St. Augustine High School (San Diego)

St. Augustine High School is a private Catholic high school for young men under the direction of the Order of Saint Augustine, located in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, California, and founded in 1922. It is located in the Diocese of San Diego and is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association. Named after Saint Augustine of Hippo, an early Christian theologian, St. Augustine teaches young men within the framework of the Catholic faith and in the Augustinian tradition. This culturally diverse school serves the communities of San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. The school also publicly states, "We open our doors to all boys we believe will benefit from our academic program." History Early history - 1920s to the 1950s Creation In 1922, John Cantwell, Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles and San Diego, asked the Order of Saint Augustine to satisfy the need for a new boys' school in the southern part of the 80,000-square-mile (210,000 km2) diocese. The Order of Saint Augustine opened St. Augustine High School in the St. Vincent's parish meeting hall on September 18, 1922, with 19 students. The school moved to its current Nutmeg Street location in 1923. Many of the school's religious staff were trained at Villanova University and Merrimack College, which are both run by the Order of Saint Augustine. Student affairs and expansion To accommodate more students, the school expanded multiple times in its early history, beginning with the construction of Sullivan Hall in 1947, which added 350 spots. In the 1950s, the school constructed a new set of classrooms and added additional improvements to the monastery. In 1957, a new gymnasium, Dougherty Gym, was built. Despite these expansions, by the late 1950s, the school was suffering from overcrowding. In 1956, the school became the first private school admitted to the San Diego City League of Athletics. Middle period - 1960s to the 1970s During the 1960s and 1970s, the school introduced smaller class sizes, curricular innovations, and honors programs. In September 1978, PSA Flight 182 crashed and exploded at the corner of Dwight and Nile Streets, several blocks from the campus. The school shut down and became a triage and command and control center for those authorities who responded to the emergency posed by the crash, culminating in the utilization of the gymnasium as a makeshift morgue. The following year, an arsonist burned down the school's library, which has since moved to Villanova Hall. Into the modern era - 1980s to the present day In the 1980s and 1990s, the school moved towards computerization, and renovations occurred around the campus. The biggest change during this era was the creation of an on-campus parking lot and the closure of a portion of Bancroft Street, which previously divided the campus into two separate sections. In 1997, the school celebrated its 75th anniversary. The school continued to grow in the new millennium and embarked on a three-phase building campaign in which most of the school was demolished and rebuilt to meet modern standards of building codes and architectural tastes. Phase One of the renovations included the demolition of most of the classroom buildings, which were replaced by two new buildings, Mendel Hall and Villanova Hall. On June 2, 2006, together with the San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders, the Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego Salvatore Cordileone, the school's President John Keller O.S.A., ASB President Alexander Guittard, and various members of the Augustinian and general school community, the school broke ground for Phase One. Work for Phase One was completed in fall 2007. The second phase consisted of the new Saint Augustine Commons, a multipurpose gymnasium, and meeting space. Work began in late 2015 and was completed in 2017. Phase Three focused on a renovation of the old gymnasium, Dougherty Gym. Construction began on July 17, 2017, and concluded on September 12, 2018. The gym was mainly repurposed as a theater, the Raymond Center for the Performing Arts. The renovations also included a new weight room and a band room. Tuition Tuition at St. Augustine for the 2024–25 year is $27,794. However, students can apply for tuition assistance, whether in the form of a grant, a scholarship, or by working for the school at Marty's Kitchen, the school's lunch counter. The top ten scorers on the entrance exam receive a $10,000 scholarship each year, for a total amount of $40,000 over all four years. Student profiles Demographics The student body consists of many different national origins. Most students live near and within typical driving distance of the school. The bulk of students live in San Diego and surrounding areas, including La Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Point Loma, Downtown, and the Beach areas. However, some students have longer commutes from areas in the North (such as Carlsbad, Del Mar, Valley Center, Escondido, and Oceanside), the East (such as Poway and Lakeside), and the South (such as Chula Vista, Eastlake, and Bonita). In addition, several students commute daily from Tijuana. Most students are Catholic; however, the school accommodates people of other faiths, including non-Christian ones and some degree of non-faith in personal belief. Academics Curriculum Saints offers courses in the following subjects: Religion Social Studies World Languages English Mathematics Sciences Visual and Performing Arts Computer Science and Technology Physical Education Scheduling A new block schedule was introduced after the COVID-19 pandemic. The school day starts at 7:45 am and ends at 2:00 pm. On Mondays, students have all six blocks, each being 50 minutes long. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students have Blocks 1, 3, and 5, each class being 1 hour and 25 minutes long. On Wednesdays and Fridays, students have Blocks 2, 4, and 6, each class also being 1 hour and 25 minutes long. Each morning, except for Mondays, from 7:45 to 8:45, there is a non-class period. On Tuesdays and Fridays, all teachers have office hours, allowing students to ask questions or receive help with assignments. Office hours are not mandatory. Every Wednesday morning, the entire school comes together for Mass, and on Thursday morning, all students must go to their homeroom, which they are assigned at the beginning of the school year. Both Mass and homeroom are mandatory. Intersession During January, students at Saint Augustine High School take a hiatus from their regular schedule to take a specialized class or internship. All freshmen and transfer students are required to take a mandatory speech class as their first intersession, but afterward, they may pick from a multitude of classes to take that month. Such classes include: Cooking Marine Biology Cycling Python Programming Robotics Engineering Sport Fishing There are also travel programs available, with notable locations being New York City, Italy, and San Lucas Toliman, among others. As seniors, students may take an internship in place of their standard internship course. Such internship opportunities include: Business and Finance Law Biotech Engineering Veterinary Medicine However, a student may have an internship wherever they want, so long as they are available to intern there. Retreats Students experience several (including three mandatory) retreats at Saint Augustine. These retreats are: Freshman Retreat This retreat takes place about a month after the school year has started, during which the entire freshman class is split into several groups where they discuss and learn about the Saints community and their place in it. The groups are led by a pair of either junior or senior "Big Brothers." The freshmen arrive early Saturday morning and leave late that night. They return on Sunday morning for Mass and final activities and are dismissed on Sunday afternoon. This retreat is mandatory. Sophomore Retreat This one-day retreat at Balboa Park focuses on community. Sophomores are split into groups, led by one junior or senior "Big Brother." This retreat includes multiple team-building activities, such as a scavenger hunt for landmarks around Balboa Park. This retreat is also mandatory. Junior Pilgrimage The Junior Pilgrimage is a one-day event, in which students walk from the St. Augustine campus, through Balboa Park, to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Parish & School, where the first year of classes at Saints were held. Students then walk back to the St. Augustine campus down University Avenue. Kairos Retreat Kairos is an optional, but strongly encouraged senior retreat that takes place several times per year. The retreat is led by faculty and senior students who have already been on Kairos. Extracurricular activities Athletics Teams The school supports numerous sports teams that are accredited by the CIF (SDS Division), such as: In these sports, the Saints have 25 total CIF San Diego Division III Championship teams. In the past few years, several club sports have been organized by the student body. These sports are either non-traditional sports or the sport club has not been credited by CIF. Intramurals The student body actively participates in Intramural sports. Teams are organized by homeroom, and generally, teams of one grade play the same grade and gradually move to play other grades. Football Basketball Rivalries The most prevalent rivalry is between the Saints and USDHS/Cathedral, which has spanned many years. Since the early 1970s, a yearly 'Charity Bowl' (now called the 'Holy Bowl'), first hosted at Jack Murphy Stadium (Qualcomm Stadium) sponsored by local businessman Jack Kumpel (aka "Allen Kent") and featuring Bob Hope, occasionally at Balboa Stadium, then at Southwestern College Stadium, and now held at either school's home football field, alternating between Cathedral in odd years, and Saints in even years. Has been the highlight of the rivalry. The two schools' football teams have met every season since the foundation of University High, except for 2007, when the game was canceled as part of a county-wide cancellation of all high school sports during the October wildfires and was not rescheduled. Notable alumni See also Primary and secondary schools in San Diego, California St. Augustine of Hippo Notes External links Saint Augustine High School Athletics Fine Arts Photo Gallery Campus Events Saint Augustine High School (Athletics - Football)