In the Spotlight . . .

Sister Mary Willette is an expert at creating a welcoming school environment for Latino families. She did that--with great success--for nearly a decade as principal of the former San Miguel Middle School in Minneapolis.

Well before becoming principal, the School Sister of Notre Dame believed strongly in responding to urgent needs. But the belief took on a particular shape while she was studying to become a licensed administrator. "After I finished my studies," Sr. Mary says, "I had a deep desire to be in ministry with economically challenged families and students who struggle academically."

The desire led her to San Miguel, where her focus became the school's many Latino immigrant families. There she saw that "serving the immigrant population is one of those [urgent] needs," she says.

Sr. Mary developed many strategies for welcoming and enfolding Latino families into the school. Among them, she actively involved parents and guardians in their child/ren's education, offering conferences four times a year (with nearly 100% participation!) and meetings on topics pertinent to raising middle school children. Sr. Mary also trained her teachers in culturally responsive techniques and strategies for teaching second language learners.

Along the way, she learned many important lessons: "Integrate Latino values and history into the curriculum and the school environment rather than just celebrating specific events," she says. "Educate benefactors, volunteers, families and students, teachers and staff regarding the value of including Latinos in the school; encourage them to get involved with comprehensive immigration reform."

Such strategies and lessons worked well for the students at San Miguel, closing the achievement gap and sending them well-prepared to high school. Though the school shut its doors in June 2011 due to insufficient funds, its influence—and that of Sr. Mary—lives on. According to a farewell letter from the school's leaders:

"Our alumni provide the most tangible evidence of the fulfillment of our mission. Over 92% of students who graduated in the past four years from San Miguel are still in high school and progressing toward graduation. Many graduates are the first in their families to complete high school in the United States. San Miguel students and graduates represent a vital bridge, connecting their families to the realization of the American dream."

We congratulate Sr. Mary Willette for the integral role she has played in the lives of her students. And we pray God's richest blessings on her in her new role as coordinator of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Generalate House and Local Community in Rome, Italy.

Dan Faas (pictured above, back row left, with his ACE community and Dr. Tom Doyle) is a middle school Language Arts and Religion teacher in Mobile, Alabama. The dedicated and creative teacher recently answered our questions about ACE Teaching Fellows:

What motivated you to apply to ACE?
I wanted to serve young people through teaching and also discern whether the vocation of teaching was "for me." The three pillars of ACE were what won me over to the program. There are a lot of teaching/service programs out there, but very few offer the built-in community and spiritual growth opportunities that ACE provides.

How has this experience changed you so far?
ACE has gradually made me into a more selfless person. The vast majority of my time and effort is dedicated to my students—which can be frustrating, but is ultimately incredibly rewarding. ACE has shown me that there are much more important things in life than my own comfort and convenience, and that serving others is the source of greatest fulfillment.

Where/how do you feel yourself making a difference?
I don't have many "aha" moments where I feel myself making a huge difference. Rather, I know that I've made the biggest difference just by showing up, day in and day out, talking about life with my students. I think the biggest difference I can make in my students' lives is just being a constant reminder that there is someone who cares about them, holds them to high expectations and believes they can achieve them. Being present and "not going away" over time has taught my students more than any 45-minute lesson, and has made the biggest difference.

What has been your greatest highlight thus far?
Being accepted into a school community and culture vastly different than my own. I'm so thankful to have been welcomed by the African-American community at Most Pure Heart of Mary and to become a part of a school family with such rich tradition and history.

For instance, I once accepted a challenge from one of my students to a rap battle — an incredibly foolish choice on my part. However, it worked out: My willingness to do so showed my students that I was engaged in their interests, willing to have fun with them, and not afraid to back down from a challenge. It was the student who was the one who eventually "cracked" under the pressure in our lighthearted duel and after that day, my students were more willing to trust, cooperate, and have fun with me.

ACE has changed a lot since its first class of aspiring teachers attended an information meeting in 1993, according to a member of that ACE 1 cohort. Steve Camilleri remembers dropping off his ACE application to Father Tim Scully after the Easter Vigil Mass later that year, and he has watched the program’s impact grow over the nearly two decades that followed. “We used to say that ACE stands for ‘always changing everything,’” he says, “because ACE is changing the future of Catholic education, changing the lives of students and teachers everywhere, and changing principals, classrooms, communities, and everything it touches.”

Steve adds: “ACE changed me.” First, it opened his eyes to the life of a teacher—a vocation that drives him today as executive director of South Bend’s Center for the Homeless. The pillars of ACE, bringing together service, community, and spirituality, also inform Steve’s life as a parent and parishioner. He and his wife are delighted that their kindergartener and first grader are going to a Catholic school that “educates them in the faith.” His service on the parish stewardship committee includes a plan “to implement stewardship in every classroom at the school,” passing the message of the pillars along to a new generation.

ACE people like to say “we’re just getting started,” and Steve remembers ACE when that was literally true. He lightheartedly proposes that the slogan is another thing that could change over time. “In ten years from now, we’ll be saying, ‘it’s only getting better.’ In twenty years, `the best is yet to come.’” He wants to stress that lives are being changed every day because ACE cares, and that can change everything. “Who knows where the Spirit will take us now?”

Recently, we asked Marisa Foyle, ACE Teaching Fellows (STT) graduate and now a second grade teacher in the ACE English as a New Language (ENL) program, what difference these experiences have made in her life. Here is what she told us:

My ACE experiences over the past few years have truly blessed my life. I look forward to the challenges and the exciting discoveries I share with my students and colleagues each day in the classroom. I appreciate that I continue to learn more about myself and the world around me than I could have ever imagined. And I cherish the relationships I have built. Some of my ACE classmates have become my closest friends, and I readily turn to these people with my prayer requests, challenges, and success stories.

So far in my teaching career, I have worked primarily with students who are English Language Learners. This has sparked in me a deep desire to teach them well: to implement "best practices," to read the latest legislation, and to learn teaching strategies that serve my students better. This desire was the driving force behind my application to the ACE ENL program.

Through the program I am learning strategies and implementing assessments that I've found are beneficial not only to my ENL students, but to all of my students. In a sense, all of my students are English Language Learners because they are still learning the rules that govern our complicated language.

Through the program I am also collaborating with and learning from many other dedicated teachers throughout the country. As a result, this semester I will be forming a professional development plan to bring this information to more of the teachers at my school.

I am truly grateful to be a teacher, and I owe much of my thanks to ACE, which has given me the tools I need to refine my teaching practices and to continue to learn from and with my students each day. My students never cease to amaze me, with their eagerness to learn and explore. When I see their faces light up with smiles at their "aha!" moments, when I witness them praying, sharing, and laughing with each other, my heart fills with joy.