with fashion displays, andafter graduating from CardozoSenior High School – which heattended because Catholic highschool educational options in thecity for Blacks were so limited - heapproached the assistant buyer fora District department store abouthelping with the store’s displaywindows. The assistant buyer wasamenable to hiring Mr. Andersonbut said that the head buyer wouldneed to make the final decision,after he came back from a trip toEurope.In Mr. Anderson’s presence, thehead buyer told the assistant buyer,“You know we can’t hire a Blackperson for that job.”In the face of such overtracism, he decided it would begood to have a change of pace. Mr.Anderson then served our countryin the Air Force for four years, from1957 to 1961, after graduatingfrom Cardozo. When he came backfor an assignment in Florida from1960-1961, after serving in Asia,Mr. Anderson was arrested outsideof Orlando, Fla., along with twoother African-American airmanfor refusing to move to the backof the bus, which was the localcustom when the bus was riding2018-2019 School Theme: ““Let all of you come together with one mind and one voice,giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)off base.“(Those were) the rules,”Mr. Anderson recalled.“I didn’tunderstand that.”What should have been aninnocent trip to get a haircut inOrlando turned into a “that’sthe-way-things-are” talk from hiscommanding officer about howhe should obey the local customsand sit behind the white line. Mr.Anderson knew the experience inFlorida might not be satisfactorywhen he attended a meeting athis previous Air Force duty station,in which Black airmen were toldthat they would not receive thesame luxury housing amenitiesthat White airmen would enjoy incentral Florida.Disgusted by this acceptance ofa moral evil, Mr. Anderson decidedto leave the Air Force. By the timeof his 1961 discharge, however, thelocal public bus system gave up itspolicy of racial segregation.It can make one feel proudto be an American that in spiteof the challenges, Mr. Andersonfound a way through them. Ahomeowner at the age of 27 eventhough he lacked a college degree,he worked two jobs for more than10 years to support his family,sometimes coming home at 1 a.m.on a weekday after clocking out ofa job at a downtown bank where hereconciled check deposits.His workethic and devotion to his duties sawhim enjoy the American Dream.But even in that illage near Seat Pleasant,Mr. Anderson was approached by aWhite neighbor who asked that Mr.continued on page 43
Development CornerWilliam MurrayFr. Raymond Kemp and for thedonors who have given more than 110,000 to date to support theFr. Kemp STEM Chair Fund sinceDecember 2017.Thank you to all who havemade tax deductible donations toSaint Augustine Catholic Schoolduring this 2018-2019 school year.It’s been quite a challenge for meto send out 157 thank you lettersbecause of the high volume ofdonations we have received sinceDec. 1, but this is a “good problem”to have!Since July 1, we had receivedmore than 246,000 in donations,as of Jan. 10. We have receivedmore than 200 donations, so theaverage donation size has beenmore than 1,000. Our AnnualFund goal is 475,000 by June 30.In addition to this initiative,we have a 100,000 goal for themonthly offertory collection tosupport our parish school. And inaddition to this support, we havebeen fortunate to receive generousYour support allows us to makeSaint Augustine Catholic Schoolmore affordable, with our tuition 6,000 per student. Roughly 25percent of our school’s budgetcomes from individual donationsand foundation support.William Murraysupport from Holy Redeemer Parish,N.W., St. Michael the ArchangelParish in Silver Spring, and St.Teresa of Avila Parish, S.E. throughthe Archdiocese of Washington’sparticipating parish program.We are also very grateful tocontinued from page 3spread into Prince George’s County.Anderson’s children not play withhis. Undaunted by this experience,Mr. Anderson later served aspresident of the civic association atPeppermill Village and effectivelylobbied in Annapolis for the PepperMill Community Center to be builtoff of Addison Road in Seat Pleasant.Mr. Anderson worked forCongress for 27 years, auditingcampaign contributions for membersof congress. As his legislative districtwas turning Republican, he decidedit would be best to retire, and ajury summons led him to think hecould work effectively as a bailiff atCircuit Court in Upper Marlboro. Heworked as a bailiff and clerk therefor 19 years.He also remembers in 1968,Prince George’s County policein roadways leading out of theDistrict into their county settingup roadblocks and requiring Blackresidents to show identification,fearful that the riots after MartinLuther King Jr.’s assassination wouldOnce can feel a kinship to Mr.Anderson, as he spoke about the1963 assassination of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy and how it hurthim. When he spoke about his wifeof 40 years, Selma Anderson, whopassed away in November 2017,Harry Anderson’s love for her wasOvercoming Racismthrough Resilience4One can make a donation tosupport the school through ourschool’s website at www.staug-dc.org or by mailing in a check in theenvelope that you can find with thisnewsletter.YoucanreachWilliamMurray, development director, r. “She would tell me to notsay so much and to listen more,”he recounted.If every man lovedhis wife like that, and perhaps evenlistened to her, we would have abetter world!Sometimes, Mr. Andersonbreaksdownandbecomesemotional when he thinks of hiswife and his life at Saint Augustine,such as when he received theVincent Brooks Award and whenDonna (Gaskins) Pasteur ’64 had himspeak to a class at his alma mater,Saint Augustine Catholic School,about his experiences. “You’re alegend,” she said, encouraging him.One student offered Mr. Andersona Kleenex as he tried to composehimself.2018-2019 School Theme: ““Let all of you come together with one mind and one voice,giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)
Oldest alumna gets ready for 100th birthdayTo Catherine (Plummer) Hamilton’34, turning 100 years old on March7, God willing, is “not such a big deal.”After all, she met a man at aPrince Georges County seniorsevent who was 108 years old. Inspeaking with another senior at anevent, Ms. Hamilton was told, “Waituntil you get to be my age.” WhenMs. Hamilton asked the woman howold she was, the answer came back:102 years old.Apparently, turning 100 thesedays isn’t what it used to be, but asfar as anyone knows, Ms. CatherineHamilton is the oldest living SaintAugustine Catholic School alumna.“God has blessed me with myfaculties,” Ms. Hamilton says, gratefulthat she has a good memory.“I amaze people,” she said. Theydon’t expect her to own a computer(she purchased one after gettingfrustrated sharing one with herson, Bernard Hamilton ’53). Still,she is not ready to bring home asmartphone quite yet. A landline isgood enough for her. The hardestthing about growing old, she said,is seeing so many family membersand friends pass away. The familyfelt very close to her in-laws, theHamiltons, whom she described as a“big, strong, together family,” and ithas been sad to lose family membersover time.She is not sure what the secretto longevity is, although she visits thedoctor regularly and has quarterlycheckups withher cardiologist. Inaddition, she does not smoke, and herdoctor told her that Ms. Hamilton’stwo sisters probably passed awayas a result of their smoking. She wasswimming until she was 95 yearsold, when she sold her car, so shehas lived an active life. She walksCatherine (Plummer) Hamiltonwith a cane these days, so she hasslowed down.Ms. Hamilton supports her almamater, Saint Augustine, deciding togive the school her financial supportin 2007-2008, after the Archdioceseof Washington closed seven Catholicschools in Washington, D.C., sparingSaint Augustine solely because thepastor and parishioners stronglyopposed the move and came upwith a five-year plan to sustain theschool. True to a Catholic’s guilt, sheeventually came back to supportingthe Cardinal’s Appeal, despite hermisgivings over the school closings.“It’s still my church,” Ms.Hamilton said of Saint Augustine,although she is a registeredparishioner at St. Mary’s in LandoverHills. Her son Bernard sometimesgives her Sunday bulletins from SaintAugustine through nephew TonySpivey, who regularly attends Massat Saint Augustine.Childhood was not easy, sinceMs. Hamilton grew up during theDepression, and her mother diedfrom tuberculous at the age of28 in 1928. She began attendingSaint Augustine School then, afterher father took her to live in hergrandmother’s house in the District.“We were very, very poor,” Ms.Hamilton said.2018-2019 School Theme: ““Let all of you come together with one mind and one voice,giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)During those difficult times,everyone on the block knew eachother, and they helped each other,according to Ms. Plummer. Herfather, George Plummer, taught herhow to fix things, such as takingapart an iron and replacing parts, asopposed to throwing the machineout. These skills came handy afterher family’s move to their house inNew Carrolton in 1980, since Ms.Hamilton did all the electrical workin the house, including installing achandelier in the dining room. NewCarrolton has changed significantlyin 39 years, going from a nearlyall-white community to one with astrong majority minority population.Other children made fun ofyoung Catherine because she wouldwear clothes that came from aDepression-era government reliefprogram. She learned to sew andwould labor late into the night tomake her dresses to wear the nextday. Ms. Hamilton is proud that shewrote an essay at Saint AugustineSchool that won an award from Fr.Alonzo Olds. The parish’s pastorwould give an award during hisFriday visits to the school, and oneweek, young Catherine won it. Shestill has the award – a photo of theSacred Heart – and remembers thather essay was about a defiant girlwho wanted to go with her friends tothe theatre, but her parents opposedher wishes. It was raining thatevening, and since she did not haveany galoshes, she could not join herfriends that evening, and she wentto bed dressed in the clothes shewould have worn to go out. The nextmorning, she read in the newspaperthat the roof collapsed at the theatrethat night, resulting in fatalities.continued on page 65
Alumni Update Alumni Update Alumni UpdateDr. Monea (Hendricks) AbdulMajeed has settled in York, Pa.,with her husband and three youngchildren. She serves as the RacialJustice Coordinator at the YWCAYork, tasked with helping build amore inclusive community.She attended Saint AugustineSchool through seventh grade,before completing her eighth-gradeeducation at St. Gabriel Schoolin 1996. After graduating fromArchbishop Carroll High Schoolas valedictorian and Washingtonand Lee University in Lexington,Va., she earned a doctorate inSociology from Howard University,where her concentration was SocialInequality due to Race, Gender, andEthnicity. She worked at the U.S.Census Bureau for 16 years andhas taught at Trinity WashingtonUniversity, Montgomery College,and Harrisburg Area CommunityCollege (Pennsylvania).Established in 1749, Washingtonand Lee is the alma mater ofAmerican explorer MeriwetherLewis and the late Lewis F. Powell,Jr., a Supreme Court associatejustice. It was a formerly all-white,Carroll and uses his teachings as thegrounding force in her work in York.She said, “Like Dr. King, I believe inthe revolutionary concept that lovehas the capacity to transform anenemy into a friend to transforman entire society from racism to loveand acceptance for all.”all-male school, and during Monea’stime there, she was cast in theschool had first Black play, studiedin South Africa, founded the school’sfirst Black Female Alliance, andcompleted an Independent Study inBlack Feminism. Since that time, theschool has made significant stridesto increase diversity and inclusion.Monea is very proud to be an alumna.She feels she learned a greatdealaboutAfrican-Americanheritage and history and a senseof social responsibility from bothSt. Augustine and ArchbishopCarroll, in addition to the strongacademics. She recalls studying thespeeches and writings of Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. in 3rd grade with Sr.Stephens. She continued studyinghis philosophy of non-violence atAs Racial Justice Coordinator,Monea helped convene YWCAYork’s Leadership Summit duringthe Fall of 2018, where more than150 high school students met to talkabout race and bias. The student’sdug deep into systemic racism,interpersonal racism, and how tobe allies. “Leadership Summit gaveme so much hope. The studentsdiscussed the Black Lives MatterMovement, Islamophobia, HurricaneMaria, and stereotypes of Blacks inthe media. They left the Summit onfire for change. I’m grateful to havebeen a part of it.”When she’s not teaching orspending time with her babies,Monea is a yoga teacher. She infusesmindfulness techniques to her racialjustice work and every aspect of herlife.continued from page 5Oldest alumna gets readyfor 100th birthdayShe got married shortly aftergraduating from Armstrong ManualTraining School at First and O Streets,N.W., formerly known as M StreetHigh, which was part of a nationalcampaign for vocational training forAfrican-Americans sponsored byBooker T. Washington as a means ofmaking racial progress. At the turn ofthe 20th century, M Street High wasone of only two public high schools6in DC to admit African-Americans.church upon.Ms. Hamilton, who worked for25 years in the federal government,most of it with the U.S. AgricultureDepartment, preferred being ahousewife to working a job. Shealso favored the times when peoplewere more reverent at Mass, and shethinks folks talk too much and tooloudly these days in the sanctuary.She believes strongly in what Jesussaid to Peter about the apostle beinga rock that Jesus would build his“I’ll stick with them throughthick and thin,” she said of theCatholic Church, annoyed by whatshe sees as the media’s desire to takedown the Cardinal Wuerl and otherbishops over the sex abuse scandals.There are some things, like thesign on her driveway that states thatonly Redskins fans may park there,that just won’t change.2018-2019 School Theme: ““Let all of you come together with one mind and one voice,giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)
Annual Christmas ShowDecember 17, 20182018-2019 School Theme: ““Let all of you come together with one mind and one voice,giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6)7
Office of Alumni Relations/DevelopmentSt. Augustine Catholic School (PreK-3 to 8)1421 V Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20009202-667-2608Non-Profit StandardU.S. PostagePAIDPermit No. 966Southern MarylandADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDSAINT AUGUSTINE SAINTS NEWS VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1 WINTER 2019www.staug-dc.orgRev. Patrick A. Smith, pastorfatherpat@saintaugustine-dc.org202-265-1470 (church office)Sister Gloria Agumagu, HHCJ, -2608Bill Murray, development ory ideas for the newsletter? Please contact Bill Murray at bmurray@saintaugustine-dc.org.Would you like to update your address for our records?Please complete an alumni contact form at www.staug-dc.org/alumni.html.We welcome inquiries from alumni, former students and anyone interested in our school.
begin with morning prayers and end with closing prayers. We don't just pray during those ti mes, we pray before every class, event, meal, and more. St. Augusti ne also provides weekly Mass for all students, Why I Love Saint Augustine Catholic School teachers, and the community. Implementi ng prayer throughout my life has helped me strengthen
