My name is Gabriela Ortiz and I am an 8th grader and second year student at St. Joseph Academy. My feelings of the first day of middle school were probably no different than the average seventh grader. Fear of the unknown. Not knowing what to expect or understanding fully how this would be different than elementary caused a little trepidation on the first day of school. Much to my surprise, it was an easy transition and a year filled with great memories.

      Throughout the course of my first year at St. Joseph Academy, certain teachers have played key roles in bringing out my academic and personal strengths and interests. For example, my seventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Mohr helped me transform my approach to writing and ultimately instilled in me a passion for the subject. My Physical Science teacher Mrs. Touchy placed a strong emphasis on teaching in a way that everyone could understand and always made herself available to all students for help when it was needed. All of my teachers have shown their passion for helping students learn by their time that they make themselves available to help when learning new subjects doesn’t come so easy.

     Being a student at St. Joseph Academy is about being a part of the Bloodhound community. School never feels like a solo journey here. As a Bloodhound you are always a part of a group or team in some way. Whether it is participation in activities such as sports, pep-rally, liturgy, or community service opportunities you never feel alone. There are countless number of clubs students can participate in such as, the Green Team, Marist Youth and Model UN. I have personally enjoyed participating as a Bloodhound Ambassador last school year and look forward to participating as a new member of the Positive Peer Leadership Team this year.

     For some of us, being a student at St. Joseph Academy is also a family tradition. My grandfather was part of the first graduating class at this campus in 1959. He still tells me stories about the good old days at St. Joe. I hope to continue that tradition as well and one day share all of my “good old days” experiences at St. Joe.

     My educational experience at St. Joseph Academy has had a drastic influence on not only who I am as a person, but has also done much to shape my goals and aspirations for the future. My futures goals include becoming an orthodontist. I feel that being a student at St. Joseph Academy will not only prepare me for college, but help me excel in achieving this goal. St. Joe teaches us to become better students and Catholics. We are taught to give of ourselves and make time for our faith, family, and community. This is a big part of what makes our school so different and so special.