Dr. W. Joseph “Joey” King brings a spirit of innovation and exploration to historic PC (USA)-affiliated secondary schools in South Texas
Emily Enders Odom et al. | 11/1/2011 Presbyterian News Service
From left to right: Wilson Kennedy, Department Engagement and Support Officer; Joey King, Presbyterian Pan American School, Bill Rutherford, PPAS. Lemuel García Arroyo, MES. (Photo by Emily Enders Odom)
KINGSVILLE, Texas — Dr. Joey King beams with pride as new students flood into the Hart Student Center at Presbyterian Pan American School.
And rightfully so.
The new principal of a small, PC(USA)-affiliated college preparatory school in the Texas Coastal Bend, about 90 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, is looking to develop PPAS’ most valuable resource: its students. I have exciting plans.
But those aren’t his only plans.
“This is not my vision, but our vision for the board and all of us to focus on a period of renewal for the next three to five years,” said the 113-year-old school leader, who took over in August. Dr. King said. 1. “We will renovate buildings, homes. It has to happen and we are working on plans for that.”
Mr. King previously served as president of the PC(USA)-affiliated University of Lyon, where he was instrumental in promoting academic excellence and strategic growth, and PPAS faces similar challenges: increasing the school’s enrollment and revenue. We are aiming for expansion.
To that end, he emphasized that the school’s relationships with organizations and members of the PC(USA), including the Mission Presbytery within which the school falls and the Church of the Sun, of which PPAS is an agreement partner, are critical. admitted that. .
“The church is really helping us in rebuilding our enrollment situation, which is not where we would like it to be,” Dr. King said. “We want to get that tradition back. We really need the help of PC(USA) to make those connections where we’re focused on recruiting.”
Present to assure Dr. King and PPAS Board Chairman Bill Rutherford of just that kind of assistance was a colleague from the national church, the Rev. Lemuel García-Arroyo, PC(USA) missionary support advisor. , and Rev. Wilson Kennedy, PC(USA) Deputy Director of Special Offers and Appeals.
Presbyterian Pan-American School Principal Dr. Juan Plasencia and student ambassadors will welcome visitors. (Photo by Emily Enders Odom)
“It is the General Conference’s job to take care of Presbyterian-affiliated schools and colleges that provide for communities of color, as mandated by Presbyterian Reunion (in 1983),” Kennedy said. “Our job is to be your advocate and help you get your work done. We believe in the power of service and transformation of this place. There is so much hope here. ”
In addition to advocating for PPAS, PC(USA) also makes a significant contribution to school livelihoods through the Church’s Christmas Joy Offer.
A cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s, the annual Christmas Joy Offer gives equal support to Presbyterian-affiliated schools and colleges that provide education to communities of color, as well as pension board assistance programs. Gifts will be distributed.
Because many of the school’s intentionally international students (representatives from countries such as Mexico, China, South Korea, Rwanda, Taiwan, and Colombia) are Presbyterians or of Presbyterian heritage, King also noted that PPAS is a transitional institution. We want to make sure we have a new focus. Students entering higher education know about Presbyterian-affiliated universities.
“There are a lot of boarding schools that accept American students, so I don’t think we want to run headlong down that path,” he said. “We are doing something unusual and special. We take in international students from all over the world, and when they arrive they speak very little English, but after four years they are able to graduate from university in English.” It’s very unusual that we’re completely international in focus. (We’re) an American school like you would find in Cairo or Tokyo, but I run one in South Texas. ”
King added that because the school accommodates many students, not just Presbyterians but from around the world, they will be “committed to this school” more than ever.
PPAS Renewal Season welcomes visitors and friends of the Mission Presbytery from all over the region to an open house and hearty lunch on their way to the Presbytery’s regular meeting at First Presbyterian Church in Brownsville. There was already enough evidence in the opening of the doors and campus. .
Open House attendees (left to right): Elder Judge Bill Lux of Covenant, San Antonio; Rev. Dan Milford, Bylaws. PPAS Board of Directors Chaplain Dr. Jim Curry; Jo Ann Curry, PPAS Board Member; and Rita Odom, a retired Certified Associate Christian Educator. (Photo by Emily Enders Odom)
“The spirit of renewal is what today is all about,” said Bill Rutherford, ruling elder of First Presbyterian Church of Lulin, Texas, and chairman of the PPAS Board of Directors. “We became very aware of the fact that people in the mission presbytery almost always give generously when we ask, and many of them have never been here before. The presbytery was meeting in Brownsville and I figured we’d need to stop somewhere to eat lunch, so I said, ‘Come on, show me your school, our school, God’s school. Please say please.”
The students, Rutherford said, were among the many board members and visitors who attended the open house. “It’s because of them that God gave us the opportunity to do this.” They dispersed happily and enjoyed not only the international cuisine but also the conversation.
“The main advantage of this school is the opportunity to speak English,” said Jonathan Antonio Reyes Valencia, a 10th grade student from Yucatan, Mexico. He is mainly studying physics.
Asked what he hopes to accomplish relatively quickly, King said 22 students are expected to enroll in the spring.
“We want to grow at least a certain percentage…” he said. “I also brought in an interim vice president for finance, Joseph Botana, to help us think strategically about our finances.”
PPAS was founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1911 on a large tract of land gifted to the church by Henrietta King, wife of Captain Richard King, founder of the King Ranch, for which the city of Kingsville was named. Ta. The new president said PPAS will begin to repurpose ranch land because the school is “blessed with excess facilities and land.”
“We bring in board members who come from ranching backgrounds,” Dr. King said. There are also important supporters who have never been approached. We maintain a lot of heritage here. A ranch as old as the state, a Presbyterian heritage as old as the church, and a deep architectural heritage. We are limited (only) by our imagination. ”
Jo Ann Curry, who has served on the PPAS Board of Directors with her husband, the Rev. Jim Curry, since January 2020, expressed support for the new president and also acknowledged that Dr. King’s second term as leader will end. He expressed his joy that it will continue for another year.
“We love this school and have been bringing groups here for a long time, so when we were first asked to join the board, we didn’t even have to think about it,” said Jo Ann Curry. said. “It’s a great community.”
Tags: Bill Rutherford, Christmas Joy Offerings, Dr. Joey King, First Presbyterian Church of Brownsville, Texas, First Presbyterian Church of Luling, Texas, Jo Ann Curry, Missionary Work and Support, Mission Presbytery, Presbyterian Pan-American School, Presbyterian Associated Schools and Universities, Chaplaincy. Dr. Jim Curry, Pastor Lemuel Garcia Arroyo, Pastor Wilson Kennedy, Special Offerings, Synod of the Sun
Ministries: Special Offers
