It’s a myth that blood runs blue inside the body, but if Sister Michelle Germanson had her way, it would. To those who know and revere her, she bleeds Trinity High School blue.
She came to the private Catholic girls’ high school, founded in River Forest in 1917, as president in 1992. Formerly dean of students at Rosary College (now Dominican University), Germanson took the helm of a school in need of a lifesaving transfusion. She took Trinity off life support with some bold moves, including the establishment of the International Baccalaureate program. (IB is a prestigious and highly demanding honors curriculum known for its emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.) Germanson also maintained Trinity as a single-gender school when other private schools went coed to draw from a larger pool of students and shore up enrollment.
Today, Trinity is thriving. Students come from across the Chicago area, and many travel long distances to get there. Enrollment is currently 540, which maintains a 15-1 student-teacher ratio.
Self-effacing and quick to laugh, Germanson has a milestone to celebrate this year: 2015 marks her golden jubilee as a sister in the Sinsinawa congregation of the Dominican order.
“I have to remind the students I wasn’t here when the school started,” she says, laughing.
At 70, though, she sees retirement as an immaterial concept.
Following is an edited transcript.
Q: What was your motivation to become a sister of the Catholic faith?
A: I’d love to say there were holy reasons, but there weren’t. Options were very limited for women in those days, especially in service occupations. A bunch of my friends were going (to do it), and I thought, “Well, that’s an idea.” I was so young, I have to admit that I probably spent the first year trying to break the rules and not get caught. The bets were all out that I wouldn’t make it through October. But as soon as someone tells me something isn’t gonna work, I’m out to prove them wrong … and here I am. I grew into the holy part.
Q: How did you become involved in education?
A: Because I was so hyper, school was never my gift. So, when I was in this congregation, I didn’t really do my homework. I didn’t know that they did only education at that time. I had no choice. The sister in charge said there was a need for a second-grade teacher (St. Mark Catholic School in Peoria). And she knew I would resist it big-time. I remember going back to her after I’d been doing it a couple of months and told her I loved it and she said to me, “I knew you would.” I really fell in love with educating young people.
Q: When you became president, Trinity was about to close. What did your initial vision for the school tell you?
A: We hadn’t had an increase (in enrollment) from the spring before since 1981. So we were in a bag of hurt, no question. The reasons were all over the board. I think we were losing our edge for however we were perceived. And in 1992, our then-brother school, Fenwick, which was all boys, went coed. So we had a double whammy. And there’s a perception that if the boys go, then truly it must be better. The spirit of the school was that we weren’t going to survive. I never gave that two thoughts, so we worked on that with the faculty and students.
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Q: Was it difficult to turn the school around?
A: Yeah, it was, but we didn’t pay any attention to that. (Laughter)
Q: Academically, the first big change was adding an International Baccalaureate program?
A: Yeah. It’s a very prestigious program. Honestly, (at first) I thought we didn’t want to become an elitist school. But we went to a workshop and fell in love with it. Sure, there were those who were very elitist about it, but you don’t have to be. We were the second school in the state to establish it, and for years no one understood it. Now it’s all over the place. And now the kids are from all over the place because the parents know our academics are second to none. Many will start college as sophomores. And it made the teachers so proud again.
Q: You also tore down the decades-old convent to make room for a new athletic facility.
A: It was an emotional challenge for me. Retired sisters lived there, and I was like their landlord. And I love my sisters. They chose, bless their hearts, to give up their home and move elsewhere because Trinity’s future depended on an athletic facility. We wouldn’t be here without it. Athletics are huge. We’re second in the state in basketball. We just beat Downers Grove and took care of Bolingbrook. What’s cool about athletics, besides the PR, is that it gives the girls a sense of pride, and a sense of spirit.
Q: What advice would you give someone facing a seemingly insurmountable obstacle?
A: Follow your passion. If you have a passion for what you believe in, there is no stopping what you can accomplish.
Q: You were adamant about the school remaining single gender. Why?
A: That’s the best part of the school. If you have guys in the room, (girls are) more reluctant. In fact, the science says that in junior high boys get called on four to six times more than girls, and that increases in high school. We empower our girls to never be satisfied. I say to the girls, “You are not better than and you are not less than any man in your life. You are a complement to them.” I see so many women let their lives lead them astray or not speak out. When the girls come back and talk to our seniors they will say that not only did the academics make a difference, but the fact they went to an all-girls school made them so confident.
Q: You have a full-time marketing person. That’s very unusual for a high school. Why do you have one?
A: We have such a great story to tell. And I thought about how we get that out. I’m often told we are the best-kept secret on this (street) corner. People didn’t even know where Trinity High School was. Marketing helps us to know our brand. Marketing gets people’s attention, and once you have their attention, you can tell the story.
Q: Do you like to travel?
A: I love to travel. I always go with our choral group, this year to Spain. I’ll travel whenever the school is going somewhere. I’ve even done some missionary work in Mexico with the students. I’ve visited our alums in California, Arizona, Washington. And Naples, I go every year.
Q: Do you watch TV?
A. I have shows I record because I’m not home a lot. I like “Downton Abbey,” “Madam Secretary,” “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods,” “Elementary” and “Person of Interest.” They’re all refreshing. I like something that has intrigue.
Q: Do you listen to music?
A: I got a new car last summer and, I hate to say this, but the sound system was the most important thing. I like to crank out the tunes. It lifts the spirit, it gives a sense of joy. It’s a part of who we are. If I had the money I’d go to all the musicals in town.
Q: You’re an avid Cubs fan. That must test your faith.
A: Well, that tells you that prayer hasn’t been working. (She laughs loudly.) I grew up in Madison, and grew up a Milwaukee Braves fan. Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron. When I would go home during the summer, dad was watching the Cubs. So, I have maintained that allegiance. This new coach (Joe Maddon), I think there’s great hope. I have faith; I’m not giving up.