While our students were on vacation , SMA staff members were as busy as bees, preparing classrooms, planning curriculum and schedules, and onboarding new faculty and staff. Parents will have the opportunity to meet our new and returning teachers on Thursday from 5-7 p.m. during “Meet the Teacher” night. As a preview, here is a summary of the new faces on our faculty as well as some updates on our staff.
New Faces in Academics
Associate Academic Dean
In the academic area, SMA welcomed Mr. Steven McCray a few weeks ago as the new Associate Academic Dean. Mr. McCray has taken the place of Mrs. Cindy Brooks, who retired at the end of last year. He will serve primarily as administrator in the Lower School, but will assist Academic Dean Bob Wiegand in other areas as well. Additionally, Mr. Les Davis, Athletic Director, will now serve as Special Assistant to the Academic Dean, taking on some administrative duties in the Middle and Upper schools.
New to the SMA faculty are the following instructors (pictured in order below): Mrs. June Bond, Middle School English and Language Arts; Mrs. Chris Goode, Third Grade; Mrs. Andria Hannum, Biology; Mrs. Tina Marbach, Kindergarten; CSM Vincent McCormick, JROTC; Mrs. Rebecca Nash, First Grade; Ms. Norma Picacio-Jones, History; Miss Ariel Remeny, First Grade; Ms. Melissa Sawyer, Fifth Grade; and Mrs. Patricia Smith, Third Grade. Mr. James Portis will continue to serve as a boarding director, but will also be joining the faculty in the Mathematics department. Last, but not least, COL Max Smith will be returning to teach mathematics again after a brief retirement. Welcome back, COL Smith!
Mrs. June Bond 
Mrs. Chris Goode 
Mrs. Andria Hannum 
Mrs. Tina Marbach 
CSM Vincent McCormick 
Mrs. Rebecca Nash 
Ms. Norma Picacio-Jones 
Ariel Remeny 
Ms. Melissa Sawyer 
Mrs. Patricia Smith 
Mr. James Portis 
New Roles, New Faces on Staff
Guiding all of our boarding students this year will be Mrs. Christy Guenther, Dean of Residential Life. She will be assisted by the girls and boys boarding directors, assistant directors and resident assistants.
Mr. Eric Casillas is the Academy’s Director of Student Life. He will oversee the Rec Center as well as all student activities and trips; he will also oversee our great staff of student life assistants.
A familiar face in the bookstore is Mrs. Alyssa Clutter, who is now the Retail Services Manager. In addition to overseeing the Sabre and the Bear Outfitters Uniform Shop, Mrs. Clutter will supervise all retail services, including concession stands, on campus. She will be assisted by Mrs. Monica Clay.
Another familiar face on campus is Mr. Corey Boyer, who will be the new Director of Admissions. Mrs. Shelley Henry is moving from the Admissions Office to the Development Office, where she will continue her duties as Director of Communications.
Joining the IT staff will be Mr. Isaac Garcia, who will be available to assist students with their laptops and other technology needs during the school day. He will work with Mr. Matt McNeil and Mrs. Nancy Smith on the IT team.
In the Student Health Center, we welcome Ms. Michelle Sanders, our newest nurse, who will join the staff of nurses under the direction of our campus physician, Dr. Sue Ann Harrison.
All of us at San Marcos Academy look forward to serving our students, families and the local community in the coming year. To contact any of our staff and faculty, please check the campus directory, which includes individuals by category and a phone list by department.