By Janalee Chmel
Director of Marketing, Escuela de Guadalupe
Listen.
That’s all that Father Tom Prag, S.J., was told to do when the Jesuits sent him to Northwest Denver. It was 1996, and the neighborhood was extremely poor, crime-ridden and predominantly Latino. The Jesuits desired to serve the neighborhood but didn’t want to presume that they understood the residents’ biggest needs.
So, Father Prag moved into the neighborhood and began his mission: he listened. He encountered children labeled as “lost,” boys joining gangs as early as fourth grade, and young girls becoming mothers at 14. And as Father Prag listened, he learned what the people – especially the parents – in the community most desired: a quality education for their children.
Understanding that he needed help from someone with a background in education, Father Prag reached out to Sr. Susan Swain from the Sisters of Loretto, and the two began a daunting process. They sought to open a kindergarten through fifth-grade Catholic school in Northwest Denver that would teach students in two languages—English and Spanish—and help the community feel optimistic about the future.
The school opened its doors in 1999 at the corner of 32nd and Pecos streets, and this year, Escuela de Guadalupe is celebrating 25 years of excellent Catholic education in Denver.
25 Years Strong
Today, Escuela de Guadalupe is located at 6th and Julian Streets in a building formerly occupied by Presentation of Our Lady. This move, which happened in 2015, was prompted by the school’s growth, the gentrification of the previous neighborhood, and the leaders’ commitment to serving preschool through eighth-grade students.
“The founders always knew that they wanted the school to expand, but there were some bumpy moments in the journey,” says Michelle Galuszka, current president of Escuela. “2007, in particular, was a hard year that forced school leaders to make a desperate plea to the community for help.”
In 2007, Escuela faced a critical financial challenge. With a mission to serve low-income families who were largely unable to afford full tuition, the school’s business model became unsustainable. Faced with closure, Escuela launched a Save-Our-School (SOS) Campaign, hoping to raise money and awareness for the school’s mission.
Local media coverage played a pivotal role in getting the word out. Of particular note is an article written by Bill Johnson with the Rocky Mountain News. It started:
“The name of the school is Escuela de Guadalupe, which, given its origins and its current plight, is an entirely appropriate one. It needs a miracle or two.”
(“Shortage of money could close doors of opportunity.” October 19, 2007)
This article (now rather famous in the Escuela community) galvanized broad community support and helped Escuela raise the necessary funds to keep the school open. Bill Johnson followed up with a story on December 5, 2007, titled, “Escuela de Guadalupe finds funds to stay open,” and it noted:
“Word of the school’s plight triggered a flood of unexpected cash, including four gifts of $50,000.”
“Those gifts and a new approach to our business model helped catapult Escuela into a period of growth and stability,” says Galuszka. “Today, we serve 210 students in preschool through 8th grade, and we are recognized nationally as a model for Catholic dual-language education.”
The Proof is in the Results
Today, Escuela de Guadalupe serves as a beacon of success and hope, just as Father Prag and Sr. Susan hoped. Nearly half of the school’s students receive free or reduced lunch, and only a small percentage pay full tuition. The model is sustained by a robust community of donors who commit not only financial support but also their volunteer time and professional experience.
Remarkably, Escuela students are biliterate by fifth grade and consistently outperform their public school counterparts in academic testing in both languages.
In fact, based on the most recent scores released by Denver Public Schools, Escuela students outperform most public school students across Colorado.
Proficiency Rates, Grades 3-8
Reading:
Escuela: 76%
DPS: 40%
Colorado: 43%
Math
Escuela: 67%
DPS: 34%
Colorado: 33%
Further defying stereotypes of underserved communities, 97% of Escuela alumni go on to graduate from some of the best high schools in Denver, and 95% go on to attend college.
Listening is Still Critical to Escuela’s Mission
One person who has witnessed much of Escuela de Guadalupe’s growth and transformation is Mariella Robledo, the school’s current principal. Robledo joined Escuela in 2005 as the 4th and 5th-grade Spanish teacher and became principal 16 years ago. This year, as Escuela celebrates its 25th anniversary, Robledo also celebrates 20 years with the school.
Before teaching at Escuela, Robledo served two years as a Spanish teacher in a public charter school. When she found Escuela, she felt like she was coming home.
“I grew up in Lima, Peru, and I went to all Catholic schools,” says Robledo, who attended Colegio Maria Reina Marianistas and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. “My faith is very important to me, and I believe it is so important for families to be able to talk about their faith as part of their child’s education.”
As principal, Robledo says that listening is one of her most important jobs. Just like Father Prag listened 25 years ago, Robledo listens to parents and students who, she says, often just need to feel heard.
“At Escuela, we teach in English and Spanish because it enables the parents to be involved in their child’s education,” she says. “Our families are very hardworking, and they desire a good education for their children. They inspire those of us who work here to work even harder. So, when they can come in and speak to me in Spanish, I know that they feel heard and understood.”
Robledo remembers her early days at Escuela when finding textbooks published in both languages was extremely difficult. Her entire family in Peru pitched in and shipped her boxes of textbooks so that she had a Spanish curriculum. Every time she went home, she came back with suitcases of books.
Remembering those lean times and thinking about how strong Escuela is today, Robledo returns to her faith again.
“I feel like God is present in this building,” says Robledo. “Every morning, I pass our statue of the Virgin Mary, and I take her hand and pray, ‘Today is a good day.’”
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