STISD Host Medical Academy Grand Opening

OLMITO – South Texas Independent School District (STISD) held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new South Texas Academy for Medical Professions (Medical Academy) campus in Olmito on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 10:00 a.m.

The event was held at the new campus, located at 10650 North Expressway 77/83, across the expressway from Rancho Viejo.
The program included reflections from Congressman Filemon Vela, 34th District of Texas; Senator Eddie Lucio , Jr., 27th District of Texas; Joe Lopez, president of the STISD Board of Directors; Marla M. Guerra, Ed.D., superintendent of schools for STISD; and Harry Goette, principal of Medical Academy.

Tours of the facility and a reception followed the official ceremony.

The new 181,495-square-foot Medical Academy facility opened to teachers and students on Aug. 24, 2015.

Built specifically for a medically-themed high school, the campus includes ample space, adaptable and easily-moveable furnishings and state-of-the-art technology to provide students and teachers with the resources needed to heighten the learning experience and emulate the medical field onsite in preparation for outside preceptorships, future coursework and careers.

Founded in 2003, the campus was originally named South Texas Academy of Medical Technology (Med Tech). It underwent a name change in 2012 – to South Texas Academy for Medical Professions (Medical Academy) – to better reflect the breadth of its medically-themed curriculum.

Medical Academy serves students in grades 9-12, and it emphasizes college preparation and the careers of medicine. Students develop medical and clinical skills in area hospitals and doctor offices and can earn certifications in the following: Clinical Medical Assisting, Emergency Medical Technician, Patient Care Technician, and Phlebotomy Technician.

STISD selected the Olmito site for Medical Academy to allow the district to better serve the families of Cameron County. With the move of Medical Academy to its new campus, the previous facility in San Benito also became home to STISD’s second middle school – Rising Scholars Academy of South Texas – doubling the district’s presence in the area, a move by the district to respond to demand from families in the lower Rio Grande Valley for a quality college-preparatory education and exposure to skills needed to be successful in the flourishing medical fields in a location more convenient for them.

The larger Medical Academy facility will also allow Medical Academy’s enrollment to grow in future years to a capacity of about 775, about 200 more than its previous location.

Like all STISD schools, Medical Academy and Rising Scholars are open to students from the tri-county area. Enrollment for the campuses operates on a first-come, first-served basis.