| The Good Sisters | Students and Student Life |
| Enrollment | The Physical Plant |
| Postscript: 125th Anniversary Celebration | |
| Footnotes | Bibliography |
School History
The Story’s Beginning
For the citizens of the United States, the political hallmark of the year 1868 was the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Commencing in March and lasting until May, the proceedings played to packed galleries in the Senate chamber and naturally received extensive national and international press coverage. Washington society was in a world of its own. Lavish parties by the Reconstruction Era's nouveau riche highlighted the latest European dance craze -- the waltz -- and provided material for Mark Twain's The Gilded Age and Henry Adams' novel Democracy.
For the vast majority of Washingtonians, however, local politics and concerns predominated. District politicians were blaming Congress for the poor state of municipal services, while the public blamed a do-nothing mayor and voted into office a candidate who promised to improve the quality of life in the city as well as the quality of relations with Capitol Hill. Much improvement was required on both counts. Horace Greeley described post-Civil War Washington as a place where, "The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting, the mud is deep and the morals are deplorable." Some two hundred miles of streets were unpaved and sewers were few and far between. A chronicler of that era described the city as "dirty and unsanitary, beggars besieged the residential areas and, since the public schools were inadequate and there were no truant officers, hundreds of children of school age roamed the streets." The new mayor, however, was as unsuccessful in eliciting federal funds for paving streets as he was in convincing Congress to provide aid for public schools. (1)
It was into this setting that in September, 1868, four nuns from the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Indiana arrived in Washington to teach in the new St. Peter's School on Capitol Hill. Their subsequent efforts typified the entire history of St. Peter's -- a story of determination, persistence, and a respect for tradition while not losing sight of the need to adjust to the changing times. The fact that a small, often under-funded school would continue over 125 years is extraordinary in and of itself. That St. Peter's has done so suggests that what it stands for and what it offers meets secular and spiritual human needs which are on-going, universal, and important.
The parochial schools in Washington, D.C. have existed almost as long as the city itself. The origins of St. Patrick's Academy date back to 1825 to a day school which was part of St. Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum. (2) Holy Trinity, the oldest parochial elementary school in the area, was founded in 1835 in Georgetown, then considered a separate city from Washington. Despite changes over the years in the grade levels of its students, it still operates as an elementary school today. St. Matthew's opened its first school in 1841, eventually followed by the Academy of the Holy Cross in 1869. St. Augustine School was founded in 1858 for the children of freed slaves (3) and St. Aloysius opened in 1860 in a church basement. (4)
St. Peter's School is part of this early group. However, unlike its early contemporaries in the city which were eventually closed or merged into other, newer schools, St. Peter's has survived. Although predated by Holy Trinity in Georgetown, St. Peter's can still claim to be the oldest, continuously operated parochial elementary school in the original city of Washington.
St. Peter's was the fortunate beneficiary of the philanthropy of influential Catholics in early Washington. The beginning of St. Peter's School can be traced back to the efforts of Daniel Carroll of Duddington, who gave the land for the first St. Peter's Church in 1820. A prominent Washington landowner, (5) Carroll was the father of six daughters. (6) It seems likely that his concerns for the schooling of his large family prompted his interest in local educational opportunities and his subsequent dismay that so few good schools existed within the city.
As early as July, 1826, Carroll wrote to Archbishop Marechal in Baltimore about his hopes for a school on Capitol Hill. (7) Carroll, who had been forced to send his children to Georgetown and Emmitsburg, Maryland, for suitable schooling, wanted to open a free school on Capitol Hill run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul from Emmitsburg. (8) The Archbishop evidently did not support the idea, for Carroll wrote:
It much pained me to learn that you had objected to the establishment of a free-school on Capitol Hill in this city by the Rev. Mr. Dubois of Emmitsburgh, & consequently to the ratification of a contract (for the sale of a house for the said purpose) entered into by that gentleman [&] myself. This contract on my part was founded not only on a desire to promote the Catholic religion & Catholic education, but to [en]able me to educate my large family of young ladies. I am at a loss to conjecture the nature of the objection or its origin, & would respectfully Sir beg to be informed thereof.
The contemplated school is situated midway between Capitol Hill & the Navy-Yard, two of the populous parts of our city, with the situation of which I presume you are acquainted -- in these two parts are many Catholic girls, the daughters of respectable mechanics and persons in the humble walks of life, whose small pittance precludes there [sic] becoming boarders in the institution at Geo:Town, & the distance debarred them of the privileges of day-scholars. To afford these every facility of Catholic education & its consequent blessings, was with me by no means a secondary consideration -- it was the premium mobile. (9)
The Reverend J. F. McGerry, pastor at St. Peter's, also tried to persuade the Archbishop:
As you have heard of the School which was about to be established on Capitol [Hill] & as the object of the contemplated School may have been misrepresented to you; in order that you may have a full knowledge of the whole transaction; at the request of Mr. Daniel Carroll of Dudingtone [sic] I enclose to you the within letters(10)[which] will fully explain the object for which the School was intended.... There are at present more than one hundred little girls who will be deprived of education for want of an appropriate School -- and they better not receive any education, than be exposed in the Corporation Schools. (11)
The Archbishop rejected these first efforts at establishing a school, but Carroll succeeded in introducing an idea which was not to die. (12) St. Peter's parish had begun to build its first church in 1820 (13) and the parish seemed to be a thriving concern. Between 1834 and 1849, there is at least one report of a room in the parish being used as a school, but more specific information was apparently not recorded. (14)
Another benefactor eventually became interested in the school project. Thomas Bayne, a convert, was baptized at St. Peter's Church. (15) On March 19, 1866, inspired by the Reverend Francis Boyle's "charm of manner and zeal," (16) Bayne donated a plot of land to the church -- Square 793, Lot 4 and part of Lot 6 (17) on what is now E Street between Third and Fourth Streets, S.E. (18) In 1867, 41 years after Daniel Carroll's initiative to the Archbishop, the parochial school was built on this site. (19)
The new 45 foot by 115 foot pressed brick school contained a shallow basement and two upper stories, both of which were open, undivided spaces flanked at each end by stairwells and 14 foot by 15 foot recitation rooms. The open area between the stairs and the recitation room on the northern end of the building was devoted to a chapel on the main floor and a stage outfitted with scenery on the floor above it. (20) All classes were held on the first floor and the vaulted second floor was used as an auditorium and parish social hall. (21) Despite changes to the main entrance and interior, any of St. Peter's first students would readily recognize the school as it stands today.
The school opened in 1867 with a faculty of the Reverend Boyle and two lay teachers -- perhaps ladies of the parish -- by the names of Goodwin and O'Leary. (22) That same year the Reverend Boyle contacted the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Indiana, to ask for nuns to staff the new parish school. (23) Mother Angela, Superior, agreed to the contract and Sisters Praxedes Braddock, Editha McDermott, Fidelis Noonan, and Raymond Sullivan arrived in September, 1868, to serve as teachers in the first complete year of St. Peter's School. (24)
St. Peter's has always been very fortunate in its faculty. Teaching in a small, urban elementary school can never be an easy task. The sisters who started St. Peter's, however, were unusual for their commitment to education and to the children's well-being. St. Peter's was founded at a time when child labor was commonplace and literacy was far from universal. In contrast to the times, St. Peter's offered a clean, safe place for children to learn and yet still to be children.
The Sisters of the Holy Cross came to St. Peter's during a time of growth and change within their Order. Originally part of the French Order of Marianites, the American sisters started calling themselves the Sisters of the Holy Cross soon after their arrival from France, and, by 1865, began to officially separate their ideas, goals, and methods from those of their European leaders.(25) A belief that the curriculum formulated and supervised by the general prefect of studies in France was not modern enough for their American students was at the core of their transatlantic argument. In 1869, the sisters successfully established their own administrative hierarchy in the United States with papal approval.(26) The character and atmosphere of St. Peter's, one of many schools founded during this period of controversy, was no doubt influenced by the Sisters' independent professionalism.
The Order's early work included opening and maintaining orphanages in the eastern United States, but the Sisters' efforts began to focus increasingly on the free schools which were part of the orphanage organization.(27) With the support of their newly-Americanized leadership, the sisters shifted from providing and caring for the orphans to the teaching of subjects which were oriented to the country in which they, and their students, lived and worked.(28)
This is not to suggest, however, that the individual sisters in the Order always acted in concert. The historical record suggests that the first four nuns assigned to St. Peter's School experienced some confusion about the duties they were assuming. Upon their arrival in Washington, they discovered that Sister Hortense, Holy Cross Superior at St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum,(29) had just opened a private academy in St. Peter's parish for young ladies. St. Peter's Academy occupied a rented house at 12 Duddington Street, S.E.(30) Two of the four sisters were ordered to report to the new, unauthorized academy. It was closed, however, six weeks into the school year by the Order's administrators in Indiana.(31)
This private academy was then renamed and reopened later that same year at 131 C Street, S.E. on the feast of St. Cecilia. Four more Holy Cross Sisters, led by Sister Ambrose Corby, arrived from Indiana to take charge of the institution. The overlapping origins of these two new schools explains some of the seeming contradictions in the early accounts of St. Peter's. For example, the August 31, 1868, Evening Star newspaper announcement of the opening of St. Peter's Academy (which was to close after six weeks) is almost certainly actually the story of St. Cecilia's. The documents from the time imply that St. Cecilia's was to be for the girls of more affluent families, while St. Peter's was a parish school for the children of the working and lower classes.
The teaching contract between the Holy Cross Sisters and St. Peter's parish, signed on September 11, 1868, bound them to work for six hours per day, five days per week, ten months a year for $400 per sister. The pastor, however, was criticized for such extravagance because the parish was heavily in debt. The salary was lowered to $300 for the second year.(32) An addendum to the 1868 contract suggests that the sisters were to teach only girls, for "[i]f the Sisters are required to teach boys, they are to receive only those under ten years of age."(33) While there were to be many subsequent changes in the contract's terms and price, one of the more notable changes occurred in 1878 when the sisters were told to collect the fees directly from the students.(34)
The sisters initially lived at St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum, but soon moved to 131 C Street, S.E. to share quarters with the Holy Cross teachers at the new St. Cecilia's Academy.(35) The facilities were so crowded that the nuns had to eat in the cellar and sleep in the classrooms.(36) In 1874 St. Cecilia's moved to their newly-constructed school at 601 E. Capitol Street and all of the Holy Cross Sisters serving St. Peter's parish as faculty at the two schools shared a residence at that address.(37) This arrangement continued until 1924. The St. Peter's teachers walked from the convent at 601 E. Capitol Street(38) and had their lunches brought to them from the convent's kitchen by student volunteers.(39) Years later, one former student was to reminisce:
In other days it was customary for the boys to go to St. Cecilia's Academy and bring the noon day lunch to the Sisters teaching at St. Peter's. Dear Lord, how many times we upset that basket, potatoes, meat, soup, everything! How many times we lingered on the way, to engage in boyish battles, to look into windows, with the result, cold dinner!(40)
By 1924, the St. Peter's sisters asked for their own convent.(41) The parish rented the houses at 320 and 322 Second Street, S.E. for their use.(42) These quarters were cramped and inadequate, however, so in the spring of 1926 when the building at 133 C Street, S.E. became available, it was purchased by the parish for use as a convent.(43) The convent was expanded and configured to have a chapel, common rooms, and private rooms.(44) On July 28, 1926 the St. Peter's sisters returned to C Street to take up residence across the alley from the earliest parish convent located in the first St. Cecilia's Academy building.(45) Relations between the convents at St. Peter's and St. Cecilia's apparently remained cordial and there was regular contact between the two communities.(46)
The teaching contract for the sisters, however, was renegotiated to account for the added benefits provided by their own convent.(47) Sisters who lived in the convent received only $350 per year; those living elsewhere were paid $450 per year.(48) St. Peter's parish assured the school faculty that there would be "a suitable residence, well-furnished and comfortable, and that [the parish] would keep it in good repair; [and] also...provide light and fuel and water."(49)
The contract dated November 10, 1924 lists other duties performed
by the faculty sisters during their ten month school year. They
must organize and carry out the Closing Exercises which marked the end of
each year, do one other public program, manage the Children's Choir, lead
the sodalities, and instruct the Sunday School classes.(50)
A primary responsibility -- then and now -- was assuring acceptable behavior
on the part of the children. 
The parish's financial report of 1927 contains some interesting figures. Sisters' and teachers' salary expenses are listed as $3280, only slightly ahead of the $3144.50 costs for the sexton, janitor, and maids. The convent's furnishing and care consumed $951.62. Heat, cleaning, books and supplies charges of $1814.19 and the partial payment on a new playground of $1856.54 together were more expensive than either the teachers or the church's support staff.(51)
In the 1930's, the school prospered despite the Great Depression. This was evident because in 1934 the growing number of teachers forced the addition of a three story extension at the rear of the original convent building.(52)
In later years, however, social pressures, tumultuous political changes, and economic adjustments altered the Capitol Hill community in many ways. St. Peter's was naturally affected by the developments and the community struggled to keep the school alive. There was a growing shortage of women willing to serve as nuns, and those women who did commit themselves to a traditional, religious life wanted to expand their involvement into social work, special education, and adult education.(53) One woman commented in the early 1970's:
It used to be that being a nun was like being in the Army. You just got assigned to do things. But then with Vatican II, we all got our freedom. Now we can choose what we want to do and some feel they just don't want to be grade school teachers.(54)
This scarcity of nuns qualified to be teachers caused St. Peter's convent to close and be sold in 1972. Those sisters still on the St. Peter's faculty returned to live at St. Cecilia's(55) where they and the dwindling number of their St. Cecilia's counterparts lived on the newly added third floor of the classroom building.(56) While St. Peter's is still fortunate today to have some sisters on its faculty, the majority of the teachers are now lay professionals. Only one Holy Cross Sister, Sister Virginia Herr, remains to carry on the legacy of her Order.
Writing some sixty years after her graduation from St. Peter's, one former student summed up her feelings on the Sisters of the Holy Cross:
It is my firm belief that the excellent foundation I received during those six years [third - eighth grades, 1913 - 1918] has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.... Those dedicated nuns...taught that we might learn, and learn we did. Please be proud of those wonderful women.
I have always said prayers of thanksgiving for their work with me. I love them so much. (57)
For years, romantic stories have circulated on Capitol Hill that the St. Peter's School building was originally used as a Civil War hospital or as a jail for the rowdier citizens of pre-Civil War Washington. The proximity of Providence Hospital, begun in the same decade as the school, may help explain the confusion over where the Civil War wounded received their care.
The source of the detention center rumors is more obscure. However, it is possible that the history of the Providence Hospital Infirmary, located on the east side of Third Street adjacent to the school property, crossed with that of the old Washington Infirmary, the city's first hospital located on G Street, N.W. at Judiciary Square. In 1842 Congress appropriated funds to renovate the old city jail on Judiciary Square as an insane asylum and hospital. Known as the Washington Infirmary, it was taken over by the government as a military hospital following the fall of Ft. Sumter in April 1861. In November of that same year, it burned to the ground and was never rebuilt.(58) The fact that neither the Civil War hospital nor jail rumors can be true is further substantiated by parish insurance records, which clearly show that the school building was erected in 1867 after the war and intended from its beginning for use only as a school.
St.
Peter's has never been a luxurious school, but the land and the building have
been carefully watched over and frugally maintained with an eye to maximizing
what it can offer its students while minimizing the costs to those same students
and their families. The parish records suggest that the school
and parish owned or were given various pieces of real estate on Capitol Hill.
The selling of this property has provided a large source of the school's financial
support.
Over the years, a picture emerges of St. Peter's School gradually owning, using, and occasionally selling a patchwork of various lots in square 793.(59) This square, which is the block in which St. Peter's is still located, is bordered by D and E Streets, and Third and Fourth Streets, S.E.(60)
In 1877, land was again donated to the parish by Thomas Bayne.(61) One of the lots, located in the same square as the school, was raffled off between 1878 and 1885 during the pastorate of Reverend Jeremiah O'Sullivan.(62) The proceeds were used to pay off the debts incurred by Reverend Boyle for the building of the school. Other land east of the school was donated by a parish family for use as a boys' playground.(63) A smaller plot of land facing Third Street was obtained and used for a girls' playground.(64) In 1923, the Archbishop authorized the parish to buy five houses facing Third Street, S.E. and to obtain the house at 422 E Street, S.E., for the future expansion of the school.(65)
The school building as originally configured with its open plan was not keeping pace with the growing demands of the thriving school. The plant was old and even simple maintenance was difficult:
It was an everyday thing to see the Sisters, especially Sister Manuelita [Thomas] going from the main floor to the cellar, up and down what was more of a ladder than a stairway, to put the coal in the furnace so the pupils might be kept at least half warm.(66)
Therefore, in 1923 the first major renovation to the original
building was proposed. The old-fashioned open floor plan was changed
by Boston architect W. Philips so that the second floor contained four individual
classrooms and a music room.(67)
The first floor also had four new classrooms and fireproof stairways were
added. The basement, lowered to the footings of the walls, now
featured a play area(68) with separate spaces
for the boys and the girls.(69)
A major improvement was the addition of indoor plumbing which eliminated the
outhouses at the rear of the building. The children also had a
large outdoor playground.(70) 
Not all of the parish supported the 1923 renovation. The school's age persuaded some families that the entire building should be closed and the school moved to the corner of Second and D Streets, S.E., where a larger, more modern facility could be constructed.(71) Only when they realized that it would cost as much as $80,000 to purchase and prepare the new land and close to $200,000 to build a new school did they concur with the considerably cheaper renovation plan.(72)
With the influx of families seeking work in the city during the Depression, enrollment in the school flourished. In 1935 the original building -- the rear part of the present school -- accommodated 631 students.(73) (The 1993-94 enrollment was 231 students.) The classrooms were so crowded that over 100 students sat at desks in the hallways.(74) This situation alarmed the District of Columbia Fire Department, which in the spring of 1936 decided that the overcrowding must be alleviated by the opening of the upcoming school year or the school would have to be closed.(75) Architect Julius Wenig of Washington drew up plans for a new building which would be an addition to the existing school.(76)
The new wing was entirely fireproofed construction with outer walls of red pressed brick, sills of Indiana limestone, and copper cornices.(77) Immediately inside the new main entrance on Third Street was a room for the principal on the right and a large play area immediately behind.(78) The second and third floors had airy, sunny classrooms which were of a size to accommodate the growing number of students.(79) Visitors to the school today will recognize this as the layout which St. Peter's continues to use. The building was dedicated on December 8, 1936 by Archbishop Michael Curley in front of a capacity crowd in the new "recreation" room.(80)
When the shifting labor demands of World War II caused many American women to work outside their homes, St. Peter's moved with the times. The basement of the school was converted to a dining room for those children who could not go home for lunch.(81) In the civil defense scares of the 1960's, the Archdiocesan Office of Education directed that shelter areas be set up in school basements with regular shelter drills and special survival supplies.(82) Each school child was instructed to bring canned food and liquids to school for possible emergency use.(83)
Changes in the urban environment and expanding suburban developments were enticing middle and working class families out of the cities. Capitol Hill neighborhoods did not escape this trend, and the number of St. Peter's parishioners began to decline. To help offset this direction and to help trumpet the virtues of living on the Hill, in the early 1950's St. Peter's Sodality held a springtime Capitol Hill house tour.(84) Each May on Mother's Day approximately ten Capitol Hill houses, chosen for their historic and architectural interest, are open to the public. This tour -- now directed by another organization -- has become a popular Capitol Hill tradition, drawing people from throughout the region.
Yet the steady drop in the number of middle and working class families in Washington continued through the 1960's and 1970's, creating a parallel drop in the parish population. Because this was also true for neighboring parishes as well, the 1970's brought significant changes to the parochial school system. Students from St. Dominic, St. Joseph, and St. Vincent de Paul parishes were transferred to St. Peter's as their own parochial schools closed.(85) The four parishes agreed each would provide an annual payment for the school's support,(86) and the name was officially changed to St. Peter's Interparish School.
Other events of man and nature affected life at St. Peter's. In 1965, fires, apparently the work of an arsonist, damaged four rooms in the school and destroyed 138 books in the library.(87) After a December 9, 1968 robbery, the school added metal screens to its windows to prevent further break-ins.(88) On March 4, 1971, gusting spring winds blew off a third of the school's roof a mere 30 minutes after the students had been dismissed for the day.(89)
The general physical deterioration of the school generated support for renovation in 1977. In many ways, the fact that the school would be renovated in this troubled decade was an expression of hope and determination in the face of an uncertain future. After the riots of the late 1960's, the Archdiocese held back on new suburban school construction and instead furnished money to those city schools which no longer received much financial support from their declining parishes.(90) As early as 1974, in correspondence with the Archdiocese, Reverend Michael O'Sullivan, St. Peter's pastor, stated: "The building is over 100 years old and is in such a state of disrepair that it would be difficult to conscientiously justify its use as a school, except as a temporary measure."(91)
The 1977 renovation cost about $365,000, a large portion of which was paid for by selling off more real property holdings.(92) The portion of the school's lot facing D Street, S.E., was sold in 1976 for $302,500.(93) As with prior renovations, some people argued for the alternative of building a new school.(94) One idea was to build a new school at the corner of Third and D Streets, S.E. In 1975, the Archdiocese had agreed to bankroll a new school for $600,000. When the architects reported, however, that the planned new school would run fifty percent over that budget, the idea was dropped.(95)
The 1977 renovation carpeted, painted, and modernized the school's interior. As with so many changes, what was new was really a repeat of what had gone before. As noted in the rededication program of February 1978:
We seem to have gone full circle, with four sisters presently assigned to the school, the number of students (250) about the same as the beginning years. The Sisters are again living at St. Cecilia's, the partitions built during the years are being removed for larger spaces, the adjoining properties have been sold to finance the remodeling and lay teachers are a vital part of the school.(96)
Enrollment at St. Peter's has historically been more a function of social and demographic changes than the cost of tuition. In the 1953-54 school year, 544 students were enrolled, 146 of whom were first graders. Enrollments, however, dropped steadily over the next twenty years, hitting 290 for the 1965-66 school year. They dipped further to 270 in 1971-72 (97), encouraging the consolidation of local Catholic schools and the designation of St. Peter's as an interparish school. By the mid to late 1980's, Catholics seemed less interested in sending their children to parochial schools, even as non-Catholics competed to have their children admitted.(98)
The tuition records are as patchy as the enrollment records, but those which survive confirm that St. Peter's has consistently tried to offer truly affordable education. At times it has been free of charge to both Catholic and non-Catholic families. For most of the 1950's, for example, parishioners paid no tuition at all while others (including non-Catholics) paid $1.00 to $2.00 per child, per year.(99) In 1960-61, Catholics, parishioners, and non-Catholics paid $2.00 per child with a small additional sum for book rentals.(100)
In 1973, no doubt acting in response to dropping enrollment and a growing scarcity of financial resources, the parish council in conjunction with the Finance Committee of the Home and School Association surveyed school families on the financial future of St. Peter's School.(101) The Archdiocesan subsidies were drying up and the parochial schools of Washington were being pushed toward greater financial independence. The survey suggested six tuition plans and two budget proposals which offered various amenities and resources. By 1976, tuition had risen to $400 for parish children and $500 for all others.(102)
Beginning in the 1990's, however, St. Peter's enjoyed a growing enthusiasm for its programs and an upsurge of community support. Some families, tired of suburban congestion, returned to the city. Many urban couples who had children elected to remain in their neighborhoods. As a result, interest in St. Peter's climbed steadily despite tuition increases. St. Peter's Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and first grade classes (key age levels for long-term student recruiting) for the 1994-95 school year filled immediately and had long waiting lists despite tuition rates approaching $3,000 per pupil.(103)
Of course, no history of a school would be complete without a discussion of the students. While exact figures did not survive the years, the early student body at St. Peter's numbered between 250 and 300 pupils with a faculty of four.(104) Enrollment fluctuated with the times and social conditions but peaked in the mid-1930's with over 600 students taught by fourteen sisters.(105)
Beginning
in the 19th century and continuing for an uncertain period of time into the
20th century, it was apparently traditional at St. Peter's to end each school
year with a Closing Exercise. On the last day of school, the students,
faculty, and visitors would gather in the parish hall, presumably the school's
second floor auditorium.(106)
The children would enter and exit to suitable music and perform recitations,
music, dramatics, and tableaux for the audience; crowns and honors would be
distributed to students who had distinguished themselves.(107)
In 1889 and 1890, picnics "at Mr. Whitney's place"
and at "Oak View, the Cleveland residence" substituted for the Closing
Exercise.(108)
There were also annual commencements for those pupils graduating from St. Peter's.(109) According to the programs, these were held at St. Peter's Lecture Hall at Second and C Streets, S.E.(110) Hand-written programs, gold medals, and diplomas honored each graduate.(111)
From September 24 to October 16, 1888, St. Peter's School auditorium was the site of a charity fair to raise money for construction of the new parish church.(112) A daily newspaper, The Fair News, was published during the event chronicling the impressive array of booths, contests, raffles and prizes along with the reactions of the hundreds of fair-goers. While the church was under construction, services were held at the school building.(113)
As World War II changed American society, St. Peter's changed, too. The children raised money for War Stamps and War Bonds(114) and adjusted as their mothers went to work outside their homes to support the war effort. Parents were reminded by Reverend Hayes that the war's effects should not keep them from fulfilling their family duties:
At the very beginning of the school year we want to make it plain to the parents that unless they cooperate with the Sisters by seeing to it that their children attend school regularly, and prepare their home work every night, their children will not be promoted.... During the war many parents have been neglecting their children. The children have been getting a Raw Deal; and no one realizes it better than the Sister in the classroom. Mothers who work without necessity, and who are not helping their children in their home work are guilty of grave injustice to their family. The extra money they are making during this war time cannot bring happiness to their home if the children are allowed to run in the streets and fail in their studies.(115)
The St. Peter's children attended at least one special church service to pray for American soldiers. They joined federal workers and members of Congress at a noon Mass during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 and were pictured in prayer on the front page of the Washington Post the next day.(116) Despite the anxieties and hardships brought by the war, St. Peter's celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on December 19, 1943 with a Sunday afternoon concert.(117)
The 1950's brought the Korean War, Cold War, and a fear of nuclear attack. In February, 1952, the older grades at St. Peter's were instructed on air raid "do's and don'ts" at an Interstate Commerce exhibit.(118) There were canned food drives(119) and reminders that the new, national fascination with television could not be permitted to interfere with homework, studying, and other school obligations.(120) Throughout the 1950's, each parochial school year began with a solemn service at St. Matthew's Cathedral which drew over a thousand teachers from the Washington Archdiocesan school system.(121)
School uniforms are the hallmark of parochial school education, but for many years St. Peter's had none. A 1953 Catholic Standard survey showed that three-quarters of all area parochial schools required girls to wear uniforms while only half of the male students had the same mandate. Uniforms were arguably thriftier and eliminated dress fads, competition, and hurt feelings.(122) In September, 1956, St. Peter's finally conformed to the trend.
The
first girl uniforms at St. Peter's consisted of a $6.00 jumper and a $2.50
blouse. The Washington department store, Woodward and Lothrop,
even featured a Parochial School Outfitting Department.(123)
By the mid-1970's, St. Peter's had switched from a traditional
school uniform to a more relaxed look -- boys wore navy trousers with solid
colored shirts of white, blue or yellow, while the girls wore navy slacks,
skirts or jumpers with solid color white, blue, or yellow blouses.(124)
The 1990's brought a new code with less freedom of choice: boys
in navy trousers with white shirts; girls in navy slacks or plaid jumpers
or skirts with white blouses. The modern uniform also includes
a welcome hot-weather component of navy shorts and school T-shirts.
As has always been true, the little ones in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
are exempt from the uniform requirements and left free to make their own fashion
statements.
Despite its small size and modest resources, St. Peter's has consistently offered a remarkably diverse and challenging curriculum to its students. The school has experimented with Individualized Guided Education (IGE) which featured innovative teaching techniques and learning incentives.(125) At other times and in other circumstances, the school has also offered very traditional classroom settings. The St. Peter's Library was formally begun in September, 1945 after Dr. Richard Hurley of the Catholic University of America cataloged the school's book collection. Selected eighth graders served as librarians. In 1946, the Archdiocese started a Library Council for parochial schools and St. Peter's was chosen as an early site for lectures for nuns serving as librarians. In 1947, the school was further honored when professional school librarians attending a local conference visited St. Peter's and viewed its model elementary school library.(126) Today the library continues to be a source of great pride and a wonderful learning resource for the students.
St. Peter's added a Kindergarten in 1943 under the direction of Sister Odelia Koenig. Children who would be five years old by November 30th were permitted to enroll in the school program. The Kindergarten classroom was decorated with a statue of the Infant of Prague, and with specially-sized furniture and equipment.(127) The little ones celebrated their learning achievements with medals, certificates, and special graduations. The program for the May 1946 Kindergarten graduation outlines a processional entitled "Angel's Serenade," nursery songs and recitals, an award ceremony, and a Tschaikowsky recessional.(128) The 1944 program is similar, listing hymns, nursery rhymes, poems, and awards.(129)
Over the years St. Peter's has enjoyed student dramatic productions and art programs.(130) There have been musical opportunities in the school's band and choral singing programs.(131) Many students studied the keyboard in the piano studio on the top floor of the old building and performed in recitals in the 1940's and 1950's under the direction of Sister Marian Joseph Cain. Given the school's proximity to the Smithsonian museums on the Mall, numerous and convenient field trips have been possible in recent years. As the present principal has noted, "The kids go to the Library of Congress regularly. We take advantage of Metro, and go to the zoo, the Kennedy Center and the Washington Monument. If we weren't so well located, we wouldn't be able to do all that."(132)
The extra-curricular activities at St. Peter's were equally numerous and varied. The boys athletic program affiliated with the C.Y.O. League in 1945, and a year later there were girls basketball and softball teams as well. Volunteers from the community coached the boys; the teaching sisters coached the girls.(133) The boys' football team -- named the Blue and Gold in honor of the school's colors -- was also established in 1945. Players had to be smaller than 130 pounds and not older than eighth grade. Games were played on the East Ellipse Field directly behind the White House.(134) At least one St. Peter's student remembers practicing long passes while, a short distance away, President Truman took his daily walk.(135) 1947 was a banner year. The boys basketball team reached the quarter finals in the city-wide competition while the girls emerged as city champions in both basketball and softball.
St. Peter's students have distinguished themselves in that quintessential elementary school competition -- the Greater Washington Spelling Bee(136) -- participated in the school's safety patrol called the St. Peter's Patrolmen or the Safety Boys,(137) marched down Constitution Avenue with award-winning floats in the annual national safety patrol parades,(138) created entries for art contests,(139) and sung in parish choral groups.(140) In 1951, the St. Peter's Girls' Choir sang on television, opening the Midday Chapel Program with "Our Lady of Fatima" and concluding the program with "An Army of Youth."(141) The piano recitals held in the St. Peter's church hall featured student piano solos, duets and choir numbers.(142) Current students continue this tradition of extra-curricular activity by participation in C.Y.O. sports leagues, Archdiocesan band contests, dramatics competition at the Folger Shakespeare Library, the National Geography Bee, and city-wide science fairs.
In 1868 "grades were read every week and reports sent home quarterly"(143) in subjects such as bookkeeping, epistolary style, and the system of weights and measures.(144) Even a casual glance through recent St. Peter's Weekly Bulletins will reveal the extent to which the school has broadened and diversified its curriculum and extra-curricular activities for its student body. But despite changes in educational fashion over the years, the basic core mission of St. Peter's School has remained the same.
In looking back over the years, one school supporter has commented:
I believe that there was one principle which was fundamental and provided a continuous intellectual thread. It was that the very essence of St. Peter's School is that it exists to provide a quality Catholic education to all within the boundaries it serves.(145)
Postscript: The 125th Anniversary Celebration
St. Peter's Interparish School celebrated
its 125th year of continuous operation during the 1993-1994 school year.
Two parents, Barbara Ochmanek and Kathleen Ann Murphy, researched and wrote
the early history of the school. It is their hope that at a future date
others will complete the more recent story.
The Co-Chairs of the 125th Celebration were parents Barbara Ochmanek and Anne
Kraemer. In addition to the events they planned, they and their hardy volunteers
tracked down the addresses of over 1,000 alumni and 125 former teachers who
were invited to join the year's festivities.
The year began with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Curlin on September 19, 1993 and concluded with an alumni weekend in May 1994. In his homily the Bishop recalled the prejudices against Catholics, particularly Irish Catholics, which existed at the time the school was founded. He gave thanks to the Holy Cross Sisters, a number of whom were in attendance, who had sustained the school over the years.
Following the Mass, present and former students and teachers paraded to the school carrying blue and white balloons. (The blue and white was to symbolize the school colors -- interestingly, one of the discoveries made during the year was that the school colors are actually blue and gold.) During the reception which followed at the school, all enjoyed the graduation photographs going back to 1925 which now hang in the halls.
On February 2nd, present and former teachers were invited to a lunch in their honor at the St. Peter's Rectory. It was a wonderful chance to renew old friendships, compare notes, and appreciate the many challenges which teaching entails.
Close to 200 alumni and former teachers and principals gathered
for the Reunion Weekend May 6-8. Alumni came from the Class of
1918 through the Class of 1991, including sweethearts who met at St. Peter's
and later married, and families with parents, children, in-laws, and multiple
uncles, aunts, and cousins among the graduates. 
Much of the celebration centered on recognition of the Sisters of the Holy Cross who first came in 1868 to teach the children of the poor on Capitol Hill. Twelve Holy Cross nuns came to the reunion, including one from Texas and another from the Motherhouse in Notre Dame, Indiana. The "star," however, was Sister Caroline Roesle, a 1922 graduate of St. Peter's and later principal from 1950-1956.
After a reunion lunch at the parish, guests gathered at the school to reminisce and view a display on the history of the school. On Sunday the parish celebrated a traditional May Crowning and the end of the 125th Celebration.
St. Peter's now looks forward to its 126th year beginning in September 1994. Its tradition of providing a quality education to a broad range of students on Capitol Hill and beyond proudly continues.
Unless otherwise noted, all "Files" refer to those held by the St. Peter's School library as part of the 125th Anniversary collection.
1. Constance McLaughlin Green, Washington: A History of the Capital, 1800-1950 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1962), pgs. 312-16.
2. Kuhn, Sr. M. Campion, C.S.C. "The Sisters Go East - And Stay." Paper presented to the Second Conference On the History of the Congregations of Holy Cross in the U.S.A., March 18-19, 1983, Moreau Seminary, Notre Dame, Indiana. (Manuscript sent from Holy Cross Archives, now in St. Peter's School files.)
3. Card in box; 1st D.C. Schools. Unless otherwise noted, citations refer to file folders and 3x5 cards currently held by St. Peter's School library as part of the 125th Anniversary research collection.
4. Card in box; 1st D.C. schools.
5. Carroll was a distant cousin of the better-known Daniel Carroll of Maryland, and his first wife, Anne Brent, was also the niece of that Daniel Carroll. (Daniel Carroll of Maryland was a signer of the Constitution, a U.S. Commissioner during the establishment of the new nation's capital, and the brother of Archbishop John Carroll.)
6. Card in box; Carroll/Duddington. The children were raised at "Duddington," the family mansion located a few blocks south of what is now known as Providence Park. The grand house faced north and was clearly visible from St. Peter's School until the house's demolition in 1886. One of the Carroll daughters, Sarah Carroll Nicholson, gave her home, "Nicholson Park", on Second Street, S.E., as the site of the first Providence Hospital in 1861. This location is now known as Providence Park. Providence Park is directly across the street from the present St. Peter's School and is used by the school's children as a playing field.
7. . Letter, Daniel Carroll to Archbishop Marechal, July 9, 1826. File: 1860-1900. Original in Archdiocesan Archives, Baltimore.
8. Card in box; Founding. The Daughters Of Charity founded St. Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum in Washington in 1825 and started Providence Hospital in 1861.
9. Letter, Daniel Carroll to Archbishop Marechal, July 9, 1826. File: 1860-1900. Original in the Archdiocesan Archives, Baltimore.
10. The letters referred to are not part of the Archdiocesan's archival record.
11. Letter, Rev. J. F. McGerry to Archbishop Marechal, May 18, 1826. File: 1860-1900. Original in the Archdiocesan Archives, Baltimore.
12. Cooksey, Rita. A History Of Saint Peter's Parish, Washington, D.C., pg. 52. (M.A. thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of the Catholic University of America) Washington, D.C.: unpub., 1940.
13. Scott, Pamela and Antoinette J. Lee. Buildings of the District of Columbia, pg. 148. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
14. The Sisters Of The Holy Cross. Our Provinces, Centenary Chronicles of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, 1941, pg. 276.
15. "Facts in the History of St. Peter's Parish", typescript of articles by Eugene F. Arnold which were first published in "Fair News of St. Peter's Parish, 1888." Archdiocesan Archives, File # 131.
17. Listing of land deeds and grants, undated, pg. 1. Archdiocesan Archives.
20. "St. Peter's Parish School." Unsigned, undated manuscript. Probably an insurance appraisal of the school, c. 1878. Original in St. Peter's Church vault.
21. Our Provinces, pgs. 276-277.
22. "Historical Notes of St. Peter's Parish, Washington D.C. to be added to Rita Cooksey's History of the Parish." Unsigned, undated manuscript notes. Original in St. Peter's Church vault.
23. The Sisters Go East, pg. 25
32. Archival transcript, 1868 Contract. Holy Cross Archives.
34. Note on 1868 Contract dated May, 1912. Holy Cross Archives.
35. The Sisters Go East, pg. 26.
38. Cooksey, Rita. pgs. 53-54.
39. The Sisters Go East, pg. 29.
40. Msgr. Albert F. Smith (St. Peter's student,
1883-1892) writing in The Catholic Standard in 1936.
File: 1920's + 1930's.
41. Cooksey, Rita. pgs. 53-54.
46. The Sisters Go East, pg. 31.
47. Card in box; Sisters of the Holy Cross--1924 Contract.
50. Card in Box; Curriculum--1924.
53. "Shortage of Nuns, Two Catholic Schools Closing," Sunday Washington Star, March 7, 1972.
55. The Sisters Go East, pg. 31.
57. Letter, Mary Kathleen Clarke Korn, '18, to the Sisters of the Holy Cross at St. Peter's School, May 24, 1979. File: 1970's.
58. Providence Centennial Book 1861-1961, Issued to Commemorate the First One Hundred Years in the History of a Community Hospital in the Nation's Capital. Washington, D.C.: Providence Hospital, 1961.
59. Map of the District of Columbia and City of Washington and Plats of the Squares and Lots of the City of Washington. Washington: A. Boyd Hamilton, 1852.
67. Program from "St. Peter's School Diamond
Jubilee Presentation, December 19, 1943."
File: 1940's - WWII.
70. "St. Peter's Diamond Jubilee." File: 1940's - WWII.
73. Program from "St. Peter's Interparish School Rededication, February 1, 1978". File: 1970's.
74. "Important Notice from Father Connelly to Parishioners". File: 1920's + 1930's.
77. Card In Box; Building--New Building.
80. Card In Box; Building--Dedication of New Building.
81. Card In Box; Building--Dining Room.
82. The Catholic Standard, November 2, 1962.
85. St. Peter's Administrative Correspondence, 1980. Archdiocesan Archives, File #131.
87. "Arsonist On Capitol Hill Fires School And Books." Washington Star, April 16, 1965. File: 1960's.
88. "Can Way Be Found To Tame The 'Jungle'
of Capitol Hill."
The Catholic Standard, December 12, 1968, pg. 1 .
89. "Winds Cause One Death; Roof Blown Off School." Washington Star, March 5, 1971.
90. Card in box; Bibliography, #20.
91. Letter, Rev. Michael O'Sullivan to Most Rev. William Baum, April 4, 1974. St. Peter's Administrative Correspondence, 1980. Archdiocese Archives. File #131.
92. Card in box; Bibliography, #15.
93. Card in box; Bibliography, #13.
96. "St. Peter's Interparish School Rededication." File: 1970's.
97. Washington D.C. Archdiocese, Office of Education. Annual Report of the Archdiocesan Schools. 1972.
98. Washington Post, March 12, 1987.
99. Washington D.C. Archdiocese, Office of Education. Annual Report of the Archdiocesan Schools.
101. Card in box; Tuition--1973. File: 1970's.
103. St. Peter's Interparish School. Weekly Bulletin. Vol. 11, No. 24, March 24, 1994.
104. "St. Peter's Interparish School Rededication." File: 1970's. "St. Peter's School Diamond Jubilee Presentation." File: 1940's - WWII.
105. "St. Peter's Interparish School Rededication." File: 1970's.
106. Card in box; 1860-1900--Closing Exercises.
108. Card in box; 1860-1900--Picnics.
109. Card in box; 1860-1900--Commencement Exercises.
112. The Fair News, September 27-October 16, 1888. Original in St. Peter's Church vault.
113. "Facts in the History of St. Peter's Parish", pg. 13.
114. Letter, Rev. Walter J. Hayes to Rt. Rev.
Joseph M. Nelligan of Baltimore, October 27, 1942.
File: 1940's - WWII.
115. Letter from Reverend Hayes, August 12, 1945. St. Peter's Church Bulletin. Vol. XXI, No. 8. August 1945. File: 1940's - WWII.
116. Washington Post, June 7, 1944. File: 1940's - WWII.
117. Card in box; 1940s. File: 1940's - WWII.
118. Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church, February 1952.
119. Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church, November 1951.
120. Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church, September 1950.
121. Washington Star Collection, clippings on parochial schools. Martin Luther King Public Library.
122. Catholic Standard, September 4, 1953.
124. Card in box; Uniforms 1972-1975.
125. "St. Peter's Interparish School Rededication, February 1, 1978." File: 1970's.
126. Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church. File: 1940's - WWII.
127. Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church, September 1943. File: 1940's - WWII.
128. "Program from Graduation Exercises
of St. Peter's School Kindergarten, May 31, 1946".
File: 1940's - WWII.
129. "Program from Closing Exercises of St. Peter's Kindergarten, June 2, 1944". File: 1940's - WWII.
130. Cards in box; Curriculum-Drama, Curriculum-Art.
131. Card in box; Curriculum-Music.
132. "Tradition and Innovation," The Catholic Standard, May 21, 1987. File: 1980's.
133. Card in box; Extra-Curricular.
134. Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church, November 1948. Card in box; Extra-Curricular.
135. Story told to authors by Frank Vita, '51, September 19, 1993.
136. Washington Star Collection. Washington
Daily News, May 15, 1946; Washington Daily News,
April 25, 1950; Washington Daily News, April 21, 1951.
137. The Washington Post, May 13, 1951.
138. The Catholic Standard, May 16, 1952.
139. Washington Star Collection.
140. Card in box; Music - 1950's.
141. Card in box; Music - 1950's.
142. Program from "Annual Concert of Parish Choral Groups", June 6, 1956. File: 1950's.
143. The Sisters Go East, pg. 47.
145. An Open Letter to the Parents of St. Peter's School, dated November 11, 1981, by Carl Bell, Chairman of the Pastor's Advisory Development Committee. Archdiocesan Archives, St. Peter's Administrative Correspondence, 1980-87. File #131.
Bibliography
Sources used to compile the history
Arnold, Eugene F. "Facts in the History of St. Peter's Parish." The Fair News. September 24-October 16, 1888.
Cooksey, Rita. A History of Saint Peter's Parish, Washington, D.C. M.A. thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1940.
"Dedication and Blessing of Saint Peter's Interparish School, February 1, 1978." Program with historical notes, 1978.
Green, Constance McLaughlin. Washington: A History of the Capital, 1800-1950. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1962.
"Historical Notes of St. Peter's Parish, 1923-1942." Three manuscript journals probably by the Rt. Rev. Eugene Connelly.
"Historical Notes of St. Peter's Parish, Washington, D.C. to be added to Rita Cooksey's History of the Parish." Manuscript notes, n.d.
Kuhn, Sr. M. Campion, C.S.C. "The Sisters Go East--and Stay." Paper presented at the 2nd Conference on the History of the Congregations of Holy Cross in the U.S.A., March 18-19, 1983, Moreau Seminary, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Monthly Bulletin of St. Peter's Church.
"Our Glorious Heritage." The Catholic Standard. February 29-April 25, 1952.
Our Provinces, Centenary Chronicles of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Notre Dame, IN: St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception, Sisters of the Holy Cross, 1941.
Providence Centennial Book 1861-1961, Issued to Commemorate the First One Hundred Years in the History of a Community Hospital in the Nation's Capital. Washington, D.C.: Providence Hospital, 1961.
"St. Peter's Parish School." Manuscript document, probably an insurance appraisal of St. Peter's School. Unsigned, n.d., c. 1878.
"St. Peter's School Diamond Jubilee Presentation, December 19, 1943." Program with historical notes, 1943.
Scott, Pamela and Antoinette J. Lee. Buildings of the District of Columbia. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
"Site Plan for Proposed St. Peter's School." Washington, D.C.: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, c. 1975. Drawings, prints, and elevations.
Washington, D.C. Archdiocese. Archives. "St. Peter's Administrative Correspondence, 1980-1993." File 131.
Washington, D.C. Archdiocese. Archives. "St. Peter's General Washington, D.C. Archdiocese. Archives. "St. Peter's General Correspondence, 1940-1980." Vault file.
Washington, D.C. Archdiocese. Office of Education. Annual Report of the Archdiocesan Schools. 1952-1972.
Washington Star Collection. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library, Washington, D.C.
Archive, Map and Photograph collections of:
Archdiocesan Archives, Washington, D.C.
Columbia Historical Society
Library of Congress
Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library,
Washingtonian Division
St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's School