Clarence Thomas Hails 'Dream Come True' at Washington Jesuit Academy

WASHINGTON, May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The virtues of diligence, self-discipline and hope were emphasized for graduates of the Washington Jesuit Academy (WJA) by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas. A survivor of 1950s-era racial discrimination and poverty in the Deep South, Thomas persevered and graduated from Yale Law School, and joined the Nation's High Court in 1991. In his remarks, Thomas lauded the WJA's curriculum and rigorous standards, saying: "If this could be replicated across the United States, so many of our problems could be solved."

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080529/DC23860 )

WJA President, William Whitaker commented: "We invited Justice Thomas because he serves as an incredibly apt role model for our students." Whitaker continued, "Like almost a quarter of WJA students, Justice Thomas had no contact with his own father. Yet, with the devotion of extended family, and his own diligence in school, Justice Thomas succeeded academically, and rose to the top of the Nation's legal system. This American success story stands as an outstanding example for WJA's students to emulate."

WJA succeeds in educating its boys, almost all of whom are from at-risk backgrounds (of the 68 students enrolled, 83 percent come from single-parent households; 82 percent qualify for free, or reduced payments for the Federal lunch program). For instance: when entering WJA's sixth grade, only 13 percent of the school's students read at grade level; but after three years of a WJA education, the percentage reading at, or above, grade level exceeds 90 percent. More than 80 percent of all WJA graduates are enrolled in college prep high school education.

WJA, founded by the Jesuit order of priests who established Washington's Georgetown University and Prep, as well as Gonzaga College High School, provides tuition-free middle school education to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The typical day at WJA goes from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM; three nutritional meals are provided; and the academic year extends to 11 months.

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Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080529/DC23860
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Source: Washington Jesuit Academy

CONTACT: William Whitaker, President, +1-202-832-7679, or Merry
Cavanaugh, Director of Development, +1-202-441-6134, both of Washington Jesuit
Academy; or Joseph Casper, volunteer publicist, +1-703-624-3652, for
Washington Jesuit Academy

2008-05-29 20:38:15 0373446 PRNEWSWIRE