Welcome to the very special “COMMUNITY OF SAINTS” that is St. Anthony High School!
As
an graduate, I know that St. Anthony’s students are blessed by a rare
experience - the opportunity to learn and grow within a nurturing
academic environment during some of the most formative years of their
lives.
Small classes enable each student to be known and
encouraged to learn through personalized attention. A strong college
preparatory curriculum prepares each student for success in college,
and also in life. Extra-curricular activities, including a highly
competitive sports program, provide challenges for balanced growth in
all areas - body, mind and spirit. And a campus-wide commitment to
Catholic values and faith provides a basis for ethical leadership and
life-long service beyond self.
The 2008-2009 school year marks
my 8th year as President of St. Anthony High School. During this time,
I have said goodbye to class after class of graduates. They leave us,
joyfully, hopefully, and also tearfully, as they recognize that their
time at St. Anthony is coming to an end. They are prepared to move on,
and yet they are reluctant to go. They cherish the memories they made,
and recognize their strides as maturing young men and women. But they
are also sad to leave because they know, intuitively, that they have
experienced something unique -- a true community that has become a
family. The friendships they have made will last a lifetime.
And
then there are the reunions. When it’s time for their first reunion,
our students return. And they continue to return, time and time again.
Whether it’s the 10th, 25th, 35th, 50th… 60th, or beyond. Reunions are
a part of life each year at St. Anthony, as our graduates continue to
connect and reconnect, celebrating the education they received, the
experiences they shared, the friends they made, and the future they
dreamed when they were students at Long Beach’s only Catholic high
school.
A St. Anthony High School education is an
irreplaceable gift – a treasure for life. For me, the faith and
leadership of the Immaculate Heart Sisters who were my teachers are a
part of me today. Their example inspires me, as does the example of all
the wonderful, learned, faith-filled priests, religious and laypersons
who have nurtured and supported St. Anthony High School since it was
founded in 1920.
The high school’s founders were men and women
of great faith who believed that a Catholic high school was not just a
luxury, but a NECESSITY for a city the size and stature of Long Beach.
The same commitment to Catholic education which propelled these early
leaders to buy land and build in downtown Long Beach inspires us today,
as we remain true to our original mission.
Regardless of
socio-economic or cultural background, each year St. Anthony High
School welcomes students who want to learn within a Catholic setting,
rich in tradition and warm in community. Thanks to our thousands and
thousands of alums and so many others who have supported us throughout
our history, St. Anthony has maintained a steady course of renewal and
growth.
Today, we are very proud of our school, but most of
all, we are very proud of our graduates -- past, present and future.
These young people come to us full of hopes and dreams, with a desire
to learn and to build a bright future. Once here, they become friends,
who become a family. And that family forms a community, diverse and yet
united. They are all Saints! And, together with their parents and that
greater network of alumni and friends of St. Anthony High School, they
form a powerful and legendary “Community of Saints” which supports us
all.
GO SAINTS!
Gina Rushing Maguire (Class of ’67)
President
