ANNUAL REPORT ON MISSION ACTIVITIES 2020
MISSION
Faithful to the charism of St. John Baptist de La Salle, St. John’s College High School is an independent, Catholic college preparatory school whose mission is to provide a human and Christian education to young men and women from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. St. John’s is a community of faith and zeal with dedicated Lasallian educators committed to the spiritual, academic, cultural, physical and moral development of the students. Rooted in Christian values, the Lasallian experience at St. John’s prepares young men and women for lives dedicated to leadership, achievement, and service to the community.
Stained glass in De La Salle Chapel.
CAMPUS MINISTRY The Office of Lasallian Mission and Ministry helps students deepen their faith and understanding of the human experience. Within our Christian community, we encourage students to ask thoughtful questions about their faith. Our liturgies, retreats, seminars, and service opportunities lead students to the answers they seek and help them make God known to others.
LITURGIES
SEMINARS
As we gather to worship at Mass, on Holy Days, as an entire community, and as individual classes, the Mass imparts the Sacred Mysteries in an approachable way.
An expression of our commitment to educating the whole person, the seminar series focuses on human development and relationships, decision-making, academics, and life skills. Throughout the 16-part series, freshmen and sophomores explore topics ranging in diversity from digital safety to diet and health.
RETREATS Freshmen: Our High School Journey Prepares students to make the most of their time at St. John’s through friends, mentors, and faith. Sophomores: Relationships Focuses on self-understanding and relationships with peers, family members, and with God.
CHRISTIAN SERVICE Service to others reveals our students’ God-given graces and talents and helps them become citizens of the world. Our students typically complete 90 hours of Christian service during their four years as Cadets, and many extend themselves beyond what is required. The Class of 2020 completed 2,689 extracurricular service hours over four years.
Juniors: Road to Emmaus Explores relationships, choices, and discovering Christ in the everyday. Seniors: The Kairos Retreat Heightens self-knowledge and spirituality. Peer Ministry Builds a community focused on ministerial work.
Karios retreat student-leaders enjoying some camaraderie.
Kairos retreatants gather for a group photo at Loyola Retreat House in Newburg, MD.
Faculty and staff share their continuing education experiences with the SJC teaching community during a Heritage on Tap social gathering.
HIGHER LEARNING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION We educate the whole person and offer continuing formative education opportunities for all of the faith community— it’s the Lasallian way. Last year our faculty and staff participated in a variety of enrichment opportunities that opened them to new ways of thinking and believing as mentors and as human beings.
FACULTY AND STAFF PARTICIPATED IN THE FOLLOWING: The Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice The Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies Faculty/Staff Retreats Heritage on Tap The Huether Lasallian Conference The Lasallian Social Justice Institute New Faculty Formation
FORMATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES WERE ALSO OFFERED TO THE BROADER SJC COMMUNITY: Board of Trustees Meetings Lasallian formation was offered at two board of trustees meetings. Freshman Parent Receptions The president hosted three receptions sharing the story of the life of St. La Salle and explaining how we live the Lasallian mission at SJC. This has been an annual September event since 2011.
EXTRACURRICULAR TEAMWORK Clubs, organizations, and athletic teams at SJC attest to the power of collective action. Every day, students, faculty, and parents involved in school-sponsored activities enliven our mission with passion and purpose.
BEST BUDDIES
STUDENT GOVERNMENT PARENT CLUBS
The club made seven visits to the Joseph P. Kennedy Institute.
Students collected more than 750 toys for patients of National Children’s Hospital during the Christmas season.
Mother’s Club Provided generous financial support towards the Class of 2020 bell tower.
Men of St. John’s Provided generous financial support towards the Class of 2020 bell tower.
SIGNUM FIDEI
Co-hosted the Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner, raising $1,470 for our twinned school in Nakuru, Kenya.
Co-hosted the Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner, raising $1,470 for our twinned school in Nakuru, Kenya.
Helped with operational aspects of the annual Open House event.
Hosted annual citrus fruit fundraiser to benefit SJC students.
Hosted:
Sold concessions at SJC basketball games, home football games, and grassroots sports activities.
ECO CLUB/S.H.R.E.D The club collected recycling from classrooms and offices throughout the year, and they were stewards of a portion of Rock Creek Park, keeping it litter-free.
LASALLIAN YOUTH Students and faculty made 14 service trips to San Miguel School for tutoring and after-school fun. Members organized a food drive in conjunction with the Student Government Association to collect 9,000 items for the ministry of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Three students and one faculty member attended the Lasallian Youth Assembly, a week of faith expression and service at La Salle University.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY 78 students tutored 58 peers during homeroom throughout the year.
Twenty faculty members with significant formation experience met to plan and analyze missionfocused initiatives, including mission education, service, and faculty retreats.
ATHLETICS Field hockey, girls’ lacrosse, and football went Christmas caroling at men’s and women’s shelters run by Catholic Charities. Softball volunteered at the DC Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon, benefitting St. Jude’s Pediatric Hospital. Boys’ basketball volunteered at the Bread for the City holiday food drive. Volleyball sponsored a coat drive for Catholic Charities. Crew volunteered at the Franciscan Monastery plant sale.
Meal of Solidarity during Poverty Education Week Mardi Gras party for the school community Organized the mailing of gift cards to teachers and staff for Faculty/ Staff Appreciation Day.
Helped with operational aspects of the annual Open House event.
A member of Lasallian Youth tutors a San Miguel student.
Members of the Student Government Association deliver 750 Christmas toys to National Children’s Hospital.
Students attend the Lasallian Youth Assembly at La Salle University.
Members of the Men of St. John’s take a break from flipping pancakes during SJC's Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner fundraiser.
A COMMUNITY-CENTERED CURRICULUM Faith development at SJC isn’t exclusive to liturgies or religion class lectures—it’s the cornerstone of our curriculum. From physics to the performing arts, our curriculum challenges students to strengthen their faith and commitment to social justice.
ALUMNI AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
VISUAL ARTS
In response to the pandemic, the Alumni and Development Office initiated a Founder’s Day Emergency Tuition Assistance Campaign raising $135,000.
Art Club students made ceramic bowls for the annual Empty Bowls Soup Supper charity event sponsored by So Others Might Eat (SOME).
ENTREPRENEURIAL CENTER Students created and presented a solution to a challenge they’ve uncovered that was designed, tested, and implemented. The project’s overarching goal was to create human-centered solutions to real-world challenges impacting the local or global community. This year, projects focused on a variety of areas—from improving access to education in disadvantaged communities to creating innovative new medical technologies.
PERFORMING ARTS Members of Advanced Vocal Studies (AVS) and the Strings Ensemble performed at the Little Sisters of the Poor nursing home and for the retired Christian Brothers in Ammendale, MD. The Jazz Combo performed at the NCEA Seton Awards Gala.
RELIGION DEPARTMENT Religion classes raised $12,200 for our twinned school in Kenya and the De La Salle Blackfeet School during Poverty Education Week.
SCHOOL AND COLLEGE COUNSELING Counselors offered a parent coffee series via Zoom to assist parents and students with topics relevant to successful online learning.
CADET CORPS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (CCLP) The Color Guard presented the colors at school liturgies and 21 other events in the community. 23 students and three faculty members laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 35 students, 15 family members, two faculty, and eight alumni participated in Wreaths Across America. Members of the CCLP worked at and supported numerous curricular and extracurricular school events and activities, such as Back to School Night, Open House, parent-teacher conferences, the President’s Medal Award Ceremony, and alumni events. They also worked in the concession stand at football games with the Men of St. John’s for a total of 11,040 hours of service to the school and local community. The CCLP invited six speakers as part of the leadership program’s guest speaker series. The notable public service leaders discussed their approach to leadership and the importance of character. The CCLP collected more than $1,000 worth of supplies and equipment for military veterans in need.
Members of the Cadet Corps Color Guard present the colors at the Congressional City Conference opening ceremony in Washington, DC.
UNDERSTANDING POVERTY During Poverty Education Week, lessons on poverty were integrated into the curriculum and taken full circle through prayer, presentations, and proactive outreach.
The senior class heard from three alumni who have continued lives of service beyond St. John’s. Suzie Kowalewski ’05 spoke about returning to St. John’s to lead the new Entrepreneurial Center for Innovation and Social Impact. Noah Patton ’09 shared his experience advocating for disaster housing recovery reform on Capitol Hill. David Street ’04 emphasized the importance of living up to one’s potential to change educational and local communities positively. Students and faculty shared their summer immersion trip experiences. Members from the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) spoke to junior religion classes in De La Salle Chapel. The Mothers’ Club and Men of St. John’s hosted a Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner to raise money for the mission drive to support our twinned school, the Child Discovery Centre in Nakuru, Kenya. During lunch periods, students participated in a Meal of Solidarity. They demonstrated unity with the poor by sitting on the floor of Frana Auditorium while eating a small bowl of oatmeal for lunch while engaged in a student-led meditation.
Students and faculty engaged in a school-wide technology fast day, which included abstaining from the use of all technological devices— iPads, smartphones, computers, and audio/visual equipment. The SJC community raised funds for the Child Discovery Centre— St. John’s twinned school in Kenya, and the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, MT. Student-artists created exhibits and murals depicting the plight of the poor displayed around campus. They also made ceramic bowls for the annual Empty Bowls Soup Supper charity event sponsored by So Others Might Eat (SOME), a fundraiser to help feed the homeless in DC. The Fitzpatrick Library built a display around the Newbery Medalwinning book The Last Stop on Market Street, a story about hope and service to others. Before reading the book, students were asked to consider questions related to poverty, service, and how we can bring hope to those suffering. The Counseling Department shared themed prayers and statistics each morning. As an aspect of their history and religion classes, the junior class wrote and mailed advocacy letters to their lawmakers to aid the plight of the poor.
The Mothers’ Club serves bowls of oatmeal during the annual Meal of Solidarity.
Guest speakers share their insights of working with individuals and countries experiencing poverty.
Alumni who have continued lives of service share their experiences with the senior class.
Student-artists created beautiful bowls that helps feed the homeless in DC.
Members of the National Coalition for the Homeless speaking about homelessness with the junior class.
“I am very grateful for the many people who made this possible. As we continue moving SJC into the future, we will always be reminded of the dedication and sacrifices of these Brothers.”
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HERITAGE EXHIBIT
—SJC President Jeffrey Mancabelli
On Oct. 4, 2019, St. John’s dedicated a new campus installation celebrating the Christian Brothers and all they have given to the students and community. The Brothers’ Heritage Wall was part of the yearlong celebration of the 300th anniversary of St. John Baptist de La Salle’s entry into eternal life. The exhibit features a timeline of the Brothers’ history with the school, and an interactive touchscreen displays biographies of the many Brothers called to serve at St. John’s. The display is located outside the Lasallian Mission and Ministry Center entrance in the Cap Mona Family Student Center.
ABOVE Front row: Bro. Robert Wickman, Bro. Edward Gallagher, Bro. John Kane, Bro. David Rogers and Bro. Thomas Gerrow; second row: Bro. Arthur Bangs, Bro. Malachy Broderick and Bro. Mark Brown; back row: Bro. Joe Grabenstein, Bro. Leo Smith and Bro. Patrick King ’61. CENTER-FOLD Msgr. John Enzler ’65 blesses the new Brothers’ Heritage Wall.
MARCH FOR LIFE
SJC peacefully marches on Constitution Avenue.
A group of students and faculty participated in the Jan. 24, 2020, Mass, Rally and March for life.
Students and faculty gather to rally and march for life.
SERVING ABROAD Over President’s Day weekend, six student and parent teams traveled to Rose Heights, Jamaica, to serve with Food For The Poor through the Davitt/Ruppert Mission. They helped build a new infant school in the community to provide adequate space for the 20 enrolled students with room to accommodate new students. The school previously operated out of inadequate space in a community center. The young students will have dedicated classrooms equipped with age-appropriate furniture, proper partitioning, and adequate ventilation.
Volunteers pose in front of the finished school house they helped build for students in Rose Heights, Jamaica.
CELEBRATING A DECADE OF ASSOCIATION AND 300 YEARS OF MISSION On Nov. 8, 2019, more than 5,000 Lasallian educators and Christian Brothers from 35 ministries across eastern North America gathered in-person and virtually, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Lasallian mission commemorating a decade of working together as a single network of educators. For the past ten years, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, along with their Lasallian partners, have provided a Christian education to more than 14,000 students under the District of Eastern North America (DENA). Lasallian educators and De La Salle Christian Brothers have engaged in the vocation of education from coast to coast, especially to the poor and disadvantaged. Together, and by association, this network of educators celebrated a decade of mission as DENA, which was formed Sept. 9, 2009. At ten different gatherings in cities throughout DENA’s geographic expanse, Lasallians celebrated their accomplishments, while acknowledging that there is more to be done to serve the most vulnerable young people. St. John’s hosted more than 300 Lasallian educators and Christian Brothers from Calvert Hall College High School, San Miguel School, La Salle Hall, and the Christian Brothers Conference Office of North America (RELAN) on campus for this special event. Via livestream from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Bro. Dennis Lee introduced Superior General Bro. Robert Schieler, FSC, the leader of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which sponsors ministries and other educational programs in over 80 countries worldwide. Designated by Pope Francis and the Catholic Church, Bro. Robert called on all of DENA’s Lasallians to reflect on their duty as educators in this Jubilee Year. He emphasized that the “Lasallian association for human and Christian education is part of our DNA, our Lasallian story, and our charism…Why association? Because it was and is only by being together for a project that we can manage to change a situation for the better. Together we can do more than doing something by ourselves.” After the keynote, attendees broke into 28 groups for discussion and reflection on the superior general’s message and the example of St. John Baptist de La Salle. They began planning how best to go beyond today’s figurative and literal borders to serve poor and marginalized people. The assembly then celebrated DENA’s 10th anniversary and 300th anniversary of St. John Baptist de La Salle’s entry into eternal life. They closed with the Year of Lasallian Vocations, “One Heart, One Commitment, One Life.”
“It was a great day for all of the local Lasallian ministries to come together and celebrate our common mission. We were reminded that our 300-year heritage has a timeless relevance and impact, touching the hearts of students on the path to becoming faithful adults who understand their responsibility to the world.” —Tom Sipowicz, SJC director of mission integration
Superior General Bro. Robert Schieler, FSC, addresses DENA Lasallians via livestream.
Faculty celebrate 300 years of Lasallian mission.
Happy 10th Anniversary DENA!
A small group of Lasallian educators discuss and reflect upon the day’s message and the example of St. John Baptist de La Salle in SJC’s new Mission and Ministry Center.
OLD TRADITIONS IN A NEW WAY To celebrate our graduating seniors, St. John’s held an on-campus socially-distanced ceremony and virtual Baccalaureate Mass for the Class of 2020. We commemorated the sacrifices of the Class of 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis by constructing a bell tower on campus. In a Lasallian tradition dating back more than 300 years, a bell-ringer would stop all activity and invoke the prayer, “Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God,” at each half-hour of the day. Installed in the Gletner Courtyard, St. John’s will have a new tradition of ringing the bell to start and end the school year. The tower displays each graduate’s name and the importance of the Lasallian tradition. “The Class of 2020’s collective presence, sacrifice, and contributions will be felt on this campus forever,” said Principal Chris Themistos. “In its simplest form, a bell is a joyous and dignified monument, but for Lasallians, a bell has a much deeper significance. We are so grateful to the Mothers’ Club, the Men of St. John’s, and others who have financially supported this endeavor.”
Graduates are excited to celebrate in the summer and see the new bell tower dedicated to the Class of 2020.
SERVING DURING A CRISIS This year, all but one Christian service immersion trip had to be canceled due to the pandemic. Students, families, and faculty found a sense of purpose in serving their local communities and one another despite this.
STUDENTS RALLY FOR ENVIRONMENT On Sept. 20, 2019, St. John’s students and faculty members attended a day of faith and action supporting the Vatican-designated Season of Creation. The season is a time for prayer, environmental clean-ups, and advocacy that began Sept. 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ran through Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology. The theme of the celebration is the Web of Life: Biodiversity as God’s Blessing. There were hundreds of global Catholic and ecumenical events during the month, such as prayer services, climate strikes, and significant public events with bishops. In solidarity with the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Catholic Charities, DC, hosted a student-led prayer service focused on climate justice and intergenerational solidarity in safeguarding our community home. They also honored the Laudato Si’, the 2015 encyclical letter, and the first papal document dedicated exclusively to the environment. The morning prayer service allowed students to share their thoughts on the climate crisis and reflect on the environment’s protection. The Season of Creation is a time to urge governments to enact better climate policies. After the prayer service, participants assembled at Lafayette Square before marching to Capitol Hill to support the Global Climate Strike, a youth-led initiative inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who challenged world leaders to take action on climate justice. Participation in the strike is endorsed by the Laudato Si’ Generation, an initiative of the Global Catholic Climate Movement. “It was great to see so many people of all ages who were passionate about stopping climate change. There was such positive energy throughout the march, and it made me hopeful that things can start to change,” said Celia Chorzempa ’21. Students on Capitol Hill acknowledge God’s call to stewardship and demonstrate their solidarity with the Global Catholic Climate Movement.
FACULTY SERVE AT HARRIET TUBMAN WOMEN’S SHELTER Following the annual faculty/staff retreat, eight faculty members brought donations from the greater SJC faculty to the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter, a Catholic Charities agency in southeast Washington, DC. They played bingo with clients of the day program and ran a “prize cart” stocked with donations for residents to pick up needed toiletries and clothing items.
Faculty serve the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter by bringing donations and playing bingo with the residents.
#CADETSSTAYSTRONG When St. John’s campus closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face mission activity was suspended. However, the community remained connected and unified through a variety of virtual activities and resources.
ONLINE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THROUGH FIVE THEMED DAYS: Meditation Monday
TikTok Tuesday
Wellness Wednesday
Thanksgiving Thursday
Feature Friday
“HOW TO PRAY WHILE WE’RE AWAY” PROVIDED MULTIPLE RESOURCES FOR PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH, PERSONAL PRAYER, AND FAITH ENRICHMENT. PEER MINISTERS READ A DAILY PRAYER FOR THE COMMUNITY AND MADE FUN VIDEOS TO WELCOME INCOMING FRESHMEN. VIRTUAL FOUNDER’S DAY MASS WAS CELEBRATED IN DE LA SALLE CHAPEL.
Students attend their morality class via Zoom.
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