Academia del Perpetuo Socorro
Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Academia del Perpetuo Socorro | |
---|---|
Esto perpetua Be everlasting | |
Address | |
704 Marti Street Miramar, Santurce, 00907 San Juan | |
Coordinates | 18°27′16″N 66°5′5″W / 18.45444°N 66.08472°WCoordinates: 18°27′16″N 66°5′5″W / 18.45444°N 66.08472°W |
Information | |
Type | Private, Coeducational |
Established | 1921 |
Director | Padre Juan Santa |
Principal |
Sarita Vázquez (K-6) Sr. Jose Manuel Leavitt (7-12) |
Vice principal |
Prof. Luis Sanchez (7-12) Maria Vazquez (K-6) |
Grades | K-12 |
Enrollment | 1,360 (2005-2006) |
Accreditation | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1] |
Newspaper | Pitirreando, Signpost |
Affiliations | Catholic, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico |
Website | http://www.perpetuo.org |
Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (Spanish: "Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help") was founded in 1921 as a Catholic parochial school of the Perpetuo Socorro Parish at the Archdiocese of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The school is located in Miramar in Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan. Students, teachers and alumni commonly refer to their school as Perpetuo. The school has historically been known to be a very prestigious school, traditionally educating young men and women who are to become influential leaders of Puerto Rican society. The school is featured prominently in Magali Garcia Ramis's novel Felices Dias Tio Sergio".
Many graduates attend top-ranked colleges and universities. Perpetuo provides academic instruction in Math, Sciences, History, English, Spanish, and Religion. It also provides a variety of athletic intercollegiate teams for its students as well as academic teams, specifically its Math, Model UN, Forensics, High School Choir, Drama Club and History teams. Perpetuo has 42 organized clubs, a varsity program in ten sports, four student publications and a yearbook, a Student Council, and an Honor Society for qualified students. It also offers membership for a Jr. Honor Society and an Honor Academy.
Students participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities ranging from Drama Club to community service. Every year, a handful of students have the opportunity to participate in a community service trip to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras. Students spend two weeks with nuns in villages helping build houses, schools and also sharing time with local children as part of a community development program. Also, rising juniors have the opportunity to participate in a European Educational Trip coordinated by school officials.
Mission
The goal of the Academia del Perpetuo Socorro is the complete development of the student - spiritually, mentally, morally, socially, culturally, and physically in order to live a full life and to prepare for his/her final goal - union with God. To this end, the school works to create a Catholic academic community in which faith, knowledge, and recreation are shared in a spirit of freedom, love, and creativity. The school, however, does not emphasize religion over other subjects, accepts students of all faiths and does not impose religious requirements such as baptism, confirmation or church attendance as a condition for continued attendance.
The school provides one of the most encompassing and through education experiences available to Puerto Rican students. It is known to be the stepping stone many future leaders of Puerto Rican society have prior to being educated in elite American institutions and becoming influential professionals.
Motto
"Esto Perpetua" translated as "Be everlasting" stressing how the values and learning learned in this school are to be infused with individuals and society as eternal values. Some consider this motto as a reference to how the school's positive influence shall last for eternity.
Clubs
- Computer Club
- Choir
- Drama Club
- United Nations
- Honor Society
- Jr. Honor Society
- Honor Academy
- Helping Hands
- Law Club
- Youth Ministry
- Pro-life
- Journalism
- Psychology Club
- Photography Club
- Environmental Club
- Math Club
- English Forensics
- Spanish Forensics
Sports teams
Academia del Perpetuo Socorro has the largest gymnasium in the Caribbean. This gymnasium has three wooden volleyball courts that can also be transformed into two basketball courts. The gymnasium also has a small gym where athletes, faculty members, and students can go to do exercise.
Perpetuo has a varsity program in ten sports:
- Golf
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Baseball
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Softball
- Soccer
- Indoor soccer
- Cross-country
- Track and field
- Swimming
Notable alumni
- Benicio del Toro, Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winning actor
- Cristina Córdova, sculptor
- Gabriel Ríos, musician
- Henry Darrow, stage and film actor
- Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, scholar
- Gustavo Gelpí, U.S. district judge
- Magali García Ramis, writer
- Marisol Calero, actress and singer
- Pedro Rosselló, 7th Governor of Puerto Rico
- Xavier Romeu, attorney and politician
- Michael Collins (astronaut), Apollo 11 astronaut
- Joaquin Bacardí, President and CEO, Bacardí Corporation
- Roy Brown, singer/songwriter
- Andrés Viglucci, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist at the Miami Herald
References
- ↑ MSA-CIWA. "MSA-Committee on Institution-Wide Accreditation". Retrieved 2009-07-31.