Two teachers receive 2011 Minnesota private Honor Teacher award

  ST. PAUL, Minn. (May 6, 2011) äóî Two outstanding teachers of the year in private educationäóîK-8 and 9-12äóîwere announced at the May 5 event.

Brigid Berger, first grade teacher at Carondelet Catholic School (Minneapolis) received the K-8 Honor Teacher award and Robert Patrick, high school teacher and administrator at Martin Luther High School (Northrop) received the 9-12 award.

 

The two winners were selected from a field of six finalists who embodied the best of what the stateäó»s private K-12 education offers.

• The three finalists for the K-8 award were Brigid Berger, Carondelet Catholic School (Minneapolis), Anna Heintz äóñ St. Jerome School (Maplewood), and Stephanie Kiero äóñ St. Michaeläó»s Lakeside School (Duluth).
• The three finalists for the 9-12 award were David Huebner äóñ St. Croix Lutheran High School (West St. Paul), David Lane äóñ Mayer Lutheran High School (Mayer), and Robert Patrick äóñ Martin Luther High School (Northrop).

 

Additional awards presented at the event also recognized the outstanding outreach, staff, volunteers and academic programs at Minnesotaäó»s private schools:

• Rony Aristil äóñ Against-All-Odds, St. Paul Preparatory School (St. Paul),
• Robert Crumley äóñ Behind-the-Scenes Award, Our Lady of Peace School (Minneapolis),
•  äóìStarry Night Promäó äóñ Community Champion Award, DeLaSalle High School (Minneapolis),
•  äóìImagine the Possibilitiesäó äóñ Academic Program Award, Risen Christ School (Minneapolis).

 

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Mini-Grant Awards were also presented to 17 schools through MINNDEPENDENTäó»s STEM Initiative. These awards totaled $107,000 in grant money given to assist these schools in developing hands-on curriculum to excite and prepare students to be workforce leaders in STEM careers.

The Minnesota Private and Independent Education Awards celebration highlighted the quality of education in Minnesotaäó»s private K-12 school community. Organized by the Minnesota Independent School Forum, it is the only awards celebration in Minnesota solely for Minnesotaäó»s 500 religious and independent schools. Awarded on May 5, the 2011 awards were made possible by the generous support of Premier Sponsor RBC Wealth Management and Host Sponsor St. Catherine University. Additional sponsors included Saint Maryäó»s University; Adolfson & Peterson Construction; Allegra Print and Design; Bait Design Group, LLC; and Xcel Energy.

äóìThese awards recognize excellence in private education,äó said Greg Anklam, Vice President and Managing Director at RBC Wealth Management, awards committee chair and board member at the Minnesota Independent School Forum. äóìPrivate schools are known for the high standards they set. Those standards wouldnäó»t be met without many amazing teachers, volunteers and staff; it is important to acknowledge their contributions.äó

 

Background on Award Recipients

BRIGID BERGER, or “Mrs. B.,” as she is known, is a passionate and committed teacher in her first grade classroom and throughout the school. She truly walks her talk. Mrs. B. has been a champion for bringing new learning techniques to Carondelet such as the äóÖGuided Reading Program,äó» a new math curriculum, and even a composting program. Mrs. Bäó»s classroom is a warm, compassionate, and nurturing environment where she promotes fairness through her thoughtful recognition of each studentäó»s unique contributions.

Mrs. B. is also an inspiration to the broader community where she models compassion through her support of the Carondelet partnership with Waite House, a local food shelf. Through her enthusiasm for this program, her students have also learned the importance of contributing to the community. When she is not teaching, you may find her volunteering at Christ the King Catholic Church, Families Moving Forward, and Hands on Cities. And finally, Mrs. B. is a true champion of the environment. You will often see her biking to school, even in the snow. 

ROBERT PATRICK began teaching at Martin Luther High School (MLHS) in 1987. He was the first Music Director for the school and built the music program into a successful one, with students and groups receiving many awards over the years. During those years he also taught several history courses, coached girläó»s softball, chaperoned many school activities, directed drama productions, led chapels and served as class advisoräóîcheerfully and thoroughly doing whatever was asked of him.

In 2003 MLHS was facing the school year without an administrator, so the Board of Directors asked Robert to take on the role. Exhibiting his devotion to the school, Robert integrated the administrative duties. Under his guidance the school was reaccreditated, he outlined long-range goals for the school, and continues to assure those milestones are attained.

Robert shares his passion for learning with others by his own example. He received his second Masteräó»s Degree from MSU in 2008. Robert is also a certified adjunct professor with Concordia University, St. Paul and is certified to teach PSEO (post-secondary enrollment options) coursesäóîmaking it possible for students to pursue higher standards while remaining on the MLHS campus. In 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Robert was awarded several study scholarships to attend competitive application seminars in historic locations throughout the U.S. 

Today Robertäó»s schedule includes administrative duties, teaching PSEO Western Civilization, US History, mentoring the new band instructor and serving as Student Council Advisor. In the classroom Robert expects students to stretch a little further, dig a little deeper and think proactively. His door is always open to tutor students and encourage them to attain higher goals.

 

Rony Aristil

Rony came to the U.S. through collaboration between St. Paul Preparatory School in St. Paul and a Minneapolis church. Having developed cancer at the age of 15 while living in Haiti, he was treated with a mid-thigh amputation. During his recovery in the hospital there, he learned rudimentary English from the staff and continued to teach himself. Rony was selected by a group in Haiti to receive the scholarship at St. Paul Prep, where he is a diligent student, working to earn the necessary credits to graduate in 2012. He hopes to pursue a postsecondary education and career in prosthetics in order to return to Haiti to serve his people.

 

Robert Crumley

Robert äóìBobäó Crumley  has been a a very active member of Our Lady of Peace Parish for over 50 years. Bobäó»s children have long passed through the grade school, but Bob has volunteered at Our Lady of Peace School on a regular basis for at least 15 years. At 6 feet 6 inches, Bobäó»s presence is commanding. He greets everyone by nameäóîchild and adult. And if Bob doesnäó»t recognize someone, he has his radar up and makes sure they check in at the office. He is the schooläó»s äóìunobtrusive guard system.äó  In this day and age the school is glad to have a security system in place monitoring the people coming and going from the school. For the younger children, he is a comforting presence reassuring them that their day is going to be just fine, no matter how scared they might be. For the older children, Bob exchanges jokes and provides that gentle guidance that only a grandfather can offer. Itäó»s hard to measure what Bob has done for the school, but for 15 years he has lifted the spirits of many students, teachers, and parents in a very quiet, gentle, behind-the-scenes sort of way. 

 

 

Starry Night Prom

In 2001, student members of DeLaSalle High Schooläó»s Campus Ministry, under the direction of Peg Hodapp, Vice President for Mission, created and hosted a special prom night for teens with disabilities who have never had the opportunity to attend a prom.  This special evening is now in its eleventh year and has grown into what is now called, äóìStarry Night Prom.äó Today, more than 1,000 guests of all ages attend the promäóîthe oldest being a 75-year-old man who lived in institutions for most of his life. This magical evening includes a formal sit down dinner, beverages, and (of course) dancingäóîall free of charge! The prom is held annually in May at the high school. The students who host this prom spend half of the school year preparing for the evening by attending seminars and sensitivity training as well as planning the food service and festive decorations that transform the gymnasium into a beautiful dance hall. More than one-third of the student body (230 out of 600 students) now help with this event.  The benefits of the Starry Night Prom go beyond the four hours of the actual event. DeLaSalle students have a greater appreciation for people with differences, guests leave with cherished memories, and caregivers have expressed their appreciation for the compassion the students show by giving those in attendance an occasion to feel like royalty. The following statement from a DeLaSalle students sums it up perfectly, äóìIt gives me a great deal of pride to be a part of such a wonderful event. Seeing the joy in the eyes of our guests makes the long hours of planning and training worth it. Starry Night Prom has forever changed my life.  It is by far the best memory of my high school career and I will remember it forever.äó 

 

äóìImagine the Possibilitiesäó

äóìImagine the Possibilitiesäó was developed under the leadership of Fran Rusciano Murnane, Director of Advancement at Risen Christ School, a K-8 grade school located in the Powderhorn Park area of Minneapolis. Risen Christ serves low-income and immigrant families. More than 90% of the students live in poverty, and more than 64% are English learners. Many of these students will become first-generation high school graduates. Few have any familiarity with professional, corporate or “white collar” careers. äóìImagine the Possibilitiesäó brings together CEOs or presidents of Twin Cities businesses with small groups of 3-5 middle school students to explore the many career possibilities that are open to those with a good education and the character, self-discipline, and perseverance needed to achieve one’s goals.  The groups then meet on a regular basis during which the students are given an inside look into the leaderäó»s particular business and what it has taken to make it successful. One student involved in the program stated, äóìIäó»ve learned that electricity isnäó»t just lighting; itäó»s also about design.  Iäó»m more interested when I go places because I can see things differently than I did before.äó Although just in its first year, the äóìImagine the Possibilitiesäó program is already a great success. Currently, a diverse group of executives representing construction, engineering, patent acquisition, manufacturing, landscape architecture, financial services and other fields are participating in the program. The executives are energized by the enthusiasm and genuine interest of the students, and the students are seeing themselves as future engineers, architects, MBAs and business owners as they “imagine the possibilities” of a successful future built on the solid foundation of a quality, values-rich education.

 

 

About the Minnesota Independent School Forum

The Minnesota Independent School Forum (MINNDEPENDENT) exists to strengthen K-12 independent schools through advocacy and advancement. MINNDEPENDENT has been the voice of private and independent education since 1976. MINNDEPENDENT focuses on supporting all nonpublic Käóñ12 schools by representing these schools at the state and federal level and by disseminating and sharing information that directly affects school operations. MINNDEPENDENT offers a variety of programs, services, education, research and public policy support. Find out more at www.misf.org.

 

 

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