Imago Dei Middle School students Henry Ishimwe, left, and Peter Valenzuela, right, talk about their schoolwork with Juan Garcia, president of the board for Imago Dei Middle School.

james s. wood / arizona daily star

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Volunteers such as Claude Deniz and Juan Garcia have witnessed firsthand the impact education can have in the life of an at-risk child: Both lived it.

And they're determined to pay it forward through Imago Dei Middle School, which provides tuition-free private education to children from low-income families. Imago Dei is Spanish for "Image of God."

"Children are the future. If we don't educate them well and prepare them for the future, not only will they have a difficult time, but those of us in a position to effect change now will be in very difficult straits because they are the doctors, health care workers, business people and educators of tomorrow," said Garcia.

Garcia is a child of migrant workers who is now the University of Arizona vice provost for faculty affairs and is poised to become vice president for instruction and dean of University College at the University of Arizona this June.

He is also president of the board of directors of Imago Dei, which he helped found in 2005 along with Anne Sawyer and Susan Anderson-Smith, local Episcopal priests.

"I really value the importance of education and come from a similar background as these kids, who for whatever reason, are off to a slower start in their education endeavors. It was a tremendous change in my life when I was able to get an education, and it allowed me to move on to other things," Garcia said.

Imago Dei, at 639 N. Sixth Ave, is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools and the Nativity Miguel Network, which operates 64 schools in 27 states, serving more than 4,200 children.

Open to children of all faiths, the school is designed to serve students in grades five through eight with a student-teacher ratio of 10 to one. It provides a safe environment tailored to single and working parents, offering extended school hours along with two daily meals six days a week.

The school is open to any student who qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches. The annual cost of educating each child is estimated at $15,000. Currently 17 students are enrolled in grades five and six; enrollment is being accepted for fifth and sixth graders for August.

"We all know the power of early childhood education. This model is designed to intervene in middle-school years beginning in fifth grade to prepare the students to excel academically in high school and go beyond high school either to college or a university or to achieve their own goals," said co-founder Sawyer, who is Imago Dei head of school.

Middle school years are critical to educational development, Sawyer said: If a child is struggling, the likelihood that child will continue on to high school without intervention is greatly reduced; if a child is achieving, intervention can help that child discover untapped potential.

Deniz discovered that potential personally after he was orphaned at age 11 in a small town in New Jersey. After his mother died of cancer, he was taken in by truant officer Jane Westhall.

"Meema was insistent on getting a good education and working hard. My mom had worked in a hotel, and we lived in an apartment. I know how hard she worked, and I knew a good education was a way to move ahead in the world and that is obviously still true today," said Deniz, who put himself through college with scholarships and became an electrical engineer with Hughes Aircraft.

Deniz was selected for the Sloan Fellows Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a master's degree in science in 1971.

"That wouldn't have been possible without working hard and doing a little better than the next person trying to compete for that opportunity. It may not seem fair, but it is a race. Hard work and being good to your fellow man may sound corny, but in the long run it seems to work out," Deniz said.

From his perspective, involvement as a board member assisting with development at Imago Dei is an opportunity to pass on values the father of three and husband of 52 years holds dear.

"You can't change the world, but you can certainly influence a life or two and if it is for the better, that is a wonderful reward," Deniz said.