St. Margaret of Castello grant will help Divine Child High School serve students with developmental disabilities

By Jamesena Ingram, Director of Instructional Support Services, Divine Child High School

“Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists, it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.”

We heard this quote while speaking about inclusive education with another Catholic high school, and it sparked an idea. What if Divine Child High School created a new space, a better space for those who have historically not had access to a strong Catholic education?

More than 10 years ago, we developed and launched our Instructional Support Program to offer students with diagnosed learning differences (ADHD, dyslexia, etc.) the opportunity to receive a strong Catholic education, regardless of their learning differences. Today, we have more than 100 students in our program, which has become a destination for these students and their families.

However, the program still had its limitations. While we were equipped to serve most students with learning differences, we were still unable to properly serve those with more significant differences, including students with developmental disabilities such as Down Syndrome and certain levels of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

With the help of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan’s St. Margaret of Castello grant, however, this will no longer be the case. Thanks to this grant, DCHS will open its doors to students with more significant learning differences. Our spark is now on its way to becoming a reality.

Partnering for Potential

The building blocks are already being put in place for our new program. In August, we developed the “Partnering for Potential” program, which equips current DCHS students to partner with students with more significant learning disabilities in order to welcome and immerse them into our student body.

Student leaders enroll in Partnering for Potential to support these students throughout the school day, shadowing partners in an academic class period, modeling age-appropriate academic and social behavior, guiding academic intervention, and promoting improved outcomes in the areas of independence and socialization. This partner support is an evidence-based practice proven effective in increasing opportunities for students with significant learning differences to access general education settings and curricula.

While Partnering for Potential primarily takes place in the classroom, partnership activities may extend to nonacademic settings and after-school activities. Divine Child Principal, Anthony Trudel, said the role of student partners increases engagement in the school community and builds friendships that extend beyond the brick and mortar of the school building. “This groundbreaking program will not only enrich the lives of students with significant learning differences and their families, but it will develop all participating students for lives of responsibility, leadership, and faith in action,” he said.

An Important Mission

As we lay the groundwork for this new program, we look forward to what lies ahead. Our new students will ultimately have their own dedicated space and work with a dedicated teacher who is trained and experienced in working with students with significant learning differences. In addition to immersion into the classroom, these students will also learn life skills, receive job coaching, and receive specialized instruction.

Divine Child Pastor Fr. Bob McCabe said he is excited that DCHS will continue to be a guiding light when it comes to inclusive Catholic education, and he is grateful for CFM’s support through the Spirit of Innovation grant.

“We are so thankful for the generosity of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan, the St. Margaret of Castello Fund, and all those who are collaborating with us on this journey,” Fr. McCabe said. “As Pope Francis said, ‘the mission of schools is to develop a sense of truth, of what is good and beautiful.’ This grant, and this program, helps us achieve this important mission.”

Give Today to Support Inclusion Grants 

Learn more about the St. Margaret of Castello Fund 

DETROIT — Catholic philanthropists provided $183,900 in grants to 34 ministries and nonprofits this year through gifts and contributions handled by the Catholic Foundation of Michigan.

The grants were awarded at the Catholic Foundation’s sixth annual grant awards celebration Dec. 13 at the Detroit Athletic Club.

Since 2017, the Catholic Foundation of Michigan has been the conduit of $22.1 million in grants and donations from generous individuals who have empowered 502 ministries throughout the state.

Representatives from this year’s grant recipients were on hand for the breakfast celebration, where Catholic Foundation of Michigan board chairman Chris Allen thanked both the ministries for their important work of “unleashing the Gospel,” and the benefactors whose contributions make these ministries possible.

“Looking around today, you do see the power of our shared story. The story of faith and generosity is more than a collection of experiences; they are a dynamic force that connects and empowers us as a community,” Allen said. “This morning’s program is a chance to step back and listen to the many shared stories that bind us together: stories of faith, hope and charity, dedicated to making a positive impact in our community.”

The various groups submitted grant applications to the Catholic Foundation of Michigan for consideration in seven categories, each highlighting a particular area of interest in serving the Gospel message.

Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said each of the groups awarded with a grant were “living out the works of Acts 29,” a reference to a continuation of the 28-chapter Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.

“When we discuss the stories of these various groups, we are talking about a continuation, an organic ongoing presence in the history of the very story of Christ himself, and I think that is very important for all of us to appreciate,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “We especially think about imitating today Blessed Solanus Casey, who always said, ‘Thank God ahead of time.’ We can thank God ahead of time for what will be accomplished in this shared story.”

Anthony Schena, chairman of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan’s Grant and Impact Committee, thanked all of the applicants, adding the grant celebration is his favorite time of the year.

“This morning we have the privilege to hear your stories of goodness and love; these are stories of people who have seen the goodness in this world and are responding with Christ’s compassion,” Schena said. “These are stories that are powerful and show us we all want Christ. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus teaches, ‘You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden.’ The work of our grant recipients truly shines a light on our world, providing hope and healing countless lives.”

This year’s celebration saw the creation of two new grants: The Laudato Si’ Grants, which were awarded to Immaculate Conception School in Ira Township and Madonna University, to encourage Catholic organizations to promote sustainability and care for the environment; and the St. Margaret of Castello Grant, which went to Divine Child High School in Dearborn for expanding its inclusive learning program.

Paul Mersino, a member of the committee that awards the St. Margaret of Castello Grant, spoke about his own experience with his son, Jacob, who has Down syndrome. The grant aims to help Catholic schools in Michigan be more inclusive for students with special needs.

Mersino said the purpose of the fund is to help schools acquire the funding and educational resources they need to help serve students with different abilities.

“Our schools are trying to keep their lights on and are doing amazing work with little money,” Mersino said. “We are telling schools, if you are willing to say yes to the least of God’s children, we will grant you this money to help you get started.”

Mersino made a personal appeal to donors in the room and supporters of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan to support the program, emphasizing what it would mean if all Catholic schools could be harbors for students with special needs.

“Whenever everyone in the community says, ‘We want this,’ that is when we will see the change, and that is when it will become our shared story,” Mersino said. “We need all the parents and everyone in the community to push for this. We applaud Divine Child in doing this, and once we make it our shared story, we can make it our shared success, and I’m confident we can do so.”

Learn more about our granting funds by watching the video below. For a full list of the 2023 grantees, please click here. 

GIVE NOW TO A GRANTING FUND