Jim Field’s Blog
A Tribute to Brother Michael Collins
January 8, 2012
All of us connected to the Minnesota Independent School Forum honor the recent passing of Br. Michael Collins, President of DeLaSalle High School. Br. Michael was a great teacher, promoter and defender of education for all children. He is a man who made a difference in the lives of countless young people from all walks of life. He instilled in all of us the responsibility to speak up for what we believe and to take responsibility for our growth. Let me share a story he frequently told:
It was around 1943. Br. Michael was a new kindergarten student at Ascension Catholic School in North Minneapolis. His mother took him out to the sidewalk in front of their apartment building and walked him to school. The next day she took him out to the sidewalk again, but this time said to him, äóìMichael, you now have to walk to school on your own. You have to take responsibility for your own education.äó
This was a lesson Br. Michael learned well, and when he joined DeLaSalle High School he taught it there. As a result, the school became a school that treats its students with that same self-honor and responsibility. You feel it when you enter the school and you see it in the accomplishments of every student.
The ideals and power of education have been advanced because of Br. Michael Collins. We at MINNDEPENDENT honor and remember this remarkable man äóî may his legacy live on!
Read more about Br. Michaeläó»s accomplishments by visiting DeLaSalleäó»s web site.
This is a report from the Field, Jim Field that is.
To contact Jim, call MINNDEPENDENT at 651-297-6716, or email him.
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD – ARCHIVES
What’s Our Scope? September 23, 2011
The Little Lunchroom – August 10, 2011
The World is Getting Smaller – August 1, 2011
We’re All in This Together – July 6, 2011
I Vote for More “Linda Types” – June 29, 2011
Letter from the Field:
Dear Friends in Education,
The Minnesota Independent School Forum (MINNDEPENDENT) is the trusted voice for private and independent education. Since 1976, MINNDEPENDENT has raised over $20 million to deliver scholarships to low-income students, technology improvements in the classroom, and programs and services that guide administrators and educators in their day-to-day operations and future planning. We are proud of the service we provide to our 66 member schools and the state-wide network of K-12 nonpublic schools in Minnesota.
We provide service to 500+ schools, serving 7,300 educators and 77,000 students. Our school system is the largest in the state. In fact, we represent over 10% of Minnesota’s K-12 schools. We provide support and interpretation for a complicated system of state and federal regulatory information, and we advocate for the needs of our private and independent school community.
Did you know that our system graduates ninety-nine percent (99%) of all students and that over ninety-four percent (94%) of these students advance to higher education?
We are committed to creating access to a strong education by facilitating scholarship and fundraising programs that support low-income students and fund programs that place our schools on the cutting edge of classroom delivery trends.
Please take a moment to get to know MINNDEPENDENT. We invite you to become a partner in our mission to develop the world’s future leaders, innovators and urgently-needed problem solvers.
With respect,
James B. Field President, MINNDEPENDENT