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San Miguel Marks 10 Years By Hilary Anderson, The Catholic New World, 01.16.05 The San Miguel community is celebrating a decade of transforming young lives, many once tagged as hopeless. The two-campus Catholic middle school began with a dream and much faith. It is the kind of success story movies are made of, one with character struggles but a happy ending and sequels to come. San Miguel first opened its doors in 1995 in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, where only 30 percent of students graduate from high school. "The dream was to provide a human and Christian education for kids who don't have a lot of options," said De La Salle Christian Brother Ed Siderewicz, San Miguel President. Now, more than 80 percent of San Miguel students graduate from high school, Siderewicz said, and in 2002, the first San Miguel students entered college. In that same year, the school opened its second campus, the Gary Comer Campus at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in the Austin neighborhood. The campus is named in honor of the founder of Lands' End, San Miguel's leading benefactor. "He's a Chicagoan from the South Side who has become a grandfather figure to many of our students," Siderewicz said. But in the beginning, organizers didn't know how they would make their plan work. They only knew they had to try. "It was in response to the suggestion of a fellow Christian Brother Michael Fehrenbach over lunch to continue our community's mission, and, coincidentally, an invitation of Father Jack Tilford, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel on Chicago's Southwest Side to use hsi church's facilities. He helped us so much." Siderewicz pulled together a team of four people - Gordon Hannon, Sandra and Gene Downes and himself - and with little funding but much faith began the process of opening a school and social center for children at risk. "Opening the school was truly an inspiration of the heart," he said. "We didn't know where or how it was going to happen. We just prayed and took it one step at a time." The first campus opened in a convent building with four staff members, 18 students, and a $50,000 pilot grant. Its objective was to reach out to students in the middle grades who were under-performing at their local public schools and in financial need. "We wanted to establish a new culture for the kids built around God," said Siderewicz. "We wanted to create a new world for them, on ein which they could succeed." To accomplish this, the San Miguel team created an innovative model:
"Our high teacher-to-student ratio and small class size allows us to provide hands-on, individualized classes and tutoring to enable our students to succeed," Siderewicz said. "We incorporate the latest in technology in each curriculum. We provide networked computers with Internet access in every classroom." Other components of the San Miguel model include an active exposure to the arts, evening tutoring sessions, adult education classes, community outreach programs, mandatory parent-teacher meetings every three weeks and student and family counseling services. San Miguel graduates receive continual support throughout their high school years, including twohours after-school tutoring and mentoring sessions; weekly visitation by San Miguel staff to the high schools; monthly parent meetings and college counseling. The payoff is in the success stories of its students. "One of our students proved two professionals wrong," said Siderewicz. "They classified him as uneducable. He is almost at grade level, no longer gets into trouble and takes leadership roles in his class." Siderewicz can't believe how some students are easily tagged as hopeless and forgotten. "Many of the young people who come to us have no hope or dreams. Some tell us they didn't expect to be alive past 20 years of age. These are powerful stories and sadly, they're true," he said. Because the students come from poor families, they pay only $30-$40 a month. The school relies upon donations and volunteer help to meet its bills. That includes teachers. "Fifty percent of our staff is volunteer," said Siderewicz. "A few live in community near the school and receive a monthly stipend. We ask for a two-year commitment if possible. Some of our staff have stayed longer." Volunteer teacher Alison Burgoyne is in her fifth year of teaching at San Miguel. She spent her spring breaks in college doing volunteer work. Just before she graduated, she flew to Chicago to visit San Miguel. The rest is history. "During my visit, the force of San Miguel pulled me in and I knew in my heart that is where I needed to be," she said. "I can see it is the hand of God providing hope, challenging and changing lives... opening unseen opportunity." Angela Witt, now in her fourth year as a volunteer teacher, said the proof is in the pudding. "I have heard and seen more success stories," she said. "What we are doing here works. Give a kid a safe, supportive environment and you can see them soar to unimaginable heights." Thaddeus J. Smith came from Orange, California to join the San Miguel staff as a volunteer teacher. "San Miguel makes an important and life-changing difference in the lives of those served by the school and those blessed with the opportunity to act as ministers in this mission," said Smith. "I think San Miguel is an effective and genuine response to the social need for Catholic education in the economically poor neighborhoods of the inner city." The school now has 240 students enrolled in the middle schools and graduate support program, and the San Miguel family is looking to the future and transforming more young lives. They currently are exploring teh possibility of replicating their model as a charter school. "The beauty of San Miguel is that it gives kids a platform, a window to look inside of themselves and take the challenge that is within them," said Siderewicz. "We help them to believe in themselves, love them unconditionally and watch them take off." |
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