St. Andre Bessette Open Door Inclusion program has inspired students, paved the way for similar programs across Midwest
MONROE — It’s been eight years since the establishment of the St. Andre Bessette Open Door Inclusion Program at St. Mary Catholic Central High School in Monroe, and for program director Kyle McElvany, the biggest point of pride is how much wider the door has opened in that time.
The program, which launched with two students in fall 2018, was designed to give students of all learning abilities the opportunity to experience a Catholic education in the classroom alongside their peers, while receiving personalized support, accommodations and mentorship to help them succeed. Over the years, 15 high school students have been trained to walk alongside the Bessette scholars as peer mentors.
The program has grown, McElvany explained, adding new facets such as resources for the parents of Bessette scholars on topics ranging from guardianship and power of attorney to housing.
“We want to continue to help them not only for the four years (of high school), but the next 40 years,” McElvany explained. “We have also refined and retooled our goals for the program, as we obviously want to prepare (students) academically, but also socially and spiritually, and give them experiences where when they walk out of our doors, they are either ready to go into a secondary program or go into the workforce.”
Over eight years, the school has had 14 Bessette scholars, four graduates, and currently has five scholars in the high school and two in the middle school.
McElvany has kept tabs on the four graduates, including one of the two pioneering students, Jacob Goda.
“Our first graduate, Jacob, graduated from the University of Toledo's t2 transition program, which is an inclusive college program, and now he works two days a week at SMCC as an assistant athletic director, helping in our main office, and then he also works part time at Cakes by Stephanie in Monroe.”
The other three graduates have found their own unique paths — one works in a factory, another for the IHM Motherhouse in Monroe, and another works on a horse ranch in Texas.
The program was the first of its kind among Catholic schools in Michigan, but it is no longer the only one. St. Mary Catholic Central's program has inspired or given advice to other Catholic schools as they have created their own inclusion programs, including Divine Child in Dearborn, Regina in Warren and schools in Grand Rapids, Illinois, Wisconsin, and as far as Texas.
In March, St. Mary Catholic Central president Sean Jorgensen and Terry Tyrrell, former president of Grand Rapids Catholic Central and now president of St. Xavier Catholic Schools in Appleton, Wisconsin, led the second annual Michigan Catholic Schools Full Inclusion Conference at St. John’s Resort in Plymouth.
McElvany said it was attended by schools across the Midwest.
“I am most proud of how accepting our school community has been; now the program is just the norm; it is a normal thing,” McElvany told Detroit Catholic. “The Bessette scholars are a part of our school just like any other student, and it's just a normal thing to have peer mentors in class and Bessette scholars with them."
Several peer mentors found their calling as special education teachers while working alongside Bessette scholars, McElvany said, including 2025 graduate Mikalya Camilleri, who is now studying special education at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio.
Camilleri became a peer mentor during her freshman year at SMCC. She was excited for the opportunity to make the school more inclusive, particularly for her younger sister Izzy, whom she knew would become a Bessette scholar in two years.
“At the time, I was really exploring becoming a teacher, and I thought this would be a good way to build skills that a teacher would use, so I signed up,” Camilleri said.
Camilleri recalls her first mentee, Lauren, an eighth-grader whom she helped in social studies class. When Lauren came to SMCC the next year as a freshman, Camilleri continued her role as mentor, this time alongside Lauren in several classes.
“It was a great experience because you got to build this relationship with them and a friendship and help them enjoy school,” Camilleri explained. “My favorite experience is when you help them learn something, and they are able to do it on their own and get it right and are so proud of themselves and so enthusiastic about learning; it is so fulfilling.”
Camilleri said she now feels called to be a special education teacher because of her experience as a mentor to Lauren and other students, including her own sister, Izzy.
“I became Izzy’s peer mentor, and it was exciting for me because I also helped her at home, so it was a new experience to see her interact with classmates and see how she learned in school,” Camilleri said. “I had some insights into how she learned, because I always help her with homework (at home), and I think I was able to help enhance her learning.”
Watching her sister grow socially and academically in the halls of SMCC made Camilleri even more sure about her career choice.
“I do ultimately hope to become a special elementary school teacher, and I would love to have my own classroom and use some of the techniques that I learned from being a peer mentor,” Camilleri said. “I would also want to create that inclusive and positive classroom — that is my goal. I want to make kids excited to learn and feel supported, valued, respected and cared for. I want them to be confident in their skills and help them grow not only in education, but also in their social interactions as people. I am so passionate about this. I love, love teaching, and I am so excited to start.”
McElvany is proud of the peer mentors, especially with how they have lived out the mission of a Catholic education.
Many people misunderstand the purpose of Catholic schools, McElvaney added. Being a Catholic school is not all about academic rigor and achievement; rather, it's most important to answer the call of the Gospel.
“We just took the approach toward the program of, ‘the Gospel calls us to do this, so why not?’” McElvany added.
“I look at it this way: We live in an age right now where funding is a concern for many schools, so why not open our doors to everyone? The Gospel already calls us to do it, so why not do it for everyone? It just makes sense to me. If we are going to live our faith, then why aren’t we doing this?”
