 The Lasallian Association of Miguel Schools (LAMS) reached a milestone this past April when over 115 people gathered for a weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, for the first Spring Gathering. Teachers and administrators from the nine existing Miguel Schools, representatives from schools in the formation process, and individuals associated with other Lasallain ministries spent the weekend celebrating past accomplishments and setting a direction for future growth.
Two individuals were honored for their service to the Miguel Schools.  Brother Lawrence Goyette, founder of the San Miguel School in Providence was awarded the De La Salle Award for Excellence in School Leadership; and Carrie Kiskila, a teacher at the San Miguel School in Chicago for five years, was presented with the San Miguel Award for excellence in teaching. Brother Lawrence provided encouraging and inspiring words about his journey from the San Miguel School in Providence being a mere vision through its first ten years.
 "We started with a couple of teachers, some desks, and some books," Brother Lawrence said. "It is amazing to see how our school has grown since then and to witness so many people in other cities who are committed to this ministry."
For the past ten years in the United States of America, there has been a strong movement to open small, gratuitous schools in economically depressed neighborhoods that normally have the lowest educational attainment and the highest school dropout rates. An attempt has been made, in many instances, to reach out to the growing Latino population. These schools are normally, but not exclusively, for children between 11 and 14 years of age. Since there is no government financial support for such educational projects, fundraising is a major component of these initiatives. Former students of other Lasallian schools and benefactors in corporate America have been among the principal donors.
The Lasallian Association of Miguel Schools, as the movement is called, now numbers nine schools.
San Miguel School, Providence, Rhode Island, [LI-NE District]
De La Salle at Blessed Sacrament, Memphis, Tennessee, [Midwest District]
San Miguel School, Chicago, Illinois, [Midwest District]
San Miguel Middle School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, [Midwest District]
San Miguel School, Camden, New Jersey, [Baltimore District]
De La Salle at St. Matthew's School, St. Louis, Missouri, [Midwest District]
De La Salle Blackfeet School, Browning, Montana, [Midwest District]
De Marillac School, San Francisco, California, [San Francisco District]
De La Salle North High School, Portland, Oregon, [San Francisco District]
New initiatives continue to take shape, and three schools will be opening in September 2002. They are in Freeport, New York [LI-NE District], Chicago, Illinois [Midwest District], and Washington, DC [Baltimore District]. |
lasallew@lasalle.org