San Antonio ISD hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at Young Women’s Leadership Academy Secondary to celebrate the completion of its Bond 2020-funded upgrades to the campus on August 6. The event was held in the school's new competition gym, which was filled to the brim with students, parents, school staff, and community members. YWLA’s principal Priscilla Alfaro served as the MC for the event, which featured speeches from: 

• Trustee Ed Garza SAISD’s Single Member District 7’s Board Representative 

• Adrian Bustillos, SAISD Superintendent

• Delia Montelongo, YWLA Partner Executive Director

• C. Rivera, YWLA Student Ambassador 

• Nkonye Adaikpoh, SAISD’s Design Director of Capital Development and Construction Services 

• Bill Dwyer, Associate Partner & Executive Architect at Kirksey Architecture

• David Garza, Project Manager at Rogers O’Brien Construction

The YWLA Advisory Board were also in attendance for the ceremony. After the ceremony, guests were treated to student-led tours of the new space.

This ceremony marked the completion of Bond 2020 commitments to YWLA Secondary, part of a larger districtwide effort to modernize and improve SAISD facilities. These investments create enriched academic and extracurricular environments that promote student growth and community pride. 

YWLA first opened in 2008 as San Antonio’s first all-girls public school, but the site was originally Horace Mann Junior High School established in 1937. At YWLA, students receive a quality education shaped by the core values of college preparation, responsible leadership, and wellness life skills, values that contribute to the type of well-rounded education that is vital to our students’ success in college.

Major highlights of the planned work include:

• New academic building with classrooms, labs, and collaborative spaces

• New competition gym and secondary gym

• Exterior renovations of the 1934 building

• New library 

For more information on Bond 2020, visit saisd.net/o/bond.