Academia San Jorge ("Saint George Academy") is a private,
Roman Catholic school in
San Juan, Puerto Rico 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, 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 ...
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, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...
and was dedicated in 1965. This construction is the present school building.
In 1972, Msgr. Perfecto Pérez took over the
parish 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 San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
. 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 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 students was established in what was once the old convent building for the
sisters. 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 f ...
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 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 ...
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 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.
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