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St. Peter School on Capitol Hill recognized with National Blue Ribbon award a second time

By Josephine Von Dohlen, Catholic Standard

September 27, 2019


Students, teachers, staff and families of St. Peter School on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. were all smiles Sept. 27 as they gathered in the school courtyard to celebrate the school’s recognition as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School. 


“We know how special St. Peter’s School is,” Principal Karen Clay said, announcing the news to the school community. “The rest of the country now knows.” 


This was the second time the school received the recognition, with the first time in 2013. 


“Not only did we do it once in 2013, but we did it again in 2019,” Clay said, congratulating the teachers, students and families who all played a part in the school’s success, she said. 


...


Bill Ryan, the superintendent and secretary of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Washington who was present for the school’s announcement, said that St. Peter School was one of 50 non-public schools throughout the nation that were recognized with the Blue Ribbon School distinction.


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Father Gary Studniewski, the pastor at St. Peter’s Parish on Capitol Hill in Washington, said he wasn’t surprised that the school was an “exemplary, high-performing school.” 


“We have the most exemplary principal...the most exemplary teachers and staff, the most exemplary students, and the most exemplary parents and alumni,” he said. 


Above all, Father Studniewski said, the school exists to serve the “most exemplary person...Jesus Christ.” 


“That is everything that makes Saint Peter’s so special, to have Jesus at the center of our mission,” he said.


St. Peter School on Capitol Hill celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018, and both Clay and Father Studniewski spoke about the school’s legacy of serving families in the Capitol Hill neighborhood for generations. 


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Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who was present at St. Peter School for the Blue Ribbon announcement, said that in his few minutes at St. Peter’s during what was his first visit to the school, he noticed that they were “a family.”


“You are a big family,” Archbishop Gregory said. “One that cares about each other and wants one another to be happy.” 


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“You have a wonderful heritage, and lots of little ones before you went to school here and played here, and we want to make sure little ones can in the future,” Archbishop Gregory said. 

Full Story Here:  https://cathstan.org/news/local/st-peters-school-on-capitol-hill-recognized-with-national-blue-ribbon-award-a-second-time

 

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