I remember when Joseph and his mom first looked at Menaul School for the 9th grade. Joseph had so many interests, such as learning Mandarin, and I believe at the time he was interested in how large ships are made. I learned of many other interests during his student interview. He said he would get interested in a subject and learn all about it on his own using YouTube, just because he was curious about it.
If you asked me what a “typical” Menaul student is like, I would say that each of our students are unique. But in the way that Joseph expresses his individuality both in and out of school, I would say that is a great characteristic for a student to succeed at Menaul School.
– Amy Boldt, Director of Enrollment and Marketing
Joseph dreams of representing America in Olympic water polo
“My favorite subject at Menaul School would be History, Science, and Mandarin. Mr. Garcia is my favorite teacher. I like talking history with him. He is my advisory teacher and he helps me in a lot life decisions. Ms. Mooty is so fun to be around. She is very kind and nice. Can’t leave out Mr. Schifani, he is so easy to talk to and supportive.” – Joseph A.
Joseph…
- Started swimming in competitions for Duke City Aquatics team in 3rd grade
- Started water polo in 5th grade for Duke City Aquatics. Now plays for Duke City Barracuda
- In 8th grade, his water polo team came 3rd in the Albuquerque Middle School League
- He trains for 2 hours every weekday for Duke City Barracuda at the West Mesa high School Pool
“My goal is to attend a college that has engineering and a good water polo team. A dream would be to play water polo for America in the Olympics someday.”
Joseph A.
This year
- Jan. 25-26: Water polo games at West Mesa High School
- Jan. 30: Swim meet at West Mesa High School – Racing against his personal record
- Feb. 12, 2022: Swim in Duke City Swim competition, Freestyle and Back Stroke.
- Feb 26-27: Travelled to Las Vegas NV and competed in the Skipshot Water Polo Tournament – they came in 5th with teams from Calif. AZ, Nevada, NM, and Colorado. a 16U and a 18U
- Joseph swam on Mar. 5, 2022 in the NM State Championship. He did the back stroke in a relay race with 3 other team mates. They did not move forward but he did beat his personal record.
- April 1-3rd: Duke City Water Polo Tournament a 16U and a 18U
- April 15-30: On the team Route 66, Albuquerque High School competition – they took 2nd lost by 2 point for 1st.
Looking forward
- June 10-12 he will be going to Arroyo Grande, California for a water polo tournament a 16U and a 18U
- June 19th he will have a swim meet for NM Games, racing against his personal record
- June 24th he will have a swim meet for RAAC Summer Open, racing against his personal record
- July 2-3 he will have a swim meet for Lobo Last Chance, racing against his personal record
- July 27th – 31 in Dallas, Texas he will do water polo at the Jr. Olympics on two different teams a 16U and a 18U
“Joseph never had fear of water. He would at a very young age just walk into the lake and keep going even when he head was under the water. So I had to teach he to swim or he would drown himself.”
– Anita A.
Good luck to Joseph and hope he achieves his goals. I am a Menaul graduate (74), water polo coach and swim coach here in San Antonio.