Classroom Named in Honor of Longtime Faculty Member Celia Barletta

There is no better way to begin Teacher Appreciation Month than by celebrating someone who has given so much of herself to this School and to the students, colleagues, and families who have been lucky enough to know her.

On Monday, May 4, and with gratitude and admiration, Austin Prep announced the first classroom named through its Classroom Naming Initiative is named in honor of Celia Barletta, a teacher whose dedication, warmth, and excellence have helped shape our community for more than four decades.

This initiative itself was born from a meaningful act of love within our own faculty. On Austin Prep's Day of Giving this past November, our teachers came together to collectively fund the naming of a classroom in memory of our colleague, Stephen Williams, a longtime music and math teacher who went home to God. The generosity of the faculty and staff was more than a tribute. It was a reminder of what this community is made of, and it inspired us to create a formal pathway for honoring the educators who animate the journey at Austin Prep

Ms. Barletta began her Austin Prep journey in 1985. In the 41 years since, she has served this School in ways that go far beyond any single title or role – as a cornerstone of the World Language Department, as Dean of Student Activities, and as Assistant Head for Academic Affairs. In 2020, she was recognized by the Board of Trustees with Austin Prep's St. Augustine Lumen Award, which honors outstanding teaching, and was later celebrated in Journey Magazine for forty years of service in world language education and mentorship. These are the kinds of honors that reflect a career defined not by years accumulated, but by lives touched.

Her story is woven into Austin Prep's own. She was here when the School transitioned to coeducation in 1992, and later spoke with pride about watching the first women students embody Austin Prep's core values in action and being a mentor for young women. She has been, in the words of a former student, “a beacon of inspiration and excellence in teaching.”

As moderator of the Spanish National Honor Society chapter Fuente de la Juventud, Ms. Barletta has built something rare: a classroom where language is a doorway, not just a discipline. From her AP Spanish class's beloved Día de los Muertos “Day of the Dead” celebration to bilingual conversations during Hispanic Heritage Month that bring culture, identity, and multilingualism to life, she has always understood that the best teaching happens when students are motivated and excited to engage the world around them.

In naming this classroom in her honor, it affirms something that great schools never lose sight of: that the most enduring mark a teacher leaves is not on a report card, but on the character of the students they shape and the spirit of the community they help build. Ms. Barletta has done both – quietly, consistently, and gracefully – for 41 years. As she prepares to close this cherished chapter with a well-earned retirement at the end of the school year, we can think of no more fitting send-off than to celebrate her tenure and dedication with a classroom named in her honor.

This naming was made possible by the generosity of the Class of 1997. That former students, decades removed from these halls, would choose to honor her in this way says everything about the impression Ms. Barletta leaves.

Her career has been a living expression of our Augustinian mission — veritas, unitas, and caritas — not as abstract ideals, but as daily practice. She has pursued truth in her classroom, built unity among students and colleagues, and offered her care and presence with remarkable consistency for over four decades. She is, in the fullest sense, what Austin Prep aspires to be.

We are so proud to celebrate her and grateful that Austin Prep has been her home. Congratulations, Ms. Barletta, and happy Teacher Appreciation Month!