Our Tradition
Founded in 1865 by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Saint Joseph Academy opened and closed its doors several times in its earliest years. In 1906, the Marist Brothers from Mexico arrived and reopened the school that has remained open continuously ever since.
Over 150 years later, Saint Joseph Academy continues to provide religious and moral formation and a college preparatory education in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. Our legacy has been achieved by doing more than providing students with an exceptional, high quality curriculum. We are blessed by a community that is unparalleled in its love and understanding of what is possible because of the School’s commitment to form young men and women of character, compassion, and confidence.
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Our Future
Our Tradition – Our Future is our next ambitious endeavor, and with a fundraising goal of $5 million, marks our largest comprehensive campaign ever. Our vision is grand and the financial implications are serious, but this is a mission for future generations. Fulfillment of this challenge promises a future full of extraordinary opportunities for our students, faculty, and community.
Saint Joseph Academy is facing declining enrollment and increased competition from nearby charter and magnet schools. Our goal is to boost the enrollment by growing our endowment, creating signature academic programs, investing in our faculty’s professional development, and revitalizing and modernizing the campus.
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Our Projects Tuition Assistance
$2,000,000
Classroom Renovations
Endowed Programs & Positions/Professional Development
$1,100,000
$1,250,000
Total: $5,000,000 Technology Upgrades
Br. Francis Garza Student Center Roof
$150,000
$450,000
Campus-Wide Security Camera System
$50,000 6
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Tuition Assistance
Brownsville and Cameron County are some of the lowest-income communities in the country. The $10,680 tuition makes it difficult for many families to send their children to Saint Joseph Academy, which is an important factor in the declining enrollment.
Building the tuition-assistance and scholarship fund through the school’s Endowment would allow us to subsidize the tuition costs for families in need, allowing us to serve students who otherwise would not be able to receive a high quality, Catholic education in the Rio Grande Valley. This would keep Saint Joseph Academy in line with the Marist identity – to serve and educate students of all backgrounds.
“Thank you so much for everything you do not only for myself but for others as well. Education is such a valuable gift, and you inspire me to also help others have an opportunity for it in the future.” –SJA student receiving tuition assistance
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Endowed Programs & Positions/Professional Development St. Joe has an extraordinary and high-quality faculty. However, we often have difficulty retaining and recruiting the best and brightest teachers due to low salaries. Our goal is to properly compensate our faculty based on credentials and tenure with salaries comparable to other schools in the area.
The faculty and staff are St. Joe’s biggest asset. As we seek to provide our students with the best outcomes possible, there are few things as critical as our investment in the educators who are entrusted to the formation of our sons and daughters. In addition to allowing St. Joe to compete in recruiting, retaining, and rewarding our strongest faculty during employment, endowed funds will provide for training, tools, and systems that improve performance and evaluative techniques. This will help St. Joe remain mission-centered with a predominantly lay workforce. The implementation of significant academic initiatives will empower St. Joe to become an innovative academic environment: • Distinguished Scholars Program • Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Endorsement Program
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Classroom Renovations
Classrooms on the high school campus are close to 60 years old, and have many maintenance needs that require attention. The classrooms need a complete renovation to be brought up to 21st-century learning standards in terms of space, functionality, infrastructure, and furniture.
The classroom renovations will address needed repairs and will provide comfortable, energy-efficient, and modern learning spaces. These upgrades will subsequently lead to reduced long-term utility costs of the classrooms.
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Technology Updates
In order for St. Joe to become an innovative academic environment, our facilities must be enhanced and our curricula must be dynamic. Our goal is to provide our teachers and students with the resources they need to succeed in modern learning empowered by academic excellence.
Technology upgrades are imperative as we seek to ensure our students are prepared for collegiate studies and beyond in today’s increasingly technological world. These upgrades will in turn allow our campus to compete with other schools in the area.
New Computer Lab Pressing priorities are addressing safety hazards, such as exposed wires in classroom floors; fixing the current unreliable internet in classrooms; and the complete renovation of the computer lab. The enhanced computer lab will
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facilitate our Dual Enrollment coursework in partnership with Texas Southmost College (TSC). New computer equipment will bring our campus up to modern learning standards. Expanded STEM-Based Course Offerings Bolstering our math and science curriculum is a crucial step in ensuring college readiness for our students. • Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science • Graphic Design • Programming & Coding • Robotics
Enhanced “Project Red” Student News Studio Project Red is St. Joe’s news production, run and produced by students. Investing in the proper equipment, such as a new camera and computer, will greatly enhance Project Red’s capabilities. An upgraded news studio will offer students the opportunity to explore the Broadcast and Media Arts. 15
Brother Francis Garza Student Center Roof
Constructed in 1991, the Br. Francis Garza Student Center is utilized frequently. The Student Center holds all school liturgies, basketball and volleyball games, pep rallies, and other special events, such as graduation. In addition to the event space, classrooms and the dance and choir rooms are upstairs.
Now over 25 years old, the useful life of the roof has expired, and the Student Center is experiencing major issues. Water comes in to the Student Center every time it rains; the roof is in dire need of a complete replacement.
A new roof on the Student Center would: • Ensure the safety of all students and members of the St. Joe community who use the space. • Allow the school to make a one-time investment to permanently address the severe water damage that has occurred in recent years. • Be more energy-efficient, resulting in a reduction in the long-term cooling and heating costs of the center.
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Campus-Wide Security Camera System It is imperative for our entire 22-acre campus to be monitored so we always know what is happening on campus. The safety of our students is of utmost importance, and the installation of a campus-wide security camera system will help provide a safe and secure learning environment.
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