I’m not sure which part of my visit to the San Miguel School in the West End of Providence I liked best.
It was great to catch up with an old friend, Michael Scanlan, who I’ll introduce you to in a second.
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It was especially heartwarming the way so many of the students at the school approached me – without being told to do so – and extended a hand, introducing themselves before “Morning Assembly” began.
Or maybe it was the way they went over the word of the day with one of their teachers. On the day I visited, the word was plausible, which means ‘seemingly true, reasonable.’
Or maybe it was that part of “Morning Assembly” where a few students stood up in front of their peers and nominated classmates for having performed a good deed. The day I visited, a boy nominated Preston, because, “When I fell in gym, he picked me up and asked me if I was OK.”
That kind of selflessness does not come across as even a bit out of the ordinary at San Miguel. It is a school that is anything but ordinary. It is a place where all of the students not only know one another – but care about one another.
Christian Brother Lawrence Goyette started San Miguel School in Providence in 1993. It’s not a parochial school. Students come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Most of them are from Providence – all come from homes struggling under the poverty level.
There are 16 students in each class, including a fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade.
Places like San Miguel happen because someone comes up with a terrific idea and then doesn’t rest until that idea becomes something real. Brother Lawrence’s idea was a simple one. He wanted to provide a top-flight education opportunity for boys from poor homes – for kids starting out a step behind.
Emphasis at San Miguel is placed on reading and writing and math. And also, on getting along with others and serving a broader community.
There are 10 adults overseeing the 64 students at San Miguel.
The system is working.
Students from San Miguel regularly go on to high schools like LaSalle Academy, Saint Raphael Academy, Bishop Hendricken. In fact, the high school graduation rate of former San Miguel students exceeds 85 percent. Attendance at San Miguel is, well, nearly perfect. The kids like school – and they go.
“They know they have an opportunity that other people in their circle do not have,” says Scanlan.
Scanlan was an English teacher of mine. We met when I was a senior at LaSalle. He is one of those special people who wouldn’t feel right if he wasn’t spending his time helping others.
He grew up in a tough neighborhood in a big Irish family that didn’t have a whole lot of money. So the kids who end up at San Miguel hold a place in his heart. And Scanlan recognizes that their tough neighborhoods are really tough.
For some of these kids, their next meal or a warm winter jacket is not guaranteed. They live in places where drugs, weapons and teens having babies are all things that can distract them from thinking about the value of a good education.
“When you grow up poor, you start out behind,” he says. “And as you get older … that gap widens, unless someone – some thing – steps in.”
And so San Miguel has stepped in big time. It’s already changed the lives of many young boys – boys who are now men, attending colleges throughout the area.
But there is a sobering reality to all of this. San Miguel needs a constant revenue stream to sustain itself. The bulk of that revenue comes from generous donors.
The school is reaching out to the business community for help, hoping to find small- and medium-sized businesses to sponsor students. The cost to sponsor a single student for a full year of education is $7,200. If that’s too steep, they welcome any contribution.
Sponsoring a student at San Miguel becomes a very personal experience. You get a photo of the boy and a letter from him. You’re encouraged to visit – to come by for lunch.
William F. Greene, a partner at Hayes & Sherry, a commercial real estate services company in Providence, is chairman of San Miguel’s board of directors.
“Our goal is to get sponsors for all of our fifth-graders and take them through eighth grade,” he says.
Greene is targeting small businesses.
“Small businesses don’t always have the staff to be charitable,” says Greene. “We hope we’re making it easier for them to contribute.”
The San Miguel School is a special place. But don’t take my word for it. Give my friend Michael Scanlan a call. He’d be happy to have you stop by for a visit. And don’t worry, he’s a much better English teacher than he is a salesman. He won’t strong-arm you.
But he’ll probably take you to Morning Assembly. And some of the kids will stop by and shake your hand and introduce themselves. And you’ll see that they are kind to one another – that they are eager to learn.
The visit will slow you down. Make you think. For some of you, it is quite plausible that it might be a life-changing experience.
The San Miguel School is located at 12 Carter St., off Elmwood Avenue in Providence. The phone number is 467-9777. You can also visit www.sanmiguelprov.org.
