Academia San Jorge ("Saint George Academy") is a private,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

school in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

founded in 1925 by Rev. Msgr. José M. Rivera as a parochial school with 53 students from grades K–3. Shortly after, the school started construction on the first

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

, which still exists today, and added grades 4-12. The school is located on San Jorge Avenue in San Juan's Santurce district.

History

In 1939, the

Sisters of St. Joseph The Sisters of St. Joseph, also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, abbreviated CSJ or SSJ, is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650. This congregation, named for S ...

came to teach and administer the school until their departure in 1973. In 1959, its founder Msgr. José M. Rivera died and was replaced as parish priest by father Benito Cabrera. Father Cabrera started a campaign to remodel the school and the church, but was replaced in 1962 by Msgr. Thomas Maysonet who administered the school until 1972. A major physical addition was constructed during his

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

and was dedicated in 1965. This construction is the present school building. In 1972, Msgr. Perfecto Pérez took over the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

and the administration of the school until 1977 when San Jorge became the first school under direct supervision of the Superintendent of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of San Juan. At this time a new administration under Mr. Lawrence C. Oleksiak reorganized the school. In 1979 Mr. Oleksiak returned to the United States and was replaced as

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

by the principal Mrs. María Colon de Marxuach who served as its Director until 1991. In 1982 the school officially became accredited by the

Middle States Association The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional accreditation of public and private schools in the Mid-Atla ...

. An accreditation it still hold. In 1983, a special program for Learning

Disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

students was established in what was once the old convent building for the

sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

. At this time, the installation of air–conditioning in the classrooms in the old convent building was begun. This program was expanded to include a Self–Contained program in 1991. In 1991, Mrs. María T. Ambruso became the new Director. Also at that time, the school's

finances Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fin ...

were centralized by the Superintendence of Catholic Schools of San Juan along with all the other Archdiocesan schools. In 1992 the school received its 2nd ten year accreditation extension from the Middle States Association. In 1996, a reconstruction of the schools main

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

court was made due to damage caused by

hurricane Hortense Hurricane Hortense was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico since Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and the second most intense hurricane during the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season. The eighth tropical cyclone, eighth n ...

with the generous contribution of the Angel Ramos Foundation. During the summer recess of 1997, the entire school building and the annex were re–painted with a new color scheme. Also in 1997 the Parents Association paid for the much needed repair of the electrical system in the annex building. In 1998 Mrs. Vanesa V. Valdés became the new Director of the school on the retirement of Mrs. Ambruso, and in 1999 Mrs. Martiza Rosario was appointed Principal of the School and Mrs. María Teresa Vidal was appointed

Vice Principal In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making authorit ...

. In 2001, the school entrance was replaced and a new school emblem in

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

was added as well as the statue of our patron Saint was moved to the entrance of the school. In 2003, the school library was completely redesigned and modernized and the Third floor of the old building was

rebuilt ''Rebuilt'' is the second and final studio album by the American girl group Girlicious. The album was released on November 22, 2010, by Universal Music Canada. The album draws from the dance-pop genre while infusing hints of R&B. Production init ...

References

External links

Archived school site
{{High schools in Puerto Rico, state=autocollapse 1925 establishments in Puerto Rico Catholic secondary schools in Puerto Rico Elementary schools in Puerto Rico Educational institutions established in 1925 Private schools in Puerto Rico Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico Education in San Juan, Puerto Rico Buildings and structures in San Juan, Puerto Rico School Sisters of Notre Dame schools