Lasallian Volunteers serve San Miguel School as part-time teachers, development and technology assistants, after-school coordinators, and mentoring program coordinators. First year volunteer Sarah Bellingham serves as 6th grade science teacher and 5th grade reading assistant. First year volunteer Joan Bachynsky serves as 7th and 8th grade science teacher.
The San Miguel School exists first and foremost to offer a quality education to those in need. Priority is given to boys from challenging circumstances that are in need of extra support to be able to attend to the tasks involved in learning. The San Miguel School is a middle school with a focus on the positive. In a structured and caring environment; each “Miguel Man” is encouraged to learn, serve, and grow to the best of his ability.
This Lasallian school was founded in 1993 to provide a broad and complete education for inner-city boys in grades five through eight, many of whom have had difficulty in their previous schools, including truancy, behavior problems, lack of interest, and poor academic performance. Most of the youth served (60% Latino, 30% African American, 5% Asian, and 5% Caucasian) live in high-crime, economically-deprived neighborhoods; lack consistent discipline; and have weak family structures. San Miguel succeeds with its students because of its low student-teacher ratio (16:1) and its commitment to quality Lasallian education.
