March 18, 2008 West Point Cadet Visits SPC On March 18th, 2008, West Point Cadet Dominic Lanzillotta paid a visit to St. Peter Claver School for Boys during his Easter break which he was spending with is family. Dominic is a graduate of LaSalle High School and currently in his second year at West Point. Dominic addressed the students and faculty of SPC sharing his experience at West Point, how he became interested and eventually accepted into the United States Military Academy as well as what West Point works to install in it's student body, namely a sense of loyalty, commitment and passion for excellence. Dominic fields many questions from the students about his life at West Point and no doubt left a lasting impression on all. Click here to see photos from Dominic's visit. September 21, 2007 Awards Ceremony Honors the Prince’s 65th Anniversary On Friday, September 21, 2007 St. Peter Claver Latin School honored Betty and Lou Prince with a beautiful plaque in recognition of their dedicated volunteer service to the school. Since SPC opened its doors in 2001, the Princes have encouraged many others to support the school. They serve on the Advisory Board and have provided many field trips (complete with lunches) to the historic Heritage Village and the Betts House. Mr. and Mrs. Prince celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary on September 12, 2007. SPC students and staff joined members of the Prince family and some of their friends to commemorate this very special event at the SPC Annual Awards Ceremony in the beautiful Old St. Mary’s Garden. Their marriage of sixty-five years was acknowledged in a special card and photo from President and Mrs. Bush. Congressman Steve Chabot was on hand to present the card from the White House and to read his own letter of congratulations written in honor of the occasion.
June 26, 2007 Good Things Happening This was like a back-yard classroom: 200 kids laying bricks, nailing shingles on a simulated roof and painting, under the watchful eyes of professional construction tradesmen. It was the back yard of the Betts House, called Ohio's oldest brick house by its operators, in the West End. "Bond at the Betts House" was part of a hands-on introduction to the building trades. "They kept us pretty busy this year," Muir said. He said youths from Bond Hill, College Hill and Corryville recreation centers; Dominican Community Services; the Talbert House; the Melrose and West End YMCAs; and St. Peter Claver Latin School for Boys participated. The kids were also taught how to mix mortar and some blacksmithing, and had an introduction to architecture. "They are guided through these activities by qualified professionals," Muir said. "The work is taken seriously, safety is stressed, but the atmosphere is fun and supportive and also includes a nutritious lunch." He said the project received grants from the American Architectural Foundation, Christ Church Cathedral through the Episcopal Society, the Spirit of Construction and Summertime Kids of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Betts House, built in 1804, is at 416 Clark St. in the Betts-Longworth Historic District. The house is open to the public by appointment. Call 513-254-1753. Copyright (c) The Cincinnati Enquirer. All rights reserved.
November 19, 2006 IN THE SCHOOLS: St. Peter Claver Latin School for Boys In an Over-the-Rhine elementary school, a couple of dozen boys learn Latin and Spanish beginning in kindergarten. In later grades, they play music and take art with a rigorous mix of academics. A college instructor teaches classical literature. For six years, St. Peter Claver Latin School for Boys has been instructing boys from poor neighborhoods in the classics and developing leadership skills. The goal, school leaders say, is to help raise young men who can change their communities. While helping boys overcome obstacles, the five-year-old independent Catholic school has had to overcome obstacles of its own. Most recently, the school's Latin teacher retired for health reasons, and its part-time music teacher left for family reasons. And for much of its existence, the school has struggled financially, existing mostly on donations and grants, because most of its students' families can't afford its $4,000 tuition. But school leaders aren't considering pulling back or closing, they say. They're negotiating to lease more storefront space in Over-the-Rhine for classrooms next year. Lauer, who died a year after founding the school in 2001, had planned for the school to become a combination elementary and high school by 2010. "He died shortly after the school began, but his vision is still here and growing," said principal Vivian Jansen. "Father Lauer used to say that a lot of young men on the streets had great potential; they just were not getting what they needed. They end up using their intelligence, but not for good things. "If we start out when they're young, we'd be able to help get them the opportunities to use their intelligence for good." Using a special curriculum, the school's other teachers incorporate Latin into their lessons, Jansen said. For instance, kindergartners learn animal names and numbers in Latin. Later they learn to sing songs and say prayers in Latin, further developing their vocabulary. "It's a discipline," Jansen said. "As they get older they can conjugate verbs and understand language development and grammar. It also helps develop their minds." "I like how it sounds, how the words are pronounced and enunciated," he said. Nearby, third- and fourth-graders leaned over a teacher's desk as he gave instruction on how to use Windows on the only computer in the classroom. St. Peter Claver has a computer lab, Vivian Jansen explained, but the classrooms need additional computers. The school is stretching boundaries, said Bob Ketterer, president of the nonprofit school's board of trustees. On a recent All Saints Day, the boys dressed as saints as they'd studied. For Mass, they go to Old St. Mary's church next door, which has Latin and German masses. Ketterer said the school's 750 donors keep it going. "We spent $250,000 last year," he said, including renovations. "When Father Lauer founded us six years ago we were broke. And we're still broke. Somehow or another we've managed to raise and spend more than $1 million over the past six years." The school charges parents modest book fees, which some parents work off by volunteering. As Eboni Hardy, of Norwood, worked in the school's office, her fourth-grade son, Kevian Mack, said he likes the school so much, he wants to grow up to become its principal. About St. Peter Claver Latin School for Boys Location: 13th and Main streets, Over-the-Rhine, in the former Old St. Mary's German School. Copyright (c) The Cincinnati Enquirer. All rights reserved.
New annex named in honor of St. Peter Claver's founder OVER-THE-RHINE - St. Peter Claver School held an open house Wednesday in honor of its founder, the Rev. Al Lauer, and blessed the Father Lauer Annex across the street on East 13th Street. The addition includes an office, computer laboratory and classroom. It will be used by students in first and second grades. The school, founded in 2001 by Lauer, formerly pastor of Old St. Mary's Church, has 26 students. Lauer died in October 2002.
March 16, 2004 Art Auction Success! US Digital Partners and friends raise $1500 for local charity. CINCINNATI – Final Friday on February 27 in Over-the-Rhine involved the meshing of two fun events: the touring of all the open art galleries, studios, and shops and Bockfest, Cincinnati’s annual celebration of its European roots and Bock beer. A parade down Main Street with an 18-foot “Trojan Goat” kicked the night off. In a collaborative effort with St. Peter Claver Latin School for Boys, a tiny Catholic grade school attached to Old St. Mary’s Church, US Digital Partners – in association with Al. Neyer, Inc., Fawn Confectionary, and Creative Department – hosted a fundraiser for the school in the form of an art auction. The little boys’ artwork, from grades kindergarten through fifth grade, was neatly matted and hung on US Digital Partners walls. Visitors could come to peruse the “gallery,” and place bids on pieces of artwork. Hundreds of visitors poured into USDP offices on this night. Everyone was in high spirits; some visitors, including City Councilman Jim Tarbell, were even dressed in Bockfest costumes. Approximately $1500 were raised for the fledgling St. Peter Claver School: a real testimony to the generosity of so many visitors who believe in the importance of fine education for Over-the-Rhine’s young boys.
August 05, 2001 Church opens new school to focus on boys
Boys in Over-the-Rhine have been beaten down so long that the Rev. Albert Lauer figured it was time to tell them they are not a lost cause. They can be great leaders, he says, and if they attend his parish's new St. Peter Claver Boys' Latin School, they are expected to be successful. |
LINKS TO MORE ... Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Cincinnati, OH Presentation Ministries, Cincinnati, OH www.presentationministries.com
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