Shiny New Gym Graces St. Peter Claver School

By ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

Published: September 18, 2003

DECATUR—The students at St. Peter Claver Regional School have somewhere to play. On Sept. 9, the feast day of their patron, parents, students and faculty members gathered to celebrate the dedication of their new gymnasium.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue celebrated a Mass in the new building, which also houses the art and music rooms as well as storage for the school.

Father Kevin Peek, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, concelebrated the Mass, as well as his brother, Father Joseph Peek, who is on medical leave for the archdiocese, Father Giles Conwill of Morehouse College and Father Jose Kochuparampil, parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Church, Stone Mountain.

Before the Mass, Judith Mucheck, superintendent of Catholic schools, congratulated the community on their new building.

“Sage wisdom says that ‘good things come to those who wait,’” she said. “You have waited, we have built it, and it is beautiful.”

She especially addressed the students.

“To my young friends—use this space for your growth and enjoyment. Be proud of your school,” she said. “Say thank you to those who teach you, to your parents and relatives who love you. Say thank you to God who gifts you with life each day.”

And the signs of the gifts were everywhere at the dedication. The St. Peter Claver logo was emblazoned on the gymnasium floor and on the backboard of each of the shiny new basketball goals.

In his homily, the archbishop told the students a little about St. Peter Claver, in honor of his feast day.

“St. Peter Claver, a very smart and able young man from Spain and the patron of this regional Catholic School, left his family, left an easy future, left all that made him secure to go to Cartagena in Colombia, in the early 1600s, and work there with the most miserable of all people—the African slaves,” he told them.

St. Peter Claver’s ministry was not blessed with comfort or supplies, the archbishop said, and many questioned his motives.

“His answer was this: ‘We must speak to them with our hands, before we try to speak to them with our lips,’” the archbishop said. “Peter Claver understood love, understood charity, understood what Christ had done when He came down from the mountain to bring people healing—Peter Claver understood and did the same. And we must too.”

He encouraged all in attendance to use their gifts to spread God’s love.

“Dear friends, may the work we do here in Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, and here at St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School, help us to bring God into our lives and into our souls—into the neighborhoods where we live and into the world which He has given us to dwell in,” he said. “And may our lives be ever more filled with the simple truths taught to us by the Gospel: prayer to God—obedience to His Church—and the sharing of His love, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.”

The archbishop later moved throughout the new building, sprinkling the rooms and hallways with holy water in a prayer of blessing.

After the Mass, faculty, parents and students gathered in Price Hall, the school’s cafeteria and multipurpose room that it shares with Sts. Peter and Paul Church, which is connected to the school.

Blue, green and white balloons, the school’s colors, festively adorned the tables, while a buzz of excitement could be felt throughout the room.

Kareth Harley, a sixth-grader, who has attended St. Peter Claver, which was formerly Sts. Peter and Paul School, since she was in pre-kindergarten, said she is excited about the new gym.

“It’s big and beautiful,” she said, adding that they had used the cafeteria for physical education when it rained. “But this is bigger so we have more room and we can add more equipment.”

LaShonda Johnson, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher, is in her fourth year teaching at St. Peter Claver.

“It’s gorgeous. The kids are enjoying it already,” she said. “They finally have somewhere to go and play when it rains. It’s really nice. We’re really enjoying it so far.”

Father Kevin Peek is also excited about the new building.

“It’s a beautiful achievement and a great investment for the school and people of this community,” he said. “I hope we can make full use of it as a tool for evangelization.”

The students began utilizing the gymnasium the day after Labor Day, but the night of the dedication was the first time many parents had the opportunity to see it.

Miller Jordan has an eighth-grader at the school.

“I’m very impressed with the gym. It’s a beautiful building. I thought that the way they have the insignia on the floor is very classy,” he said.

This is his daughter’s first year at St. Peter Claver, and Jordan said he is happy for the chance to enroll her.

“I wanted her to get more individualized attention,” he said. “Right away I could tell that the teachers were able to give more attention and to really care for the students. I’m very pleased.”

Catherine Spencer, principal of St. Peter ,Claver, said the gymnasium serves many purposes.

“First of all it provides a focal point and a gathering place,” she said. “It helps us to really put into action the regional school concept.”

Because the school formerly had to borrow parish rooms, the concept of a regional school was not as clear, but Spencer hopes the new gymnasium will change that.

“It also helps us to make relationships in the sense that it will build community spirit,” she said. “Community is crucial to Catholic education. It is the cornerstone. With the gym, we’ll be working together with the kids for the kids and help to really make them into true Christian servant leaders. That’s what we’re all about.”