Colegio San José, San Germán, PR

Colegio San José, San Germán, Puerto Rico is a private, co-educational college preparatory Catholic school located in the city of San Germán, Puerto Rico.

Mission

History

The school in its present form was founded in 1930 by the Sisters of St. Joseph ("hermanas Josefinas" in Spanish) who came to San Germán from Brentwood, New York, originally as an all girls school. However, The Sister’s of Charity were the first in opening a school in the structure- they established the Colegio para Señoritas de la Inmaculada Concepción, another all girls school which functioned from 1913 to 1927. The Sister’s of Joseph were responsible for running all aspects of the school until 2007. Since 2007, the school is directed by two principals, one secular and one religious, and a board of regents. The Convent is once again inhabited by The Sister's of Charity.

Before it's use as a school, the older buildings were home to missionaries from 1878 to 1898 and served as a convent for The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (i.e., Carmelites) from 1903 to 1913.

Campus

Colegio San José is located on top of the highest hill of the historical city of San Germán, PR, the "Loma de Santa Clara" (the Hill of St. Clare).

As you approach Colegio San José on the corner of Estrella and Victoria streets, three divisions are clearly visible in the south façade: the former Hermitage of St. Sebastian at the center, the old Carmelite Convent to its right, and a new building which houses the primary grades (K-3rd grade) of the school to the left. The latter was built following the architectural design of the old convent so as to not detract from the historical value of the building. In front of the old structure stands the statue of St. Joseph, patron saint of the school.

The Hermitage of St. Sebastian was built in 1737, and served as the city’s parish church at times when the official parish church of San Germán de Auxerre was unavailable for worship. The Hermitage’s original altar now stands in the Church of Porta Coeli, also in San Germán, one of the oldest churches in the Western Hemisphere. Presently, the Hermitage of St. Sebastian functions as the school's library.

In 1878 the Convent now located to the right of the old Hermitage (if seen from the south) was added on to serve as a seminary, but this was never so. Before the Sister’s of Joseph arrived, the buildings were inhabited by a number of religious orders, including Franciscan monks, Redemption monks, Augustine monks, Carmelitas, and Sister’s of Charity. The Convent housed the Sister's of St. Joseph from 1930 to 2007 and currently houses the Sister's of Charity. A number of administrative offices and meeting halls are located in the Convent, and it serves as the primary entrance from the historical façade on the south side of campus and provides access to the Hermitage and library.

Three buildings were added to the north of the south façade buildings to create a quadrangle that is the heart of the school. The eastern building houses grades 4 through 6 and an auditorium, the northern building houses the high school (grades 9 through 12) and the western building houses a stage and a small cafeteria. The second floor of the western building houses the office of the principal and administrative personnel. Junior high school students (grades 7 and 8) take classes in a set of buildings annexed to the northern side of the Convent, which also includes a chapel and the offices for the school newspaper, the [name]. Main access to the school is provided through a gate between the eastern and northern buildings.

To the northeast of the main campus, two more buildings complete the school. Both lie about 200 feet below the other buildings and are accessed by stairs to the east and north. To the east, what once was a four story house is home to the art and music departments, as well as the pre-kindergarten classrooms. To the north is a new multi-purpose building that includes a parking garage, indoor basketball and volleyball court, a large stage with wings for dramatic and musical performances, as well as a space for school-wide activities such as graduations.

Students

Faculty

Extracurricular activities

Coro Antonio Paoli (Choir)

Club de Matemáticas, Diofanto de Alejandría (Mathematics Club)

Eclipse Science Club

Library Club

Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Teams

Perpetuo Socorro National Honor Society

Theater Club

Religion Club

Senior Yearbook Committee

Spanish Club

Student Council

Warriors (Men’s Basketball Team)

Curriculum

Notable alumni

Anthem

Lyrics by Julio Víctor Guzmán

El Colegio monarca de las lomas,

Besos cálidos recibe del sol.

Nunca caerá, firme lo sostiene

La Mano omnipotente del Señor.

Vinculada a mi vida está su historia,

A su amor responde mi lealtad.

Si me ausento de sus aulas y jardines,

En mi memoria vivirá.

Muy hermoso se mira desde afuera,

Más hermosa es su vida interior.

En su augusto recinto siempre suenan

Las campanillas del amor.

Yo lo llevo grabado en mi pecho,

Ese nombre, Colegio San José.

Alma Máter, mi bien amada escuela,

Nido de amor y del saber.

El Colegio monarca de las lomas,

Besos cálidos recibe del sol.

Nunca caerá, firme lo sostiene

La Mano omnipotente del Señor.

References

External links

Alumni Fund Appeal http://www.msnusers.com/CSJ/Documents/NuevaJuntaCSJ%2D22%2D8%2D07.pdf