These words symbolize the unwavering faith that guides our mission at San Miguel Tulsa. The founder of Lasallian education, John Baptist de la Salle, referred to the work of educating the economically poor, within a Christian Spirit, as God’s work. Thus, by saying “the work is yours” we are reminded that the existence of a San Miguel School in Tulsa is attributed to the work of God. God’s intercession and divine providence led to the cultivation of this school. The students, families, teachers, board members, volunteers, and benefactors united in this mission are merely the instruments by which the work of God is carried out.
Viewing San Miguel from this lens is a spectacular sight to behold - spectacular because it depicts the work of God in action. These actions can be seen if you spend time at San Miguel. If you do, you will hear different stories of how individuals became involved in the mission, you will see the positive effects of collaboration and interdependence, you will witness personal transformations, you will comprehend the importance of the mission, and you will see individuals from different backgrounds and environments working together for a common purpose. While the teaching and learning that occurs at San Miguel are directed toward the students, all agents united in this mission acquire a deeper understanding and appreciation of life.
An article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune stated, “San Miguel is a new model for urban Catholic education that blends the innovations of charter schools, the moral spine of parochial institutions and the willingness of public schools to take all children.”
So, how is San Miguel different?
From public middle schools…San Miguel provides an education rooted in the Lasallian tradition of touching students’ hearts and minds by addressing their spiritual and emotional needs; an individualized educational program for each student; extended school days and school year that afford students more instructional time; a ten to one student to teacher ratio; a commitment to provide high school support to each San Miguel graduate; a curriculum centered on literacy development, one that devotes 90 minutes to in-school reading every day.
From private schools…San Miguel is not tuition driven; San Miguel targets students whose families cannot afford the cost of private school tuition, as well as students experiencing difficulties in a traditional school environment; funding comes from benevolent contributions of individuals, organizations, and foundations. San Miguel’s unique educational model is malleable to the needs of students and families entrusted to our care, students and families most in need of a different kind of learning experience.
For San Miguel, being different is good!
Securing San Miguel's "difference" is paramount. After a thorough needs assessment process, the San Miguel Tulsa Board is initiating a $4 million dollar capital campaign. This campaign will Secure San Miguel Tulsa's future through a more permanent financial foundation empowering it to continue its young, but no less impressive, track record.
Now in its fourth year, with successes being achieved in five local, public and private high schools by all 18 of its first graduates and with full enrollment of 66 for the current year and the 08-09 year, there is an immediate need to move San Miguel into improved educational facilities, that provide an enhanced learning environment, safe and secure.
Student identities are formed by their social surroundings. Students are told they are valued as people, but society shows them that they are devalued because they do not have access to adequate facilities. Self concepts change when there is positive identification with school and academics.
Needs:
* Students need a dynamic space to learn and explore - the current rental facilities housing San Miguel Tulsa are grossly inadequate.
* Current basement classrooms are crowded, musty and outdated, desks are small, and temperature is erratic. Safety, security and fragmented instructional time are key concerns. Students currently have to cross a city street, two parking lots, and through diverse clientele attending the St. Francis medical clinic and Catholic Charities Hispanic Apostolate, to move from class to class and for lunch and recess.
* Additional classrooms are housed in a rented temporary building that does not have running water or bathroom facilities and is situated at the edge of church property. Students have to travel in pairs across a parking lot and around a building to have access to such facilities, causing many interruptions to classroom instruction. They too must travel from building to building outside, with no cover, in all types of weather.
* A third set of classrooms is housed in another remote building, not designated for educational purposes, again making safe, secure and time efficient travel to classes, lunch and recess a key concern.
Answers:
* A New Physical Plant will be constructed to bring all parts of the school under one roof. A modular building with 6 classrooms, separate math and science rooms, 3 offices, teachers’ workroom and lunchroom has been designed on a segment of St. Francis Xavier Parish property, acquired from the Diocese of Tulsa. The learning and security needs of San Miguel’s unique middle school educational model have all been addressed in the plan. The estimated cost for the new building, including all interior furnishings is $1.5 million.
* To help Secure San Miguel’s future the second part of the capital campaign is to Increase the school’s eighty thousand dollar Endowment by $1.3 million.
* Securing San Miguel’s immediate future during the construction and early move-in stage also requires securing Two Years of Operational Expenses totaling $1.2 million.
Working directly with the poor requires an educational paradigm and practices that extend beyond the traditional programmatic features of schools. If the basic human needs of children are not fulfilled, they cannot cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally engage in learning. For this reason, San Miguel’s middle school educational model has been strategically developed to provide services and programs commonly embedded within the family structure of most middle income households, but conspicuously absent in the home environments of San Miguel’s students.
San Miguel schools have achieved remarkable success educating middle school students who become lost in larger, more traditional schools. The innovative learning programs developed by the San Miguel model address the unique academic, emotional, social and spiritual needs of each student. These programs foster authentic parent involvement in the educational process. By developing individualized learning plans and cultivating positive family-school partnerships, San Miguel empowers students to excel academically and personally. Additionally, a graduate support program provides the necessary financial, academic, social and emotional assistance that students need to graduate high school, to realize opportunities and to continue their education in college or another post-secondary institution.
San Miguel Tulsa’s membership in the NativityMiguel Network of sixty-four schools that share the same mission, gives it a thirty-seven year, rich history that spans twenty-seven states and serves over 4400 educationally and economically poor students. The network continues to be a vital source in this school’s growth through resource cultivation, effective communications, training, support, mission assessment and ideas exchange.
San Miguel looks to its Benefactors, Volunteers, Board and Staff to Secure the strengths of San Miguel Tulsa’s impact on the economically and educationally disadvantaged children, regardless of their religious beliefs, race, or gender, helping them achieve academic and personal success through this non-tuition driven, Lasallian education. Securing this today not only secures the school’s future, but also the students’ futures as well as the community of Tulsa’s future. San Miguel could not be in better hands!
Secure Futures, Secure Facilities, Secure Funding
San Miguel in Orlando San Miguel students Teresita Garcia, Flor Lozano and Denise Reyna during their recent trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Fla.
San Miguel Class Wins Trip to Orlando Although they didn’t win an online voting contest, the graduating class at San Miguel School of Tulsa is still going to the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando.
San Miguel School to Relocate Classrooms San Miguel School is soon moving out of the basement of St. Francis Xavier Church and into the Catholic Charities buildings.
