An Education for Generations: How Maria Del Rosario Covarrubias Impacted MMSD

Maria Del Rosario Covarrubias handed her son Jorge his packed lunch as he climbed into the passenger seat of her car – Mexican food she had made the night before, his favorite. They chatted about the day ahead as she pulled into the parking lot of Chavez Elementary School. But Maria wasn’t just dropping off her son at school for the day – the mother-son duo were both there to teach. 

Working in schools with her adult children became a routine part of Maria’s 30 years at MMSD; with the legacy she left behind in MMSD having a domino effect in school communities across the district. A champion for Spanish-speaking students and families, a voracious learner, motivational teacher, loving mother of five, wife, and doting abuela, Maria fulfilled countless roles before her death in 2018. No matter the title, she led with the belief that a child’s education is a right, and teaching that child is a privilege. 

“My mom’s legacy in MMSD started because she was committed to her kids’ education,” Jorge said. “But it lasted for decades, because she quickly became dedicated to all students. She didn’t cut corners.”

THE JOURNEY TO THE U.S.

Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, Maria’s own education was cut short when she had to leave elementary school to raise her younger sister and brother. By age 18, Maria had married her husband, Ismael, and given birth to their eldest, Cindy. Looking for a brighter future, that year Maria, Ismael, and five-month-old Cindy would end up risking their lives to cross the border into the U.S.

Maria detailed the dangerous, nearly 1,500 mile trek to Los Angeles when she was interviewed for the nonfiction book “They Came to Wisconsin,” which explores the state’s immigration history. The book went on to become a part of the fourth-grade curriculum in Madison schools.

“Walking, crawling, under rainwater tunnels, running across highways … We finally got to LA, and we had no shoes. We were scratched and beaten up.”

The growing family permanently settled in Madison a few years later, but Maria struggled to find community as a Spanish-speaker in Wisconsin; until one day, her passion for education once again pulled her forward.

MMSD EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Cindy was in first grade at Muir Elementary when her English as a Second Language teacher, Kathy Price, connected with Maria to share information about English language classes at Madison College. 

“Kathy and Muir staff invited my mom into the school, they spoke her language” Cindy said. “That’s the importance of having someone in every building who is approachable, who is taking the time to notice when there is a parent or guardian who wants to be engaged, but doesn’t necessarily have the means, or doesn’t know how, or doesn’t feel comfortable.”

From there, Maria’s involvement in school communities grew drastically.

Jorge and Cindy recalled one story in particular, when their mom insisted all the young kids in the Wexford Ridge apartment complex they lived in learn how to swim. With arms full of swim gear and hands held together, Maria led the group across Gammon Road to Memorial High School, where they took swimming lessons in the pool.

“My mom would always, always say ‘no matter what happens to you, they can’t take away your education. You can’t unlearn what you have learned.’” 

Cindy, daughter of Maria Del Rosario Covarrubias
 

She became an education assistant at Muir, and then a bilingual resource specialist (BRS), supporting English language learners just like her own kids. Maria was not only providing interpretation and translation services, but aiding students, staff, and families in building cultural understanding and relationships. 

At the same time, Maria continued to advance her own education. That one English class she took quickly turned into multiple courses; before long, she earned her GED, and was accepted to UW-Madison to become a teacher. Maria left her BRS role to focus on her classes, but the open school position was soon filled by another member of Maria’s family: her little sister, Esther.

“I saw my sister work as a BRS, and the way she treated families and students with open arms,” Esther said. “I was shy, and almost didn’t apply for the job, but I knew what it was like for Spanish-speaking parents. Now it means a lot to be a person who the family trusts. I’m like a bridge, helping connect home and school.”

Maria graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree, and later her master’s from Edgewood College, “and she would have earned like a thousand more degrees if she could,” Jorge said.

“The professors saw her spirit to nurture, the spirit to give back, and the spirit of truly embodying what it means to have faith in education and humanity,” Cindy said. “My mom would always, always say ‘no matter what happens to you, they can’t take away your education. You can’t unlearn what you have learned.’” 

Before long, Maria was back in MMSD classrooms, teaching at Chavez, Muir, Thoreau, and Huegel elementary schools and Ezekiel Gillespie Middle School. During her time at Huegel, Maria got to teach side-by-side with Cindy, who was a BRS at the time. 

“My mom knew her students’ background or situation did not determine their academic capability,” Cindy said. “She held her kids to high standards, because she knew what they could accomplish, when maybe even they didn’t.”

Maria continued to teach, even as she battled lung disease, her wheeled oxygen cart at her side. When the disease progressed and Maria became bedridden, she still found ways to educate herself; she taught herself calligraphy, shared lesson plan ideas with Cindy, and purchased children’s books on grief to support her own grandchildren with what was coming. 

Maria Del Rosario Covarrubias died in June 2018, just weeks after she watched three of her children on Facetime from her bed, as they announced a brand new scholarship: the María del Rosario Covarrubias Educational Opportunity Fund. The scholarship was created to assist Latinx adults with families who wish to pursue a degree in higher education – and plan to pay it forward to their community, just like Maria did.

LEGACY

In the five years since her death, Maria’s legacy has only grown. Today, Cindy and her younger sister Julie both work together at Leopold Elementary, as a community schools resource coordinator and fourth grade teacher, respectively. Jorge works as MMSD’s Executive Director of Professional Learning, and Esther is now a BRS at Henderson Elementary School. 

“What makes me most proud is how she gave us a path forward so we could pay it forward to others as well,” Jorge said. 

Her impact grows when Cindy creates spaces for families to feel welcomed, seen and valued at the Latinx/Hispanic heritage community celebration; when Jorge kicks off professional development trainings in both Spanish and English; and when Julie or Cindy work together at Leopold – mirroring the same relationship their mom and tia (aunt) Esther had at Muir.

There’s no exact science to quantify Maria's impact on MMSD; in part, because her legacy never ends.