A viral video is celebrating the amazing achievements of high school graduates from an all-Black male school in Louisiana. Every single Class of 2022 graduate from St. Augustine High School, a private Catholic school in New Orleans, received college offers and wracked up an astonishing 9.2 million in scholarship money, according to the Atlanta Black Star.
One Twitter user posted a video of the graduating class dancing with joy and highlighting their wins:
"It’s late but I don’t care. The world deserves to see this black boy joy. Congratulations to THE St. Augustine High School class of 2022. 100% college acceptance. $9.2M in scholarships. Straight out of the 7th ward of New Orleans."
The video has been viewed over 460,000 times as of Friday morning (June 3). Reporters say 99 graduates are heading to college with one going into the military.
“I know in the tweet I said the world deserves to see this but never in a million years would think that’s actually going to take off,” Kara Kentner, who posted the viral tweet, told the Atlanta Black Star.
She's the mother of Jaedon Simmons, who's part of the graduating class and heading to Florida A&M University. Her son applied to six schools, three of them HBCUs, and piled up $29,000 in scholarship money.
"He actually turned down a full scholarship to Notre Dame to go to FAMU," Kentner explains. She also hopes this video can change the narrative about Black men in the country:
"As a white mother raising a young Black man, it’s very difficult, it’s so easy for society to film young Black men, I really posted it from a perspective of not just pride because my son is a part of this legacy, but also because, I really do believe there is so much more that needs to be talked about when it comes to Black men specifically."
St. Augustine's website says 552 students are enrolled in grades 8-12, and 99% of the student population is Black. About 60% of students receive financial aid to attend the school, and next year's expected annual tuition is $9,175. Parents, students, and faculty believe it's because of St. Augustine's focus on studies and rigor that the Class of 2022 became a standout this year.
“It doesn’t just begin your senior year, it begins their freshmen year with that foundation that they have to start from here, do your research, you’re going to college, that is ingrained in their mind,” Michelle Keelan, a senior counselor at the school, told reporters.
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