Press Releases

• Mission Team Returns from Mexico
• District 3-5A Academic and Art Champions
• Visual Art Scholastic Event
• Visionarios Youth Art Contest
• Science Lab Dedication

Mission Team Returns from Tula, Mexico

Thank you for all the donations and prayers as our students traveled to Mexico. The goal of the mission team ii to provide religious services and instruction for residents of remote towns near Tula, Tamaulipas during Holy Week.

In addition to the services that they offer to the people of Tula , the student missionaries experience a profound personal transformation and a deep sense of fulfillment. When they return their witness has a deep impact on the student body.

Read the reflections that students had after the 2006 Mission Program.

District 3-5A Academic and Art Champions

On Saturday, February 25, 2006, Incarnate Word Academy hosted the Academic and Art District 3, 5A Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Meets. IWA won District in both categories -- Academics and Art. The four other participating schools included San Antonio Christian from San Antonio, St. Anthony from San Antonio, St. Augustine from Laredo, and St. Joseph from Victoria. Students who placed 1 st thru 4 th will advance to the State Academic Contest on March 31 st - April 1 st at Concordia Lutheran University, Austin Texas.

Academic winners (1 st – 4 th place) were:

Mackenzie, Poetry -- 1 st Place; Katrina, Science -- 2 nd Place, Poetry -- 3 rd Place; Elaine, Spelling -- 1 st Place; Kalan, Ready Writing -- 1 st Place, Literary Criticism -- 1 st Place; Michael, Number Sense -- 1 st Place, Mathematics -- 3 rd Place; Trent, Spelling -- 2 nd Place; Rebecca, Computer Science -- 1 st Place; Jessica, Computer Science -- 2 nd Place; Robert, Science -- 3 rd Place, Top Chemistry, Calculator Apps -- 1 st Place, Advanced Math 4 th Place, Jake, Current Issues -- 4 th Place; Carolyn, Persuasive Speaking -- 1 st Place, Original Oratory 1 st Place; Kevin, Science -- 1 st Place, Top Physics, Advanced Math -- 1 st Place; Jaclyn, Spelling -- 3 rd Place; Russell, Number Sense -- 2 nd Place; Laura, Calculator Apps -- 4 th Place; Sean, Current Issues -- 2 nd Place; Daniel, Calculator Apps -- 3 rd Place; Aurora-Yearbook, 1 st Place, The Halo-Newspaper, 2 nd Place.

For Art, IWA entered 75 entries won with 224 points. Thirty pieces will compete at the State TAPPS in Austin on March 31 st – April 1st.

Art winners (1 st – 4 th place) were:

Sonam, Crafts -- 2 nd Place; Whitney, Interior/ Exterior Design -- 1 st Place, Printmaking -- 4 th Place; Katrina, Relief Sculpture -- 2 nd Place; Kim, Art History -- 1 st Place; Elaine, Sculpture -- 4 th Place; Kalan, Commercially Processed Photography 1 st Place, Creative & Experimental Photography -- 2 nd Place, Digitally Processed Photography 3 rd Place, On-Site Drawing 3 rd Place; Jessica, On-Site Drawing -- 2 nd Place, Drawing Ink -- 3 rd Place; Keely, Drawing Monochromatic -- 3 rd Place, Graphic Design – 4 th Place; Macy, Commercially Processed Photography -- 3 rd Place;

Charlotte, On-Site Drawing -- 1 st Place; Kavir, Pottery -- 2 nd Place; Jake, Transparent Painting -- 3 rd Place; Stephanie, On-Site Drawing -- 4 th Place;

Mark, Printmaking --1 st Place; Caroline, Digitally Processed Photography -- 2 nd Place, Relief Sculpture -- 3 rd Place; Julie, Art History -- 2nd Place, Printmaking -- 3 rd Place; Stephanie, Relief Sculpture -- 1 st Place, Computer-Aided Design 2 nd and 3 rd Place, Senior Portfolio -- 4 th Place; Melanie, Crafts -- 3 rd Place; Krystle, Art History -- 3rd Place.

Visual Art Scholastic Event

Incarnate Word Academy entered VASE, Visual Art Scholastic Event, for the first time on Saturday, February 18, 2006. It is very similar to UIL, except the top place is a 4, and ratings continue down to 1.  Area high schools competed with over 400 entries.  Each student met with a judge for individual critique and discussion about his or her art.  Of our 18 IWA students and 30 entries, 21 entries placed as 4-top place and 9 entries placed as 3.  Students competed with other students who had the same experience in art.  Caroline Nye and Kalan Contreras both received perfect scores and Caroline Nye’s photograph will continue to state competition.  The following students earned these ratings:

Visionarios Youth Art Contest

Incarnate Word Academy’s elementary level principal Sr. Camelia Herlihy proudly announces the IWA entry winner of the 2006 Visionarios Youth Art Contest. The student is Ian, grade 1 son of Dr. Michael Simmons and Dr. Karen Ives. Ian and his family were invited attend the Visionarios Award Event at Family Day on Sunday, February 12, at the Art Museum of South Texas at this time Ian’s work was dtoisplayed and was presented with his award.

Visionarios artwork will be on display at the Art Museum of South Texas through February 19.  Visionarios is sponsored by Flint Hills Resources to celebrate youthful vision and creativity as the key to a brighter future for all of us.

School dedicates lab to Earl C. Sams Foundation Administrator

On Friday, October 28, Incarnate Word Academy unveiled its new science lab for IWA Middle Level students. Bruce Hawn and the Board of Directors for the Earl C. Sams Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to Incarnate Word Academy for the creation of a science lab at the middle level.

The fully equipped science lab will be named in honor and recognition of Susan G. Ohnmacht for her many years of dedicated service to the Earl C. Sams Foundation. Mrs. Ohnmacht serves as the secretary and assistant treasurer to the foundation. Her children, Galen ’88 and Catherine ’91, are graduates of Incarnate Word Academy.

This new science lab will assist students with an advanced curriculum and enable students to engage in activities that exercise their auditory, visual and tactile skills.

The alignment of curriculum, an objective of the school’s Strategic Plan 2004, ensures a smooth transition from one academic level to the next. Students entering high school will be better prepared to take four years of science including Advanced Placement (AP) course work, if they choose. The science lab will provide valuable hands-on experience for students, and teachers will be positioned to identify highly motivated students interested in the Medical Careers Program, another key objective identified in the IWA Strategic Plan.

Incarnate Word Academy is extremely grateful to the Earl C. Sams Foundation for embracing the school’s goals and believes the science lab is just one more step toward providing students in the Coastal Bend a superior educational opportunity.

“Through the hard work and dedication of our students, faculty, administrators and parents, I am proud of the unique experience we can offer in terms of a quality education and a secure environment for faith development,” said school president Sister Anna Marie Espinosa. “The middle level science lab serves as another example of our relentless pursuit of educational excellence.”