San Antonio Charter School Students Discover They Are Brother Sister

When Premier High School of San Antonio student Robert Wechsler was called in to see school secretary Linda Canales he thought he was in trouble.  “When she asked me my middle name and my mother’s name I thought someone had died or something” he said.

But then he saw that a girl sitting next to Mrs. Canales began to cry and he thought that he had done something wrong.  Only then did Mrs. Canales say “Robert this is your sister Desiree”.

Unlike Robert Desiree Muniz had always known she had an older brother but she didn’t know where he was. She had attended school in Oregon for awhile and then moved back to San Antonio.

“I knew I had to repeat my freshman year and wanted to find a school where I could get my work done and work on my own” she explained. “Here the teachers can help you one on one and it is helping me get my credits faster.

“That’s why I decided to come to Premier High starting this year” she said. 

While in class one day she remarked to her teacher that she was looking for her older brother. She had been on the Internet but all the websites wanted money to get information. 

Her Premier High teacher sent her to another faculty member who helped her locate her brother using Yellow Book.com. She called his home and talked to his step-sister who said he was in school – at Premier High School in San Antonio.

Desiree went to the office and gave Mrs. Canales the boy’s name.  She recognized the name immediately as that of a student who was close to graduation after four years in Premier. 

“I called him to the office and after a couple of questions I said Robert this is your sister” said Canales. “He was dumbfounded to say the least and Desiree’s tears flowed. I sent them to the back to talk and I heard laughter and tears. I made two trips to the back with Kleenex!”

On Friday January 25 2008 the two Premier High School students found out that they were actually brother and sister.  Robert Wechsler a Senior and Desiree Muniz a Freshman enjoyed a tearful reunion after being separated for most of their lives.

Since last Friday the two have spent time together looking at family pictures of themselves as small children meeting new family members and enjoying each other’s company.

When his parents divorced in the early 1990’s Robert stayed with his father. His mother remarried and he has not seen her since he was a small child. But he says he remembered having a brother and vaguely remembered a sister. 

Imagine his surprise when he was called to the school office and introduced to his teary-eyed sister who just happens to attend the same school!  In fact she is in the classroom next to his.

Robert says his world has been turned upside down since his sister found him.  He has met two brothers several aunts uncles cousins and a grandmother.  In a few days he will see his mother for the first time in 14 years.   

“Desiree is funny awesome and energetic” he laughed. “She is everything I had hoped my sister would be.”

Premier High School of San Antonio is a public charter school one of 22 campuses in the state managed and operated by Responsive Education Solutions.

In 1995 the state legislature authorized public charter schools to offer parental choice in education and to foster creativity and innovation in learning methods.

Texas has approximately 252 charter schools serving 90000 students across the state. Premier High School of San Antonio has a current enrollment of 161 students and a student teacher ratio of 13 to one.

For more information contact Melinda Wheatley at 512-466-1970.