Academia de la Inmaculada Concepción
The Academy of the Immaculate Conception (, generally abbreviated as AIC, or simply La Inmaculada) is a coeducational Catholic school located in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1905, it is among Puerto Rico's oldest institutions of learning. Though established by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, since 2015 it is owned and operated by the "Colegio Católico Notre Dame" in Caguas. The school is divided into two buildings in the same complex, one, located at 852 Road 108, Miradero, Mayagüez, has classrooms from pre-pre-kindergarten till fourth grade, while the other , at 850 Road 108, ranges from fifth grade up to twelfth grade. With the San Carlos School in Aguadilla, it is one of two Redemptorist-founded schools in the Mayagüez diocese. The school is a participant of the Free School Selection Program since its inception in 2019. History. In 1904, as a consequence of the entry of American women into Puerto Rican society, itself a result of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish–American War, sisters belonging to the order of Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul from Emmitsburg, Maryland, arrived to Puerto Rico. The following  8 September 1905, at the behest of the Redemptorist Fathers, six sisters of the order, including Sister Mary Padden Cassini, openend Puerto Rico's first parochial. Originally named "Academia San Vincente de Paul y La Candelaria", after the founder of the order and the patron saint of Mayagüez, it was later renamed to its present name. Originally it only taught primary levels, with 360 students enrolled in its first year. Later on, the sisters opened a second school, the "Colegio del Carmen", in the Playa sector of Mayagüez barrio-pueblo, which closed down in 1998. Due to an increase in  enrollment, the school acquired and moved into a larger building next to the previous location of the Casino de Mayagüez on Méndez Vigo Street. It was in this location where Sister Mary Padden Cassinni organized the precursor to the school cafeteria in Puerto Rico, earning her the distinction of being considered the mother of school cafeterias in Puerto Rico. In 1908, the school started a two-year business and in 1913, the school held an Island Fair (Feria Insular), which featured oil paintings and textile work. The school building was destroyed by the 1918 San Fermín earthquake. After the earthquake , there were 26 students enrolled in the Junior Red Cross, contributing $6.50 in donations. Nonetheless, the school reopened in a temporary wooden building in September 1921. The following year, it expanded to include a four-year secondary school. In 1923, "La Inmaculada's" impact was summarized thus: The school received accreditation for the first time from the Puerto Rico Higher Education Commission () in 1926. It was at "La Inmaculada's" auditorium in 1942, where parents of students at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez gathered to send a telegram to then-dean Joseph Axtamayer, requesting his resignation. The  school moved into a new building on José de Diego Street in 1957, enrollment reaching 1,300 students, 400 high schoolers, during the next decade. At this time, the faculty was composed by sisters from the founding order, Redemptorists Fathers and lay teachers. The knight mascot as well as the blue and white colors were adopted officially by "La Inmaculada" in 1966. In 1968 the school commenced construction on its present site in Miradero and started seeking Middle States (MSA) accreditation. On March of the following year, an MSA visiting committee evaluated the school and granted accreditation, while the following August  the Miradero building was inaugurated with the relocation of the ninth to twelfth grades. The complex was expanded by the construction of a gymnasium in the early 1970s. In 1975, the Vincentian sisters announced their departure from the school. An annex to host the seventh and eight grades was built in 1986, and the following year, improvements to the sports facilities were carried out. Faced with the concern of an earthquake, "La Inmaculada" offered a seminar in September 1992 to train teachers and officials of the Mayagüez district of the Department of Education in the possibility of a seismic event . Starting in January 1994, a new elementary school was being built in the Miradero complex, and finally inaugurated in September 1995. To celebrate its centennial, the Senate of Puerto Rico congratulated "La Inmaculada" via a resolution in 2005. On 14 February 2015, former student and NBA athlete José Juan Barea, went to "La Inmaculada" to inaugurate the José Juan Barea Cup in basketball. Hurricane María, earthquakes and COVID-19. "La Inmaculada" was the victor in both the first women and men's volleyball tournaments after Hurricane María in 2017. In the former, the school beat the Colegio San Benito, while in  the latter they won over the Colegio San Augstín. On 10 March 2018, the school was host to the Puerto Rico Oratory League's (Liga de Oratoria de Puerto Rico) competition. The following August, José Juan Barea, donated 500 desks, worth over $300,000, between "La Inmaculada", CROEM, the Añasco Art and Music School and Juan Lino Santiago School in Aguada. The 2019–20 earthquakes in the south of Puerto Rico caused damage to the school. this were concentrated towards the elementary school building, where several second-storey, classrooms had fissures. The school theorized that they might use air-conditioned trailers  to offer classes. On 9 February 2019, a grassland fire occurred behind the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez's Civil Engineering building, which is adjacent to "La Inmaculada" and close to the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo. The following October, a student threatened a school shooting over Snapchat as vengeance for alleged bullying. This would have happened during the school's annual "pep rally." The school denounced it to the Police, who determined that there was no crime committed. It was also referred to the FBI, who also determined there was no criminal activity. Additionally, it was referred to  the Minor's Advocate, with the school making press release determining that since it was referred, it no longer involved the school. Since August, the school is a participant of the Free School Selection Program, underwhich students can receive a cost-free education in a private institution for one or two years. In February 2021, there was an alleged case of cyberbullying by male twelfth grade students who were photoshopping female students' faces unto other bodies. School community. Accreditation. Since 1926, it has been accredited at times by the Puerto Rico Education Council, as in 2016 it was not, but  by 2021 it had regained its accredited status. In addition, since 2015, the school has also been accredited by Cognia. Even though "La Inmaculada" received initial accreditation from the Middles States Association in 1969, as of 2021, it no longer holds said distinction. Student organizations. Students' organizations include: National Honor Society, Clubs and Student Council. The school's film club co-hosts the short film school festival "Ponte los Cortos" ("Put on the Shorts") at Cabo Rojo's Exclesior Cinema-Theatre. The school's Knights Athletic Association hosts an annual Athlete's Night to recognize the school's athletes and  coaches. The school's cheerleading team has received donations from the government, such as $500.00 from the Legislative Assembly for uniforms and other costs. Since Antonio Fas Alzamora is an alumni, there was a strong bond between the Legislative Assembly and the school during his incumbency, such as when two Girl Scouts from the school occupied senators seats symbolically during a day in March 1996. Four years later, the twelfth grade class visited the Senate, where senators Rafael Luis Irizarry Cruz and Miriam J. Ramírez de Ferrer highlighted that their respective children had all graduated from the institution. "La  Inmaculada" is one of six schools in Puerto Rico that maintain an agreement with R2DEEP, the Recruitment, Retention and Distance Education in Engineering Program, which permits high school students participate in university-level courses and receive grades from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. The school hosts alumni initiatives, such as Héctor Alexis Vargas' "Patinero" ("Skater") Foundation.