St. Augustine High School 3266 Nutmeg Street

San Diego, CA 92104-5199619-282-2184

www.sahs.org

Dear Parents and Friends

Friendship is a Gift

Friendship is a great gift, and a truly sup-

portive friend is a rare treasure. In all-boys

schools, where boys are not competing

with one another for the attention of girls, strong

bonds of friendship grow and thrive. Many of the

friendships the boys at Saints develop will indeed

last a lifetime and what they learn about being a

good and reliable friend will enrich their lives.

is important to see the choice of good friends and

the formation of trusting and caring relationships among young men as

an attainment of our goal. Making friends is an achievement. And as a

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ceive are the people that surround us. These gifts of friendship deepen

resides in each of us. As such we should encourage Saintsmen to be a

gift to and live joyfully with one another by developing the qualities of

love, loyalty, trust, dependability, laughter and compassion.

Principal

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Continued on page 6.

Principal James Horne

December 2011 Vol 31 no. 4YOUR MONTHLY REPORT ON THE ST. AUGUSTINE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

Saints Scene

Maybe you saw unusual facial hair

on campus when you were drop-

ping off and picking up your

Saintsman last month. Maybe you saw

Saints faculty and staff sporting it. Maybe

you even saw it staring back at you from

across the dinner table.

What looked like a breakdown of the

One student’s not-so-hair-brained idea grows

By John White (Parent, ’11, ’13)

dress code was actually a fundraiser for

Saints sponsors. For a $20 registration fee,

any Saintsman or faculty member was enti-

tled to let his facial hair grow unshaven for

to be an offer that more than 75 students

and faculty members could not refuse, and

off for it.

to becoming an institution at the school,

and it’s all the more remarkable for being

you give students the opportunity to grow

facial hair without getting a dress code,

Of all the hair-brained ideas...

ASB runs with it“

Gus did all the legwork and proposed the

adopted it, then handling the logistics of

Dash for Flash – The annual Turkey Trot Race along North Park neighborhood streets is a highly anticipated tradition at the school and it also marks the beginning of the holiday season. Each year, Saintsmen push creativity to new limits as new elements to the race are tacked on such as original costuming and a new “wheels” division. For more on this magi-cal mayhem, please see Page 5.

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ing to an end the 20-year-old program

approval of The Augustinians and the Saints

The school has partnered with Follett

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beyond.

and Follett will be leading an informational

blitz to make sure every student and family

understands the process of ordering Saints

by Follett. The school will publish more

information through Saints Scene and other

will soon appear on the school’s website.

supplier will allow the school to step away

from being a publisher’s warehouse. The vast

number of titles carried by Follett Virtual

availability. Taking the school away from

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ulty to spend more hours teaching and fewer

Students themselves will be responsible

will have the option of purchasing new or

used books. They may also rent books.

24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can

place an order anytime. Additional informa-

tion on ordering books will accompany your

student’s course list.

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books and how to sell them back for cash.

Mr. Matt Linville.

Purchasing

Program for

Phot

o by

Dav

id E

spin

oza

(‘14)

Christmas PrayerBy Fr. Gary Sanders, O.S.A. (’67)

O God, help me rediscoverThat the star shining so brightly

Showed the way to Jesus, your Son.At times, when fear overshadowsmy being

Help me remember that

sent by youTo illuminate a dark world with hope.Amen.

FREE

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Thurs.

Dec. 8

@ 7 pm

SAHS Gym

Editor’s Note: This continues the ‘interview’ of Fr. Ted Tack with Augustine, in his book A Man for Our Times.]

family, Romanianus, helped my mother so she could send me off to the University

the theater, and was quite a skeptic. I still went to Mass, but I must admit that I

spent more time looking for the pretty girls in church than praying to God. I fell

very much into violence, and though I enjoyed their company, I kept my distance

from their acts of violence and the awful way they harassed and hazed newcomers.

I needed them as friends, but I found I could resist taking part in their bad actions.

me when I was younger back in Thagaste, I still didn’t have the courage to be a

leader myself.

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about Jesus. Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready for the simple Latin style in which they

were written. Their style was so poor that they seemed quite unworthy of compari-

insight to understand their content. And then I fell in with the Manichees, a sect

that had begun in Persia [modern-day Iran] during the third century, and which

especially about the origin of evil and how God could be a purely spiritual be-

ing. I just couldn’t get to the bottom of these matters. The Manichees had their

own solution for these problems. They taught that there were really two gods,

a separation of these two powers by an ascetical lifestyle and the observance of

They said that they could solve all my human problems by the use of reason.

My mother took a very dim view of my belonging to the Manichees and not go-

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local bishop, she agreed once again to allow me to eat at the same table with her.

She allowed me back in the house, even though I insisted that she was all wrong

my parents’ desire that I learn to be a persuasive speaker. It’s not hard to see how

A U G U S T I N I A N H E R I T A G E

An Interview with Augustine, Part 4By Fr. Bob Gavotto, O.S.A. (’55)

Saints Chaplain

2

T-

Alvin Paligutan said Mass in the Saints chapel. The students and their fathers or

restaurant. This breakfast was offered simply in order to provide an opportunity for

fathers and sons to have a short respite from our busy schedules and chance for the

students to just be with Dad in our Saints community for a Sunday morning.

future course of study, careers, scheduling and the responsibilities of becoming up-

Also keep your eye out for news regarding other future Sophomore events in-

Clockwise from top left: Mike McRoskey (’14) with his father Joe McRoskey; Rev. Alvin Paligutan O.S.A.; Mike McRoskey, Sophomore Class Secretary; Dads and Sons watching Chargers game and Professional caterers and Saints Community volunteers assist in the breakfast buffet line.

3

Dear Parents and all those who support the Mission of Saints,

is a time to be grateful for the many gifts God has bestowed on our

families this past year.

and see God’s work through the efforts of the Augustinians and lay

people in fortifying young men for their life’s journey. At every junc-

ture in the road, we see God’s grace at work in building a greater Saints. Whether in

support of our teams, school events, alumni reunions, in forming business relationships,

cannot live without hope. Given the ability to think about the future and to fear our ability

to shape it, is a unique characteristic of our being. We are constantly in search of meaning

that shapes a more hopeful future.

suffering, but we can choose how to cope with it and move forward with renewed purpose

forward. Whatever our individual meaning, it is the primary and powerful force that helps

us not to surrender to loss and despair.

Saints is a blessed community, one that has persevered through the turbulence of many gen-

erations. It is a community built on the hope that its efforts to educate young men in an increas-

and resurrection changes everything and gives us a persuasive reason for moving forward on our

individual and collective paths in life.

our faculty to mentor and nurture our young men both in and out of the classroom. We are grate-

ful for your support of this mission.

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President

Edwin J. Hearn, Jr.

By Edwin Hearn, President,St. Augustine High School

The Faculty-signed Christmas card was drawn by Saintsman Joe Kennedy (’12)

44

T

Halo Joe’sHolida! Hou"Halo Joe’s, Saints exclusive on-campus sports gear shop will be holding its annual Christmas Sale on the following days as part of Christmas on 33rd Street.

Specials will be on hand as well as a 10%discount on purchases exceeding $100.

Info: Debbie Torgeson email:Torgeson2@gmail.com

Saints Grad Tyler

Torano Wins First

Loyola Marymount University Sophomore Tyler

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total of 208, tying Arizona State’s Spencer Fletcher for

individual titlist honors. Torano was the most consistent

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ing, going four-under on those holes.Phot

o: B

ryan

Ber

gna,

Loy

ola

Mar

ymou

nt

Mid-Year Internships and Courses

By John White (Parent ’11 and ’13)

For students at Saints, winter courses are anything but normal.

The school’s four-week Intersession between fall and spring semes-

ters offers courses outside of their normal curriculum. Seniors have

and government agencies all over the county. This year, students

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counting, law enforcement, biotech and automotive.

seniors a big chance to learn off campus and begin thinking about

alumni have helped create many of the internships with their em-

ployers, so they pay off for the students, the businesses, the parents

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medicine, promotions and marketing to fund raising and support

services such as academic counseling. We keep a sharp eye on our

spending at USD, and the interns helped us crunch numbers on an

think it’s great that these students are doing internships at this age.

I’d have stood on my head for an opportunity like this when I was

Saints Intersession interns worked with Dave Pekin, owner of

so quickly that I had him help with automated calibration software

applying the math and science he’s learned at school to real-world

situations. These interns are bright, and I always enjoy having them

Meanwhile, the interns’ fellow students are engaged in other

courses, both on and off campus.

in cycling, golf, rugby, aquatic sports and other athletics. Students

not only play the sports but also learn the history, theory and tech-

nique behind them.

sports management and cooking bring out the unconventional in

both teachers and students.

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sentation skills they need at Saints. Supplemental classes are also

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ing in a way that is completely different from the way they learn the

rest of the school year, yet they’re using the art, math, science and

vocabulary they’ve learned in school, almost without realizing it.

It’s a big boost to their education that they can learn something new

an uptick in overall student performance after Intersession. We

embarked on Intersession a couple of years ago with concerns that

we might lose educational momentum between mid-December and

February, but we’re seeing that the opportunity to learn differently

for an entire month has a positive effect on students. And the rela-

tionships we’re building with companies and organizations across

More information is available at the school Website,

www.sahs.org.

Scene will publish the work of student

artists from classes conducted by Art

Title: Zoomorphic Self-PortraitMedium: Acrylic PaintClass: Beginning PaintingArtist: Michael McRoskey

Art & Artists

55

Turk

ey Trot,

Late last month was that time of year when Saintsmen lace

‘em up and give it the old pre-college effort. orget that it

this thing breathes life entirely on its own. Students, faculty,

alumni and friends of Saints come a show support the the Turkey

As in so many prior years, the Turkey Trot heralded the start

of the holiday season on campus. This year, students added a

Goodies for this year’s entrants included a long sleeve t-shirt

earned participation turkey patch or feather patch (to be worn on

Tradition was upheld and Saintsmen earned their primary tur-

key patch embellished with three more battle feathers over their

participated this year, but that’s another story.

The grueling course takes runners off campus and quickly

back home through the neighborhood streets surrounding St.

ceremony.

Oh Turkey Trot

Saints Freshman Follows

By Don Norcross, Union Tribune

San Diego Union-Tribune. It is reprinted with permission. Photo: Earnie Grafton, Union-Tribune

When you are a freshman playing varsity football

And so the players and coaches at St. Augustine

wailed.

cornerback whose grandfather played linebacker for the

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ing him out of the game. When the hit was played, replayed

senior Daniel Farias, a three-year starter at middle linebacker.

The Saints were well aware of his skills long before

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tine summer strength camps in the past and raised eyebrows.

freshmen began showing up at games wearing white T-shirts

Freshmen, no matter how talented though, must be kept

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com. With darkness descending on St. Augustine’s patchy

follows proudly.

Football League draft.

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died from a blood clot that was attributed to a football injury.

Frank Buncom, IV, (’15)

Frank Buncom, II

Skating Turkey Trotter

Vision in PurpleAlternative Energy Turkey Trotter

Article inspired by Turkey Trot legend Mr. Jason Alcoser (’90)Photos by David Espinoza (‘14)

Purple Haired Turkey Trotter

Bird Watching Turkey Trotter

Tortoise and the Hare

6

Continued from page 1.

promoting the event, registering students, taking in the money, handing out wristbands to identify partici-

pating students, and circulating the list of student participants.

enthusiastically, suggesting that we make a contest out of it, and tell the students to ‘shave the date.’ The

Wilson and others ponied up generous donations because they saw how enthusiastic the students were.

with it,’ but it’s another to step up and say, ‘I’ll donate twenty dollars to the orphanage if I don’t have

to shave.’ That shows commitment, and it speaks to the caliber of our students and faculty. The spirit of

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ment. Then, Saints started making changes to encourage and develop leadership among students. There

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tion is making bigger waves at Saints.

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things are well on their way here.

Values Institute. Several of our boys have attended for the last three years to meet and work with 80 to 90

we have about three dozen students demonstrating all kinds of leadership.

directly involved in leadership. I guess we’ve successfully disguised the fact that this is what they’re sup-

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ing comfortable enough that, if they have an idea to lead, improve or enhance campus life, they’ll come

forward to run with it and learn the real-world process of making something happen.

Student ideas growing wild

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decided to make available wooden-Toss-across boards with beanbags in the quad at lunch each day to

engage these students.

as their names were read. This year’s event included smoke machines, balloons, lights and rock ‘n’ roll.

doing more and more of the heavy lifting.

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they are buying the tree and organizing the entire effort.

student community needs to feel that it has a stage and is represented in the school.

our homeroom,’ or ‘The baseball team is doing this, and I think we could do it in soccer.’ When they

All these great ideas come from somebody’s son. It may as well be yours.

(Trivia answer: Italy and France, as you travel from Vatican City to Monaco.)

That’s Joey Ramm (’13) pondering the future of No-Shave November moving into December. Saints No-Shave Seniors (left to right): Patrick Bones, Peter DeLuca and Anthony Tan-gredi.

The guys…

the gals…

a perfect setting

for Saints’

Guys and Dolls

By Robert Blodgett (Saints Parent ’12 & ’14)

S‘Saints Players’ know how to nail it. The music was

spectacular, the acting superb and the dancing un-

The audience was pleased and perhaps even surprised

by the level of professionalism and talent that came from the

young actors. The leading characters were simply superb in

their mastery of both the sung and spoken word. And, as if

that weren’t enough, the chorus, with its dancing and singing,

simply underscored the beauty of the entire production.

ensuring sets were wheeled in and out on cue, adding to the

was indeed a rousing success.

Scenery by Saints Art Classes and Volunteers

Marquee at North Park Theatre on University Avenue

Orchestra pit with Saints musicians led by Music Director Mr. Brandon Jagow

77

Four Day Retreat TargetsLove of God and Life

Ah, there’s refreshing purity to breathing in chilly moun-

intense four-day retreat in the nearby mountains of San

at their relationships with God, their families, and each other.

To say that there is a brotherhood at Saints might be the under-

statement of the year, but nowhere is it more present than at the

faculty members. The group spent four days listening to talks,

Students attending reported that they found themselves

humbled and challenged by the work put into this retreat, many of

enthusiasm might have had something to do with the amazing food

working among us. A big thank you to all who made the retreat

Publisher: Edwin J. Hearn, Jr. Saints President Editor-in-Chief: James Horne, Saints Principal Senior Editor: Steve Chipp (’68), Finance & Facilities Augustinian Columnist: Fr. Bob Gavotto, O.S.A., (‘55)Saints Scene Coordinator: Thomas Shess, Alum Parent (’05): Thomas.Shess@gmail.comStaff Writers: John White and Robert Blodgett, Saints Dads Art Director: Carol Sherwood, Sherwood Newsletter Design: Sherwoodnewsletter@gmail.comChief Photographers: Ernie Torgeson & Pat Healy

Circulation Director: Casey Callery, Director of CommunityRelations and Special Events. Austin Parents Assn. Editor: Theresa “TK” Kosen Editor Emeritus: John D. Keller O.S.A. (’55)

Correction Policy: While every effort is made to be accurate, we occasionally err. We do apologize to those impacted and kindly ask that you notify Saints Coordinator: Thomas.Shess@gmail.com for any corrections.

Saints Scene

on the St. Augustine

Mission of St. Augustine High School – Our mission is to provide a Catholic liberal arts education for young men in an environment that promotes the development of mind, heart and body in the Augustinian tradition. By helping to form loving disciples of Jesus Christ we communicate to the world the gospel values of community, truth and love.

Clearing the Air

L-R: Kairos student leaders (Seniors Peter Hulburt, Adrian Gutierrez, Ryan Tweed, Nathan Penick and MichaelInfantine.

L-R: Kairos Retreatants before loading the bus to drive back down the mountain to home. Student leader Peter Hulburt’s small group captures the energy of the last day (Peter Hulburt, Fiona Shovlin, Patrick Plein,

Article and Photography by Kate Cratchy, Saints Director of Campus Ministry