I had the pleasure this past Friday of meeting with several of you at the inaugural “Coffee with Mr. Watson.” This event is a monthly forum for parents to engage with the Academy’s mission as well as enjoy a uniquely personal channel of school communication. Whether through this or other venues, I look forward to getting to know each of you over the course of the coming year.
Our topic Friday was “Classical Education” broadly considered. As a conversation starter, we began by reading the Circe Institute’s online article, “What is Classical Education? (
found here). This article prompted us to consider that even while an increasing number of schools around the country have labeled themselves as “classical” in recent years, the ideal of classical education may be more challenging than many people realize.
And not just for students—any school, no matter how grand its buildings or extensive its grounds, is only as great as its teachers. At a Catholic classical school in particular, the bar for pedagogical excellence is set especially high. Our faculty and the staff who support them must themselves embody the life of virtue and the love of truth which we daily commend to our scholars. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to officially introduce to you The Atonement Academy’s 2019-2020 faculty and staff!
Miss Pyle - PK 3 Mrs. Lozano - PK 4
Mrs. Fitzgerald - Kindergarten Mrs. Kennedy - First Grade
Mrs. Weems - Second Grade Mrs. Garza - Third Grade
Mrs. Czech - Fourth Grade Mrs. Taylor - Fifth Grade
Mrs. Wiessing - Sixth Grade Mr. Adian - Math & Science
Mr. Chude - History & English Sr. Mary Margaret - Math
Ms. Gray - Biology & Theology Mr. Markovetz - Math
Mr. Mataya - Latin & Theology Ms. Oliveros - Latin & Theology
Mrs. Otten - English & History Ms. Szyzskiewicz - English & History
Mr. White - Math & Science Mrs. Lenahan - Drama & Philosophy
Mr. Miranda - Physical Education Mrs. Skeens - Physical Education
Mrs. Trevino - Latin Mrs. Wendtland - Librarian
Mr. Vidal - Athletic Director Mrs. Johnston - Front Desk
Dr. Tovar - Health Coordinator Mrs. Joiner - Admissions Director
Mrs. Powell - Guidance/College Counselor Mr. Marco Melendez - Music Director
I am looking forward to observing these individuals practicing their craft once scholars return in August. I should also note that the above list is incomplete—we are finalizing how we will deploy aides and working through organizational considerations for staff who have a foot in both parish and school operations. We should also have a formal announcement of our new music director going out any day.
While most of our faculty and staff are long-time Atonement veterans, there will be at least one fresh face arriving among us very soon: a new, simplified website! Look for an announcement soon. Thank you to Mr. Landry, Ms. Nieto, and the rest of the marketing team for seeing this through. Inevitably, a transition like this will require a season of “working out the kinks.” If you find any problems (typos, incorrect info, etc.) with the website, please alert Ms. Nieto (
[email protected]).
I hope you and your family are enjoying these last weeks of summer. I look forward to meeting you all in person and beginning the work of the coming school year. Let us continue to pray for one another.