Community Beyond Campus We’re Part of Something Larger

Community Beyond Campus

WE’RE PART OF SOMETHING LARGER

As a Sacred Heart School, SHA Bryn Mawr is a proud member of our International Network of Sacred Heart Schools.

We are connected to 25 Network Schools in the United States and Canada. We share a common heritage and mission with over 150 Sacred Heart schools in 41 countries. SHA Bryn Mawr values this extension of our Bryn Mawr campus. Although in-person connections through exchange, summer service, and Network conferences were not possible this year, our student community not only remained connected with the Network, but also established new connections.

Members of the Sacred Heart Academy Virtual Dialogue Group proudly display their SHA Network T-shirts.

Network Summer Service 2020

By Kelly Weber

In the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, summer usually provides an opportunity for students from different schools to engage in service and advocacy together through Network Summer Service programs. During summer 2020, these programs shifted to a virtual platform and focused on learning and awareness. Jocelyn Moehrle ’23 participated in The Juvenile Justice Project, which provided a perspective of the experience of a teenager in our nation’s criminal justice system. Students looked at different support structures that work to help young people who are at risk for a variety of reasons (prevention programs, alternative high schools, etc.) and met with a variety of people including advocates for juvenile justice, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, social workers, educators, and teenagers who have been in the justice system.

Emily Hart ’23 and Violet Randle ’21 participated in a new program called Socially Aware and Empathetic Thinking. In the week-long experience, students deepened their skills in being informed young people through a variety of activities. Students examined their identities, built critical consciousness around social issues such as immigration, and brainstormed ways to make positive changes in their communities.

In summer 2021, the Network programs remain virtual with three students scheduled to participate, two in The Juvenile Justice Project and one in Hearts Open to Inclusion, which will educate participants to the unique challenges that face individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities/differences, to engage students in opportunities to meet and learn from people who have disabilities, and to propose ways of building relationships with, and advocating for, people in this population.

“Independent but never isolated, every Sacred Heart school needs to feel the strength of belonging to a larger whole, of sharing principles, broad purposes, hopes and ambitions.”

PREAMBLE TO THE GOALS AND CRITERIA, 1975

SophieConnect

Founded on the values, traditions and high standards of a faith-based Sacred Heart education, the mission of SophieConnect is centered on a philosophy with respect for intellectual values, social awareness that impels to action, community-building and personal growth. This year students from Bryn Mawr took the following SophieConnect courses: • AP Psychology (6) • Financial Literacy (4) • Honors Latin IV (1) • Intro to Neuroscience (1) • Nutrition & Wellness (1)

SACRED HEART TRADITIONS

Sacred Heart Academy traditions prevailed this year – from Mater’s Feast Day, Espacio, First Friday Liturgies (live streamed), to this year’s Olympic Themed Congé. SHA students enthusiastically participated in each and every tradition – many of which we share with our Network Schools. No one will forget the dunk tank at the Congé and the brave teachers who stepped up to be dunked, including our Head of School, Miss Cryor!

Ring Day was a little bit later in the calendar than usual, but the Class of 2022 received their class rings in a beautiful mass and ceremony under the tent in June. And, the Class of 2021 celebrated their graduation just a few days later, at a beautiful ceremony, under the same tent.

“I am so proud of what the Network Club has become. The Network has been one of my favorite things about Sacred Heart. I have loved participating in Network activities, and I am so excited to create new experiences for myself and others. I have enjoyed getting to work with fellow students who share my love of the Network and am so excited to see where the club will go!”

EMILY HART ’23

Network Club

By Emily Hart ’23

Formed in 2020, the Network Club provides students with a way to interact with the Sacred Heart Network as a community and bridge new connections among schools. As of right now, the club is a group of Upper School students and is facilitated by the Director of Academics Dr. Cara Saraco. Currently in the formation phase, the club was able to accomplish a lot during its bi-monthly meetings. By using our existing connections with Network Schools, we were able to reach out and show our interest in forming new relationships. One such connection gave the club the ability to exchange video tours of our campus with The Rosary Sacred Heart School in New Orleans. In addition, the club was also given the opportunity to attend Zoom meetings with international Sacred Heart students to do various activities such as cooking tutorials and language practice.

Sacred Heart Network Virtual Dialogue Exchange

By Kelly Weber

Sacred Heart Academy was pleased to join in a dialogue program this year with other Sacred Heart schools entitled, Solidarity and Sustainability. SHA has been deeply involved with dialogue training for the past five years, having created a SHA program called Courageous Conversations.

With the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria as the guide, the Sacred Heart Network Virtual Dialogue Exchange delivers programming centered around equity, open communication, and the building of community. A different Network school led each monthly session with topics including solidarity, service, racism, and mental health. SHA Bryn Mawr facilitated the April session with the topic of environmental sustainability in local and global contexts. The students who participated included Lucy Day ’22, Regan Dougherty ’23, Caroline Fleming ’22, Emily Hart ’23, Ciani May ’21, and Kiley Mullen ’22. Each of these students previously participated in dialogue programming or workshops through SHA or the Network. Upper School teachers Kerri Schuster and Kelly Weber moderate the program.

NEW! GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP COURSE

The New Global Citizen course was introduced this year to 5th and 6th grade students and was taught by Mrs. Anna Mae Gill. This course was designed to cultivate global citizenship by strengthening the students’ sense of social responsibility, civic engagement and social awareness in the world. Throughout the course, students were challenged to explore their own values and how they relate to creating peace and unity within communities and work towards the same in the global community.