Today we’d like to introduce you to William Gartside.
William, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Saint Columbkille Partnership School was established in 2006 when Boston College, together with the Archdiocese of Boston and Saint Columbkille Parish forged a partnership that would save a failing school. They saw possibility where others saw hopelessness.
The transformation that has taken place at Saint Columbkille Partnership School is a wonder to behold! The school, like so many urban Catholic schools, was slated for closure. Student enrollment had dropped to 140 and the school building was in serious need of repair. Fast forward, ten years. A renaissance has taken place.
At Saint Columbkille Partnership School, Catholic education is open to all who desire it thanks to the generous support from our benefactors. The facility has been refurbished and expanded to meet the needs of the 435 students who are enrolled. Energetic teachers who learned their craft at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education teach our children using a researched-based curriculum and technologies that will prepare them for success in high school, college, and life beyond.
For more than four centuries, Catholic schools have educated the minds and formed the spirits of millions of children. Catholic schools have taught children the importance of hard work and self-discipline, maintained the highest academic standards, while teaching children to consider the needs of others above their own.
Starting with the establishment of the Early Childhood Program and finishing with the building of Loyola Academy, our middle school, the educational experience is now recognized as a model for urban, Catholic education.
Students at Saint Columbkille Partnership School are taught to dream big, think deeply and engage in problem solving. They will be given the skills they will need to become contributing members in society.
Saint Columbkille Partnership School is now a living example that urban Catholic Education can flourish, opening doors of opportunity for children.
When the partnership was formed the building was in serious disrepair. Work began to renew the campus. In year one, security grates were removed from the windows. Construction crews replaced floors, ceilings and light fixtures. Dumpsters were filled with furnishings dating back half a century. At summer’s end, students and teachers returned to school finding classrooms that were bright, cheery, and conducive to learning.
With yearly increases in enrollment the facility needed to grow with it. In the summer of 2014, a 1.2 million dollar expansion took place. This project added two science laboratories, an art room, a music room, a library and eight additional classrooms.
In 2015, through the generosity of the Yawkey Foundation, the asphalt play area was transformed into a recreational center that includes a turf field, climbing structures, a gathering plaza, and raised bed gardens.
The partnering with Boston College leverages the assets of the University. This partnership has been pivotal to the success of the school.
Through the generosity of Boston College, Saint Columbkille Partnership School teachers and administrators are granted free master’s degrees in education. The expertise garnered from the Lynch School of Education has driven curriculum revision. Boston College student teachers now learn their craft under the watchful eyes of our talented teachers. Boston College’s City Connects program insures that no student will fall through the cracks. And Jesuit pedagogy and spirituality inform every aspect of practice in the school.
Volunteers from Boston College’s Jenks Leadership program and 4Boston service organization, student athletes and the marching band serve as mentors to our students guiding them to aspirations of higher education and commitment to others.
Students who graduate Saint Columbkille Partnership School are well prepared. The curriculum and instruction employed was chosen to mirror Jesuit pedagogical practice. Emphasis is placed on teaching children a higher level thinking skills. We teach our children not only to remember facts but to analyze and apply what has been learned. We challenge our students to dream and to create.
The humanities education that takes place at Saint Columbkille Partnership School brings to life the connection that one has with one’s fellow human beings. Students are taught to read and then to have an appreciation of literature in the context of Christian responsibility.
To prepare our students for the world to which they will live, we teach the children to see beauty in the world through art and music and to understand God’s creation through an understanding of the sciences.
Whether in the early childhood, elementary, or in Loyola Academy classrooms, students are challenged to reach their fullest potentials.
God’s mosaic is on display at Saint Columbkille Partnership School. Families from different socio-economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds make up our community. All members are valued and learn from one another. The majority of our families have recently immigrated to our country and many of our students will be the first in their families to attend college.
Children who enter our school soon learn that they share the common desire to achieve and to make the world a better place. By and large, children who come from differing backgrounds achieve at the same levels.
Students know that they are known and loved. They are guided to discover who they are as they engage in the robust after-school and co-curricular program. Most importantly, they are formed to be kind, and respectful.
During the past ten years much has been done build a school that is now a model for urban Catholic education. Our work has only begun. We must continue to inspire others to join our partnership on behalf of the children yet to walk the halls of our school.
We have built a school that inspires children to learn and to dream; to love and to serve. We have built a school where children are prepared for successful futures.
We have the blueprint to help other Urban Catholic schools that are in great peril. As more and more schools look to us for guidance, we will need help to plant the seeds of hope beyond our walls.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The success of this enterprise is attributed to many in the community and in particular, Boston College, who gave of their time and treasure to form the school into what it is today. It has taken many years for the school to become financially sustainable.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Saint Columbkille Partnership School – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a Catholic school that is committed to the local community. We are most proud that we have become an anchor in the community for families seeking an excellent, values-based education. In order to accomplish our goal, we raise and distribute over $500,000 in financial aid to families who cannot afford the tuition. Our school offers 40 after school clubs and activities, such as skiing, rowing, engineering, robotics, drama, chorus and band. These activities engage children and help to develop in them high aspirations.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are beginning to discuss how we can export the practice at the school to give a blueprint to other schools who want to replicate our successes. The school is continuing to expand our enrollment. In the future, we would like to renovate our gymnasium.
Contact Info:
- Address: 25 Arlington Street
- Website: www.stcps.org
- Phone: 617-254-3110
- Email: info@stcps.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saintcols/
- Facebook: – https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Columbkille-Partnership-School-196494043708940/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/saintcols
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