End of Year Message 

from John Webster,     

Head of School   

Thank you for a banner year!

Twenty-seven Academy 7^th graders took the SAT, the college entrance test, under the aegis of the Duke TIPS program. Our boys, as a group, scored 75 points higher than the national average for the 36,400 select 7^th graders who took the test nationally.

• Twelve SAA 7^th graders are State-Recognized on the SAT, and one student, Roshan Nair, is Nationally-Recognized with a 740 score in the quantitative section. Top aggregate scores (quantitative + verbal) are: 1290, 1210, 1210, 1150, 1130, 1070, 1050, 1030 and 1030.
• Seven SAA seniors─Ethan Ausburn, Parker Brown, David Cantu, Robert Guerra, Jeremy Heath, Travis Long and Pavan Patamalla─won major merit scholarships to local and out-of-state prep schools. That means that almost 20% of our 8^th graders won merit scholarships totaling well over $400,000. 
• In the Alamo Regional Science and Engineering Fair four Academy boys medaled in four different categories─Behavioral Science; Chemistry; Physics; and Engineering─with 7^th grader Dustin Brownlow taking 1^st place in Engineering and 7^th grader Harrison Richter placing 2^nd in Physics. Dustin Brownlow went on to finish 4^th in the State.
• 8^th grader, Sam Gonzalez, finished in the top 16 at the State Level of the National Geography Bee, placing him in the top .003% out of 5,000 competitors. 6^th grader, Saad Eshan, finished 6^th in the citywide Spelling Bee. 
• The National Spanish Exam was given to more than 38,000 children nationwide. Here are the summary results for our top boys:          

-Grade 7 Regular      5 boys in top 10%, nationally         -Grade 8 Regular    10 boys in top 10%, nationally       -Grade 7 Outside Experience     1 boy at 98th percentile, nationally        -Grade 8 Outside Experience    1 boy at 96th percentile, nationally

• At the end of the 1^st semester, last year's grads, the Class of 2009, turned in a strong performance as 89% of their high school grades were A's and B's; 47% of the grades were A's.
• 7^th graders now have the opportunity to study French as an elective under the direction of Oliver Burgoyne, a native Frenchman.
• This year 97% of our boys have participated in SAA's after-school athletic program, filling more than 830 positions. The varsity 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade basketball teams posted an aggregate 34-10 record, while varsity lacrosse is 8-1 and undefeated in the city. The tennis team is undefeated and league champion, and the 5^th/6^th grade track team finished 2^nd out of sixteen teams in the league championship meet.
• We are receiving word of college selections for SAA's Class of 2006. So far, Academy grads have committed to attend Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, St. Edwards University, Stanford (2 boys), Texas A&M, TCU, Trinity, UCLA Santa Monica Honors, US Military Academy at West Point, UT Austin, Vanderbilt, Washington University at St. Louis, Auburn, Carleton, Lafayette (PA), and SMU. Other acceptances include the University of Chicago and Davidson.
• Several graduates have been elected to positions of leadership in their high schools: Brandon Clingman '07, Student Body President at SACS; Hank Leeper '06, Senior Class President at SMH; Austen McDonough, Freshman Class President at Boerne Champion; Jon Montemayor, National Honor Society at Central Catholic; and George Shaw '07, National Honor Society at Alamo Heights HS.
• Two Superintendents of Education from Toronto, Ontario spent January 29 interacting with teachers and students to learn more about all-boy elementary/middle schools. Dr. Chris Spence and Dr. Jim Spyropoulous found the visit "extremely valuable and inspiring."
• Reenrollment for 2010-2011 stands at 97%, and SAA is slightly ahead of its budgeted enrollment target. Thank you for your confidence in The Academy! 
• Thank you also for your incredible 100% participation in the Annual Fund. Thanks to you, SAA projects that the operating budget will finish ahead of target. We appreciate all that you do for SAA!

All in all, it has been a great year.       

  

2010 Spring Thing Recap   Thanks for joining us during the Rio Carnival! 240 parents, grandparents, alumni and Academy family and friends danced the night away at the 14th Annual Spring Thing, Rio Carnival, at the Full Goods Building at Pearl Brewery.  Over 130 businesses and individuals contributed auction items for the event, and Black Tie Affairs Catering served up authentic Brazilian cuisine. The dance group, Urban 15, got everyone in the mood for an evening of samba dancing, while “Lush” kept the music going strong. Guests enjoyed live and silent auctions and a casual evening of fun and conversation.  Local weather celebrity, Mike Osterhage, emceed the event and Tom “T-Bone” Bounds kept the bidders in stitches while raising money in the live auction. Sandra and Fred Battah walked away with a great souvenir: a year of free tuition!   Thanks go to event Chairmen Sandra and Bob Ford and Co-Chairmen Cindy and Jimi Ellis and their hard-working committee for putting together a fabulous event. Thanks to the participation of many SAA supporters, the event netted over $90,000, which supports the San Antonio Academy Annual Fund.  Get ready for the 15th annual Spring Thing in 2011! Spring Thing is a ticketed event open to Academy parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. 2011 will be a big year for SAA as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the school. Academy parents Jennifer and Bob Shemwell will chair next year’s event and would love to have your support. Interested in helping plan next year's Spring Thing? Please contact Mary Shrader, Special Events Coordinator at 733-7331, x 219 or mshrader@sa-academy.org

School is out and it's...Summertime!

By Theresa Moore, School Counselor

 

 

  

Summer vacation! Do you remember the anticipation of school being over for the year and “freedom at last?” Three glorious months of staying up late and waking up even later. Days filled with riding bikes, taking family road trips, swimming and picnicking. Those times were great times. Kids aren’t that different today. They anticipate the summer months and the freedom those months promise. Everyone says “Ah, no schedule!” But is this true? No schedule? In some cases the summer months are busier than the school year. How can that be, you ask? Well, for some reason we believe that we need to provide as many opportunities as possible and that if our children aren’t being entertained we have failed as “fun parents.” 

Over the past decade, research has shown that our children are more anxious, stressed and worried than in any other previous generation. How is this possible when they have more opportunities to learn, travel, play sports, pursue their interests, go to camp, eat out and to have the gadgets, toys and other paraphernalia attached to these activities? The answer: they are doing too much and moving too fast. 

By the time summer is over, you may have spent more money than you meant to; traveled to one place too many; attended too many classes to remember what they all were for to the point that everyone is tired, and exhausted. Parents can hardly wait for school to begin so “things can go back to normal!”  

The goal of summer vacation is to enjoy the absense of a schedule, not sleep. To enjoy the spontaneity of the moment, try not to overload your schedule. Enjoy more “silly play” instead by simply making cookies together, running in the sprinkler together, or spending any type of down time together that allows your children to actually play “make believe” in the back yard. The goal is to be less stressed, not more. To be calm and enjoy each other, not ready to pull your hair out…or worse – theirs! 

Here are some summer tips:

• Decide on the kind of summer your family will have.
• Lower your expectations so you won’t be as stressed or disappointed.
• Keep a routine for sleeping and eating as often as possible during the summer.
• When traveling, take your time. Maintain your sleeping and eating routine. Play hard, but not so hard everyone is exhausted every day.
• Eat fun foods, not junk food.
• Set a budget for the summer. Give your children a weekly allowance and every time they ask you to buy something, you can tell them to use their money. Anything over $5.00 is too expensive. The larger ticket items can wait or they can be creative in earning the extra money necessary.
• Make the morning or the afternoon “down time” for everyone. This is the kind of time your children spend not being entertained. No TV, computer, or video screens during this time!
• Laugh often. Let little things go by the wayside, when possible. Relax and enjoy these times with your children. When they are old enough to travel alone—they will.
• Play games with your children. Color, finger paint, cook, plant a garden, make a kite and then fly it with them, have a lemonade stand.  

Summer is a time to relax. Your children will thank you for it. I promise!

   

Wildcat Sports Spring Wrap Varsity Lacrosse: This year’s Wildcat lacrosse team was  undefeated in San Antonio, with a record of 8-1. The team's aggregate two-year record is 17-1. Key players included goalies, Jimmy Williams and Davis Sugg, Corby Snow and Parker Brown.     Tennis: The Wildcat Tennis Team ended its 2010 spring season undefeated, securing that position with a first place finish at the league tournament. Top players included singles Jonah Candelario (First place) and Jonathan Gottsman (Second place), and the doubles teams Jimmy Williams/Campbell Erwin (First place) and Hamlet Newsom/Lowry Mays (Third place). Other strong players included Sam Wulfe, Will Seamans, Sam Gonzalez and Jose Ruiz.     Track: Academy boys performed well in their final track meet, placing 2nd out of 8 teams in each division (5/6 grade boys, 7/8 grade boys.), edging out St. Luke’s for 2nd in the older division by only 8 points; and falling only 11 points out of first place. It was an exciting day and a great way to end the season.

San Antonio Academy Artshow 2010 Click on play to view a sample of student artwork. Don't forget to turn on your speakers.

                            

Snapshots    New Commencement Tradition: Under the guidance of new Commandant Frank Stanage, the graduating Class of 2010 stood together at attention and then stepped together over a blue ribbon to signify an end of one phase and the beginning of another.     Primary Promotions: This happy duo, brothers Mark and James Schnoebelen, join mom Jenny for a congraulatory hug with promotion certificates in hand.   Uplifting Voices: The Mwangaza Children's Choir from Uganda perfomed patriotic and spirtual songs with beautifully matched choreography, which lit up Ellison Hall and won the hearts of audience members alike.    Metamorphosis takes flight: After watching and recording the four stages of the Painted Lady Butterfly's cycle, second graders enjoyed the moment as it was time to release their beloved winged friends, who were ready to take flight.     Recycling Pays: Daniel Guerra (fourth grade) and Cooper Noble (fifth grade) were on hand to collect a  check from the H.E.B. Buddy for SAA's grand effort of collecting over 600 phones books during the city's Project Redirectory program.      Fiesta Bling: Pre-K student, Leo Bowen, is proud to show his medals collected during King Antonio's annual stop to San Antonio Academy last April.

  

Quick Links: San Antonio Academy    National Association of Independent Schools   Independent Schools Association of the Southwest

Mission Statement:

San Antonio Academy of Texas offers prekindergarten through eighth grade boys an exceptional academic program that features small classes, a family-like atmosphere, the development of a positive self-image and a foundation for life based upon love of God and country, integrity and respect for each other.     

San Antonio Academy admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin. 

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