Volume 4, Number 11
Mrs. Lori Trott, Principal
June 2016
SJA WELCOMES ITS NEW PRINCIPAL, MRS. MELISSA VALADEZ
As we begin these final days of the 2015-2016 school year, we have much to be thankful for at SJA.
We are thankful for our students, families, generous supporters, friends and our dedicated faculty and
staff. During the past 16 years, we have been blessed to have Mrs. Lori Trott serving on our
administration team as Dean of the Middle Division and most recently as Principal. SJA is thankful for
her dedicated service and strong leadership to our students and families, and we wish her the best as
she begins her much deserved retirement.
As we look ahead, after completing a search for Mrs. Trott’s successor, SJA is excited to announce
that our very own Mrs. Melissa Valadez ‘90 has been chosen as our new Principal for the next school
year! Mrs. Valadez currently serves as the Dean of the Middle Division and Curriculum & Instruction.
She has been an exemplary and much loved
teacher during her 11 years teaching English at
SJA and previously teaching 6th grade English at
St. Mary’s Catholic School for 5 years.
Her notable qualifications as English Department
Chairperson, Writing Across the Curriculum
Coordinator, and Masters Degree in Educational
Leadership along with her passion for the mission
of Catholic education here at SJA will
undoubtedly enhance our school community.
Mrs. Valadez has proven to be a positive and
effective leader at SJA and we look forward to
her leadership and Marist spirit to guide our
students and faculty in the years to come.
Mrs. Valdez strongly believes in the Marist
Catholic school mission and has a strong
personal connection to St. Joe. She is an SJA
graduate in the Class of 1990, along with her
children, two in the Class of 2009 and one more
future graduate in the Class of 2017.
Please join with us as we welcome Mrs. Melissa
Valadez as the new Principal of Saint Joseph
Academy!
ROTARY CLUB OF BROWNSVILLE RECOGNIZES MRS. KAREN
MURPHY
Each year, the Rotary Club of Brownsville
recognizes special teachers who have gone
above and beyond the standards of good
teaching to become amazing
teachers. These teachers are the ones that
our students remember for the rest of their
lives, the teachers who sparked a flame of
passion for literature, art, biology and even
chemistry or math. We all hopefully were
lucky enough to have at least one of these
teachers sometime during our formative
years in school.
This year, one of St. Joe’s very special teachers was recognized for her amazing super
powers as a teacher in English, speech and creative writing. Mrs. Karen Murphy is
one of those teachers who inspires us to be the best we can, instills a desire to do the
very best we can, and provides an example for us to love one another just as she
does. Mrs. Murphy is one of those favorite teachers who will be remembered by
hundreds of students for the rest of their lives.
Mrs. Murphy came to St. Joe in 1997. She attended school in North Carolina, earning
her Master’s in Spanish Language and Literature at the University on North Carolina
Chapel Hill. She has taught a variety of courses at St. Joe including; AP English
Literature, AP English Language, Foundational English 9 Writing Lab, Creative Writing,
Speech and Spanish.
Congratulations to Mrs. Murphy; we are all very proud of this well-deserved
acknowledgment of your hard work and loving heart.
In mid-March, 62 SJA students participated in the Grand
Concours, an annual exam sponsored by the American
Association of teachers of French (AATF). This exam
targets listening and reading comprehension as well as
grammar in the French language. This year, SJA students
earned 25 national rankings!
FRENCH I
BRONZE MEDALISTS: Marysol Canales-Weigend, Jimena Trevino, Daniel Villanueva
SILVER MEDALISTS: Abril Roque, Maria Renee Garcia, Alexis Arteaga, Luis Garcia,
Rogelio Montemayor, Nikolas Hernandez, Carlos Castillo
GOLD MEDALISTS: Amelia Gonzalez, Alec Gonzaga
FRENCH II
BRONZE MEDALISTS: Jose Luis Almazan, Camilo Trevino,
SILVER MEDALISTS: Alejandro Balderas, Fernanda Madaria
FRENCH III
BRONZE MEDALISTS:
Jose Kauachi, Ana Perales
SILVER MEDALISTS: Maria Lozada, Cendy Saldana
GOLD MEDALISTS: Caroline Loop
FRENCH IV
SILVER MEDALISTS: Andres Perez, Jose Aponte
FRENCH V
GOLD MEDALISTS: Melanie Riviere, Alexis Riviere
SJA STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS FOR 2016-2017
Student Council Officer campaigns ran through the week of May 9th with elections held
on Friday, May 13th. Our Civic Youth Group Officers and their Moderator, Ms. Letty
Davila, oversaw the election process and tallied the votes along with our STUCO
moderators, Mrs. Suzi Mohr and Mrs. Avy Jaimes-Torres.
We are proud to announce that the STUCO officers for the 2016-2017 school year are:
President
Mireya del Pozo
Secretary Mara Ramos
Vice-President Conor Pace
Treasurer Ceci de la Garza
ALUMINI NEWS – ANGELA MARIE SWARTZ
Angela Marie Swartz, SJA Class
of 2010, received a Master's
degree for Speech-Language
Pathology from the TTUHSC
School of Health Professions on
May 14 - exactly 2 years after
receiving dual Bachelor's
Degrees in Communicative
Science Disorders and
Psychology from Saint Mary's
College in Notre Dame,
Indiana.
Pictured with Angela is her sister Emily Elizabeth Swartz, SJA Class of 2015, who
completed her freshman year at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio,
and Matthew Joseph Swartz, SJA Class of 2016, who will enter St. Mary's University in
San Antonio in August.
Catholic Daughters of the Americas®
On Monday, May 9th The Catholic Daughters of the Americas held their
presentation of awards for the CDA National Educational Contest at St.
Mary’s Church Hall.
We are pleased to recognize the following St. Joe recipients:
Essay Contest: Division III (Grades 9-12)
1st Place Victoria Zabarte
2nd Place Raphael Ugalino
3rd Place Kai Money
4th Place Pete Silverio
Poster (Art) Contest: Division III (Grades 9-12) 1st Place Tatiana Wolfe
2nd Place Ana Cecelia Salas
3rd Place Haley Walsh
Photography Contest: Division III (Grades 9-12)1st Place Shreya Mohanty
2nd Place Jimena Padilla
3rd Place Tatiana Wolfe
ATHLETIC AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2015-2016
On the evening of May 12th our Athletic Booster Club hosted the annual Varsity Athletic
Banquet for our athletes and their families. Each athlete received certificates for the
sports in which they participated. Special recognition was received by the following
athletes:
Football Offensive Player of the Year:
Kai Money
Football Defensive Player of the Year:
David Lapeyre
Cross Country Girls Athlete of the Year: Gaby Garza
Cross Country Boys Athlete of the Year: David Schlater
Cheerleading Athlete of the Year:
Lucila Martin
Baseball Athlete of the Year:
Arturo Trevino
Basketball Girls Athlete of the Year:
Diana Garcia
Basketball Boys Athlete of the Year:
Rodolfo Cabido
Track & Field Girls Athlete of the Year:
Gaby Garza
Track & Field Boys Athlete of the Year: Mario Garcia
Golf Girls Athlete of the Year:
Mariana Garcia
Golf Boys Athlete of the Year:
Ricardo Adobbati
Swimming Girls Athlete of the Year:
Jessie Hainley
Swimming Boys Athlete of the Year:
Adrian Fierro
Tennis Girls Athlete of the Year:
Ana Perales
Tennis Boys Athlete of the Year:
Fernando Alvarez
Soccer Athlete of the Year:
Andres Rico
GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:
BOYS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR:
GABY GARZA
GERARDO MOSES
CELEBRATING THE MARIST Fourvière YEAR
On May 17th our closing school Liturgy was held in the Student Center and led by
Father Anthony O’Conner, a Marist Father. We were also fortunate to have the Marist
Brothers Provincial Brother Patrick McNamara, Vice-Provincial Brother Dan O’Riordan
and Brother Tom Schady present to help close the Fourvière year of the Marist
Brothers. In 2017, the Brothers will celebrate the 200th anniversary of their presence in
the United States. Many exciting events are in the planning process for next year.
ANNUAL GIRLS CHOIR CONCERT
On the evening on May 19th, our Girls Choir, under the direction of Ms. Lindsay Irwin,
held their annual concert. It was a wonderful event and the girls were outstanding, not
only in their singing talent but in their choreography under the guidance of Mr. Tony
Cantu. What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a very successful school year!
TORTEYA SISTERS RECOGNIZED AT RG VALLEY PROUD HONORS
BANQUET
On May 23, Brenda Torteya, Valedictorian
and Diana Torteya, Salutatorian of Saint
Joseph Academy, were honored by the Rio
Grande Valley Partnership at the 27th Annual
Valley Proud Honors Banquet held at the
McAllen Convention Center. The mission of
the Rio Grande Valley Partnership is to lead
the way in promoting regional prosperity for
business members now and in the future.
The Valley’s best and brightest students are
honored and challenged to become the next generation of leaders right here at home.
Congratulations and God bless you, girls!
On Tuesday, May 24, our graduating seniors were hosted by the faculty and staff at
their annual senior luncheon. They received their yearbooks along with their caps and
gowns. The students enjoyed having the opportunity to sign each other shirts and
blouses as they prepare to begin their new adventures. Please join us at the
Baccalaureate Mass on Monday, May 30, at 7:00pm at St. Mary, Mother of the Church
Parish. The following evening, we will hold our Graduation Ceremony at the
Brownsville Events Center beginning at 7:00pm.
There will be some faculty movements at SJA in preparation for next year.
Ms. Monica Gonzalez will be moving from Director of Admissions to the English
Department
Mr. Manuel Garza will be moving from the Guidance Department to solely
coaching XCountry and Track
Mrs. Stephanie Machinena will be moving from the English Department to the
Guidance Department
Mrs. Melissa Valadez will be moving from the Dean of the Middle Division to
become our new Principal
Mrs. Monica Leyendecker will be moving to Laredo
Mrs. Pat Zavala is retiring
Ms. Rachel Quinones will be taking a leave of absence
Mr. Kevin Hickson is retiring and moving to Austin
Ms. Jerri Hernandez will be moving to Houston
A SPECIAL NOTE FROM MRS. TROTT
It is with very mixed emotions
that I bid you farewell. Know that
each and every one of you
whose path has crossed mine
over the past sixteen years will always be in my prayers. I have loved
and treasured every minute at Saint Joseph Academy and feel very
humbled that you entrusted your sons and daughters in my care while here. St. Joe
will always be in my heart and in my family.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS SAINT JOSEPH ACADEMY
TODAY AND FOREVER.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER IN
JUNE 2016
6/2
Last day of classes and distribution of
Yearbooks and Report Cards
6/3
Summer School Registration in Finance
Department
6/3-4
Alumni Golf Tournament at Rancho Viejo Golf Course
6/4
ACT
6/6 – 30
Summer School
6/10
Tuition due without late fee
6/11
SAT
Reminder: Don’t Forget Summer Reading Assignments!
 Be sure to visit the SJA website at www.sja.us for important news and information under Daily
Announcements on the website’s front page and use the Google Calendar for the most up to date
information on activities at SJA.
 You can print a weekly and monthly calendar of events from the SJA website at
www.sja.us/school-year-dates
Congratulations to the SJA Senior Class of 2016