Education work way beyond ordinary

The Minim Sisters of Mary Immaculate aptly selected Labor Day Weekend for festivities to celebrate 75 years of educational presence in Nogales. You see, as Leonardo da Vinci put it, “God sells us all things at the price of labor.”

This has culminated in a successful pre-kinder through high school educational program at Lourdes Catholic School.

The high school boasts a 100-percent graduation rate among students who have gone on to such prestigious universities as Brown, John Hopkins and Notre Dame. Last year, the 18 grads from Lourdes received $1.5 million in scholarships and financial assistance.

“That’s not bad for such a small school, especially in light of the fact that most of our students’ first language was not English,” said High School Principal Sister Barbara Monsegur who does not ascribe to popular opinion that limited English-speaking students automatically have a tendency to test poorly.

Armed with their bilingual education, “When they get to college most of our students can test out of the foreign language credit requirements.”

Prominent members of the region’s professional and business community were among the alumni. They include Daniel Duran, executive secretary of Gov. Eduardo Bours of Sonora; Sylvia Munoz, MBA operations manager for the Eller School of Business at the University of Arizona; Lupita Ley Hightower, director of instructional support programs for the Tolleson School District; Martha Hanessian, Vice President of Chase Bank and branch manager in Nogales; and Dr. Rigoberto Quintero, an ophthalmologist and surgeon in Nogales, Sonora.

In an interview, Nogales Councilwoman Esther Melendez Lopez of the Class of 1968, said, “I have deep respect for the sisters and what they have accomplished in providing education in our community.”

“They say one receives his or her education at home. But in my case, their dual mission of education and affirmation of our Catholic faith has served me well in life. I have beautiful memories.”

Several alums participated in the anniversary events ranging from Mass concelebrated by the Rev. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas on Friday, a 5K “Nun Run” on Saturday morning, followed by a reception dinner in the Bay Restaurant at Kino Springs.

During his homily in the school gymnasium, Kicanas called up some fidgety and delighted kindergartners to help illustrate the history of the Minim order from its origins in Europe, their migration to Mexico and then, fleeing the persecution under President Plutarco Elias Calles, to the United States through Nogales in 1926.

“God is good; Dios es bueno” he repeated as he outlined each success, the congregation echoing his words.

Kicanas said that in 1934, the Rev. Msgr. Louis Duval, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Nogales, asked Mother General Maria del Socorro Rojas to reopen the school that had closed in 1917 just seven years after it was opened by Dominicans.

The Minim nun accepted the offer and sent fellow sisters to begin teaching at Sacred Heart. The first principal was Mother Magdalena Teresa Rocha.

In 1940, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy was founded, with Mother Maria de Santa Imelda Gomez as principal.

Sacred Heart School and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy functioned as one. Buildings were used interchangeably and the sisters staffed both schools, as needs arose.

Luisa Maria Valdez, who graduated from Lourdes Academy in 1948, returned from Leon, Guanajuato as a professed sister. Full of energy and new ideas, she expanded the Spanish Commercial Program into a Bilingual Secretarial Program.

Such was the quality of the training that graduates were practically guaranteed jobs upon completion of their studies at some of the most reputable businesses in both Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Sonora.

In 1968, SHS was officially declared a parochial school and Sister Rosa Maria Ruiz, a 1958 graduate of Lourdes Academy, was named principal until 1990. By 1983, SHS offered pre-kinder through eighth grade.

Expanding their education mission, the sisters built a high school in 1986. Since its beginning, the high school has offered a bilingual Catholic college preparatory program.

Then in 1998, the late Rev. Bishop Manuel Moreno gave his permission to merge SHS and Lourdes.

Jackhammers and backhoes were back at the school on State Route 82 as work began on the elementary school building, which was occupied on August 2001.

For 75 years, the school has been in “the singular position of nurturing bilingual and bicultural excellence on both sides of the international boarder,” according to school literature. “We bridge both countries’ histories, hopes and promises by design.”

Looking to the future, Sister Esther Hugues, principal of the elementary school, said a committee has crafted a five-year strategic plan for Lourdes whose motto is “Beyond the ordinary.”

As a Catholic school, Lourdes receives no state funding. Increasing enrollment by 15 percent and hence tuition income are central to the plan. Total current enrollment is about 317 students.

“We have seen, for example, the tremendous growth and number of student-aged children in the Rio Rio area,” she said. “That is an area we would focus on” in marketing efforts.

She said that Sacred Heart School, which is now run by Sacred Heart Parish, has its first eighth-grade class this year and those students will have an option to continue their Catholic education at Lourdes.

Monsegur said the school offers both parents and students peace of mind with a “100 percent bully-free and drug-free safe environment” as well as sports programs and courses that utilize the latest technology.

Lourdes Catholic School held its first board meeting of this school year on Tuesday, Aug. 18.�  As part of their principals’ report, Sister Esther and Sister Barbara announced that LCS was granted accreditation by both the Western Catholic Education Association and the North Central Association through June 30, 2015.� 

Dios es bueno.