Sierra Madre Academy

Saint Joseph Academy is an independent Roman Catholic K-12 school located in San Marcos, CA. It is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. The school was renamed Saint Joseph Academy in September, 2008, when it moved to the new campus. cite web|url=http://www.saintjosephacademy.org/|title=Sierra Madre Academy|accessdate=2008-01-11|publisher=Sierra Madre Academy website|author=SMA]

Mission statement

"Sierra Madre Academy was established in response to the Second Vatican Council's call for greater lay witness in contemporary society. Teaching in accordance with the Magisterium of the Church, our mission is to form young men and women who, committed to live by Catholic principles, will transform and advance human culture. We aim to accomplish this by offering a traditional learning environment that blends faith and reason in educating the whole child.

Man was created by God in His image and likeness and therefore is destined for Him who is infinite perfection. In the spirit of the Divine Master, amidst a world of material possession, the mission of Sierra Madre Academy is to prepare the child for what he must be and for what he must do here on earth, in order to gain the sublime end for which he was created. Our duty is to take great care in the Christian education of the youth." [http://sierramadreacademy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=47]

Background

In 1995, Patricia Hansen and Barbara De La Torre were and are Catholic mothers longing for a school in San Diego North County that would provide their children with solid academics and faith formation with an integrated K-12 curriculum. The result takes to heart the fact that the Church recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children, and with the blessing of San Diego Bishop Robert Brom, they founded Sierra Madre Academy in a small commercial building in San Marcos.

During that first year, 25 students attended in grades one to through nine. There were four full-time paid teachers (two were volunteers), a volunteer secretary, and Patricia Hansen as principal and teacher. In the second year, with word of mouth of its great education and care of its students, as its only marketing tool, the school tripled its enrollment to 77 students. In 1997 with more growth, the school was lead to lease additional space at an "upper campus," a strip mall located across a vacant field, to accommodate more students. Each year more space was leased at the upper campus until there was a classroom for each grade and one computer classroom. Enrollment leveled off at around 200 students with no more room to hold any more students.

In 2000, the school negotiated a lease for the vacant three-acre lot between the two campuses. With all-volunteer labor and mostly donated materials, parents cleaned up and fenced in the area, installed irrigation, and planted a big weed. The result: a play field that has allowed the school to expand its athletic and recreational opportunities. At the same time, portions of the upper campus parking lot were fenced off for a basketball court.

Sierra Madre Academy (SMA) houses grades K-3 in its original space, the "lower campus," while the upper campus is home to grades 4-12. In the 2004-05 school year, enrollment reached 189 students. The school is the only complete K-12 school that teaches the Catholic faith in San Diego county. Parents enroll their children knowing that they can receive 13 years of an integrated curriculum that will prepare them academically for higher education and pass onto them the essential teachings of the Roman Catholic faith.

Teachers and advisors

SMA has teachers that come from all over the country. This diversity enables them to provide, for their students, varied styles of learning. The teachers have degrees from such colleges as Wayne State University in Michigan, Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, University of Dallas in Texas, Jamestown College in North Dakota, California State University, San Marcos in California, UCSD, Purdue University & Indiana University both in Indiana, Gannon University, Universidad Hispano Mexicana, Loyola Marymount, University of St. Thomas in Houston, Thomas Aquinas College, and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Italy.

The advisory board for Sierra Madre Academy also consists of people that bring unique experiences of their own to the school. Such advisors include Right Rev. Charles Wright, OSB, Rev. T. Henry, TOR, Deacon Ken Finn, Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., Fr. David Morrier, Dr.Scott Hahn, Fr. C. John McCloskey III, STD, Tim Staples, Barbara McGuiggen, Karl Keating, Dr. John W. Galten, and Terri Barber.

Currently

It was recently named one of the top 50 Catholic High-Schools [http://www.chshonor.org/roll/index.php?year=2007] .

The school is working on building a new campus for its students still located in San Marcos. Construction has begun and its expected completion date is September 2008. It is something that staff members, alumni, and current students have wished and prayed for since the schools conception.

The school tries to create an atmosphere that is in keeping with the Roman Catholic faith while attempting to teach its students how to live ordinary lives in the middle of the world. Graduates are expected to be strong and respectful adults who are capable of becoming the leaders of tomorrow. It provides its students with clubs and extracurricular activities such as sports teams, a yearbook club, a drama club, a student government, as well as providing students with the opportunities to volunteer for homeless shelters and elderly homes, amongst other things. Many former teachers have been hired as principals. Paul Kerekes, a teacher who has spent 9 years teaching at Sierra Madre Academy, served for a brief period as principal before returning to regular teaching in 2008. Carol Kewell, a graduate of the University of Dallas and former teacher at JSerra High School, replaces Kerekes as the new principal and will serve as the first head of the renamed St. Joseph's Academy.

Graduates

Graduates have gone on to such universities as Franciscan University of Steubenville, the University of Dallas, Thomas Aquinas College, Christendom College, Merrimack College, Purdue University, Cebu Doctors' University, Catholic University of America, Virginia Tech, Southern Catholic College, George Mason University, various California State University schools, UCLA, UC Berkeley and various community colleges. Other graduates have entered into religious orders and the priesthood.

New Campus

On September 10, 2008, St. Joseph Academy will open a new campus located on Los Flores Drive. The new, 15,000-square-foot, 13-classroom campus will allow the school to increase enrollment to 350 students. The new campus was financed by a $4,800,000 loan. Academy officials said they intend to pay off debts through additional fundraising events, savings on rent and gradual, steady increases in student enrollment.

External links

* [http://www.saintjosephacademy.org/ School Website]

Notes and references