Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 6-11-21

Feature
St. Peter Claver Has New Principal:
‘The School And Mission Will Continue’
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Christopher L. Pas- tura, Superintendent of Catholic Schools and Centers, Diocese of St. Petersburg, told the Sentinel that St. Peter Claver Catholic School will be welcoming a new principal. Dr. LaTonya White is slated to begin her duties on Mon- day, June 14, 2021. Supt. Pastura said the rumors about the school closing are not true. “The school and its mission will continue,” he said.
Parents with students at St. Peter Claver feared that the school was closing after the announcement in February that Sister Maria Ba- batunde, the principal, was leaving at the end of the aca-
demic year. She served the school for 12 years.
Also, the Boys and Girls Club near the school was closed, which also led parents to believe the school was clos- ing.
Supt. Pastura met with several members of the local community recently to assure them that the school is not planning to close. “There’s a new focus at St. Peter Claver, and we’re going to make this happen,” he said.
Those who met with Supt. Pastura late last month were: Joe Capitano, Sr., Jeffrey Singletary, Hiram Green, Marvin Knight, Michael Jensen, Harold Jackson, Corp. Jamie Monte, Offi- cer Julius Cannon, Pastor Terrance Cole, Dr. Mark Majeski and Don Smith.
DR. LATONYA WHITE
St. Peter Claver serves stu- dents from kindergarten to 5th grades.
Supt. Pastura sent this statement, “After a national search, the Office of Catholic Schools and Centers for the Diocese of St. Petersburg is pleased to announce that Dr.
LaTonya White has been se- lected as principal for St. Peter Claver Catholic School for the 2021-22 school year. Dr. White has worked in Catholic education for 23 years as a teacher and administrator in Memphis, Tennessee, Little Rock, Arkansas, and most re- cently in the Archdiocese of Miami.”
Parents and children, com- munity members, and all those interested in St. Peter Claver Catholic School will have an opportunity to meet Dr. White for a summer cel- ebration cookout at the school, 1401 N. Governor Street, Tampa, FL 33602, from 11 a. m.-2 p. m., on Saturday, June 26.
Dr. White attended Rust College in Holly Springs, MS, and she is a member of
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She has a B. S. degree in Early Childhood Education, a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership, and a Doctorate of Education in Cur- riculum and Instruction.
Prior to arriving in Tampa on Tuesday, Dr. White com- municated with the parents of the school. She thanked the Search Committee and the Leadership team. “Let us be prayerful that the Lord will bless and inspire our work to- gether, as we continue build- ing the sanctuary of faith, hope and love at St. Peter Claver Catholic School,” she said in the letter.
Dr. White is a native of Holly Springs, MS, where she met and married her college sweetheart, Jason, of 10 years.
FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 3-A