APRIL 2015 YOUR MONTHly REPORT ON THE ST. AUGUSTINE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE VOL 34 NO. 24 St. AuguStine HigH ScHool • 3266 nutmeg Street • SAn Diego, cA 92104-5199 • 619.282.2184 • www.SAHS.org ANOTHER BANNER YEAR UPDATING SAINTS AMAZING STREAK OF CHAMPIONSHIPS he school has been blessed with two more CIF championships in 2015 as Varsity Soccer Tand Basketball added new banners to the hallowed walls of Dougherty Gym. Also, Saints Surfers bested Scholastic Surf Series League competition to take home another Saints Cham- pionship. Not to be outdone, Saintsmen Theo Anastos is a member of this year’s U.S. Polo Association’s Western Regions championship team. All in all, it has been a remarkable 2015 so far in Saints Athletic history. Special Saints Scene coverage begins on the following pages: BASKETBALL SOCCER Coverage begins on Page 6 Coverage begins on Page 10 POLO SURF Coverage begins on Page 13 Coverage begins on Page 14 Otto Taylor (’17) in full flight during the CIF Open Division San Diego Section Champion- ships won by Saints over Torrey Pines High. Brenner Jarrad and fellow team- mates on Saints 2015 Varsity Soccer Champions will be on hand to hoist another winning CIF banner in Saints Gym. While the rest of the nation thaws from a chilly winter, Saints Surf team (made up of Saints/OLP students) was busy winning the Division 5 high school surfing Scholastic Surf Series championship. Saints Polo champion Theo Anastos (’15) in regional championship action. Note how flexible the striking mallet is as Theo’s fol- low through wraps around his horse’s neck. 1A APRIL 2015 YOUR MONTHly REPORT ON THE ST. AUGUSTINE HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE VOL 34 NO. 24 St. AuguStine HigH ScHool • 3266 nutmeg Street • SAn Diego, cA 92104-5199 • 619.282.2184 • www.SAHS.org Neighbor Relations AND TRAFFIC DEAR PARENTS AND FRIENDS, t. Augustine High SSchool respects and values its home, the historic North Park district in San Diego. We strive to treat our friends and neighbors, the citizens of North Park, with respect in everything we do. Over the years we have Principal James Horne worked to improve park- ing and traffic concerns both for the members of the campus community and for the benefit of our neighbors. Continued on page 9 BIG ONE IS BIG TIME FUN FOR A GREAT CAUSE HUGE VICTORY—St. Augustine High’s Varsity Basketball team reached a zenith in school history by winning the school’s first ever San Diego Section CIF Open Division championship. See Special Championship coverage beginning on Page 6. Photo: Thom Vollenweider AUGIE DOGGY—Latest donation to the Big One silent auction is an oh-so-cute puppy. lease help us make this event the best yet Mr. Gary Oberg, Saints faculty advisor, at- Pwith your participation! We will once again tended World Link Conference with a cadre be celebrating our beloved boys and school of Saintsmen, including Ian Harnkess (right). under the big tent and in the transformed gym, Saturday, April 25th at 5:00pm. POPE APPOINTS Invites should have arrived in your mail- LINKING WITH box by now, so please send in your RSVP and THE WORLD NEW BISHOP FOR seating request, or go online to register here SAN DIEGO DIOCESE http://sahs.maestroweb.com/ You can also his year, the theme for WorldLink's 18th purchase your draw down ticket here for a TAnnual Youth Town Meeting (YTM) obert W. McElroy, an auxiliary bishop in chance to win $10,000 dollars or a year of was “Healing the Wounds of Violence." It RSan Francisco and a leader in the Catholic free tuition! welcomed over 750 youth leaders from San Church’s social justice wing, was named head Continued on page 9 Continued on page 17 Continued on page 16 1B SAINTLY POPES SPEAK ON ANOTHER DEVELOPING THE SAINT: AUGUSTINE CHRISTIAN HEART Pope Benedict XVI – 2005-2013 hile Kairos has been a truly memorable By Fr. Bob Gavotto, O.S.A. (’55), Saints Chaplain Wevent for many Saintsmen since 2002, the Class of 2015 will never forget their Kai- ros experience. AUGUSTINIAN HERITAGE TEAM KAIROS Good education is about hearts as well as minds. We want our boys to be confident, poised and articulate. We want them to grow and mature as good people, good friends and good Catholic men. Recently, several of our Seniors traveled Pope Benedict XVI was devoted to Pope Emeritus: 2005 to 2013. to Palomar Christian Conference Center for Saint Augustine. Kairos, a unique retreat experience. While on retreat the students demonstrated their incred- e turn now to Pope Benedict XVI who, like Pope Paul VI, had a great devotion to St. ible depth of friendship with one another. WAugustine. The following is an excerpt from Pope Benedict’s talk on Augustine and Monica, given on August 25, 2010. “In each of our lives there are persons who are very dear to us, to whom we feel par- ticularly close. Some are already in the embrace of God; others continue to share the jour- ney of life with us: they are our parents, relatives, teachers, people for whom we have done some good, or who have done good to us; persons upon whom we know we can depend. It is important, though, to also have “companions for the journey” in the course of our Christian life. I am thinking of a Spiritual Director, a confessor, people with whom it is pos- sible to share one’s faith experience. But I am thinking also of the Virgin Mary and the saints. Everyone should have some saint as a friend, someone to feel near to through prayer and intercession, but also to imi- tate. I would like to invite you, therefore, to get to know the saints more intimately, begin- ning with the one whose name you bear, reading his or her life story and writings. Be assured that they will become good guides in loving the Lord more, and valid sup- port for your human and Christian growth. “As you know, I too am bound in a spe- KAIROS ATTENDEES–Here are a few of the cial way to several saints: among them, in seniors, who recently attended the school’s addition to Saint Joseph and San Benedict Kairos program. [Left to right:] Carlos Ibaibar- whose names I bear, and others as well, EASTER BREAK riaga, Edmund Rull, Matthew Smith, Kris Willis, there is Saint Augustine, whom I have had Cole Larson, Kraus Drachenberg, Augustin- the great gift to come to know, in a man- ian Volunteer Brendan Dillon and Christian ner of speaking, close-up, through study Onwuka. and prayer, and who has become a good “companion for the journey” in my life and ministry. Faculty and Staff who accompanied the boys I would like to underscore once again also came away with the knowledge that our an important aspect of his human and Saintsmen are deeply spiritual and appreci- Christian experience, timely even in our day ate time away from school, work, sports and in which it seems that relativism is paradoxi- other activities to devote to their relationship cally the “truth” which must guide one’s with Christ. thoughts, choices and behavior. When we speak of preparing these boys “Saint Augustine is a man who never for the future, we are not just talking about lived superficially; the thirst, the restless and college and good career prospects. An im- continual searching for the Truth, is one of portant element in this four year experience is the basic characteristics of his life; not, how- the development of a young man’s Christian ever, that “pseudo-truth” which is incapable heart. of giving lasting peace to one’s heart, but LEAVE APRIL 2 RETURN APRIL 13 Continued on page 19 Continued on page 17 2 ST. AUGUSTINE HIGH SCHOOL Saintsman Paul Ammons helps sort the wardrobe tubs for loading on Saintsmen David Valley (front) and Eric Lujan assist the students from to trucks. OLP by moving wardrobe tubs out of a storage garage. MY GIRL FRIEND’S CLOSET OLP/Saints students pitch in to help homeless teens aints ASB recently volunteered to unload truckloads of clothes for an organization helping to clothe homeless teenage girls. The service project Swas lead by OLP Junior Carmen Ortega (sister of Saintsmen Luis (’12) and Pablo (’14) Ortega). Carmen presented the service opportunity at a recent Saints ASB meeting; almost every officer volunteered. My Girlfriend’s Closet helps hu dreds of underprivileged and homeless teenage girls get a wardrobe of school clothes and even dresses for homecoming. FLASHBACK: 1956 EARLY DAYS WHEN SAINTS ATHLETES STRUGGLED FOR A LEAGUE Reposted courtesy of http://www.partletonsports.com/ and Rick Smith. For news of San Diego prep scene then and now log on to Partleton Sports. t. Augustine’s long battle to find a home in one In 1956, when Sof San Diego County’s prep leagues was com- this vintage ing to an end. newspaper im- They would have a league in the 1957-58 age was taken, school year but not before clearing a few more Mr. Tom Carter hurdles. was head coach Southern Section bosses in September ap- of Saints Varsity proved the Saints for membership in the Metropoli- Football Team. tan League beginning in the next school year. Saints Varsity City Prep League honchos, who annually football players blocked St. Augustine’s bid for membership, made are center Dick a U Turn and extended an invitation. Hammes (left) Principals of the 21 San Diego County schools and quar- attended a meeting in November at the Civic terback Tom Center, where the Saints’ invitation was the only Valverde.