Aug. 1, 2019
Media Advisory
What: SAISD begins first day of 2019-20 year with two new schools
Who: Principals and teachers
Kindergarten and first-grade elementary students (“fearless girls”)
First-year high school students (future medical professionals and researchers)
When: August 12 – times listed below.
Where: SAISD’s featured schools are listed below.
Media may consider for coverage:
7:15 a.m. to 8 a.m. at Young Women’s Leadership Academy Primary, 401 Berkshire Ave. (The principal is available as early as 6 a.m., and students begin arriving at 7:15 a.m. The school day begins at 8 a.m.)
Bubbles will be dancing in the air as kindergarten and first-grade students arrive to the city’s first public, all-girls elementary school. Staff and teachers will be “bubbling” with excitement as they welcome the students. Students then will have the opportunity to pose as a “fearless girl” in front of the YWLA: Primary logo.
Inspired by SAISD’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy for grades 6-12, a National Blue Ribbon School, the primary school is opening this year with grades kindergarten and first, ultimately becoming a full K-5 program with a new grade phased in each year. YWLA Primary will focus on science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM) and social-emotional learning.
8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at CAST Med High School, 2601 Louis Bauer in the Brooks development on the city’s south side (The principal is available as early as 6 a.m., and students begin arriving at 8 a.m. The school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and begins with a welcoming assembly in the large auditorium.)
Ninth-grade students who aspire to be medical and public health professionals or biomedical researchers will arrive to the brand new CAST Med High School, a facility with state-of-the-art equipment not typically found in high schools. One such piece is an Anatomage Table, which is the most technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization system for anatomy and physiology education used by the world’s leading medical schools and institutions. The school launches with a cohort of 9th graders, and ultimately will become a full 9-12th high school program.
Third in the CAST Schools network, CAST Med will add to the pipeline of much-needed doctors and researchers in the San Antonio area. Students will have the opportunity to learn from industry partners such as UT Health San Antonio, Bexar County Medical Society, the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, along with higher education partners UTSA and San Antonio College. Students will graduate with a high school diploma, a minimum of 30 hours of college coursework, and real-world experience gained through job shadowing, mentorships, internships, summer enrichment programs, volunteer experiences, and clinical and research opportunities.