Sacred Heart Magazine, Summer 2016 by Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton

Summer 2016

Features CLOSE OF AN ERA

Retiring from the Preschool & Kindergarten after nearly three decades, Principal Cee Salberg bids farewell to a wealth of colleagues, impactful changes, and a generation of former students THOSE WHO CAN, DO

Coupling personal passions with a desire to serve and make a difference, three Prep seniors have seized the opportunity to transform lives through education CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2016

144 SHP seniors and 66 Middle Schoolers proudly claimed their diplomas, as each class begins a new step in their academic journey

Departments • Letter from Director of Schools

• Around Atherton: Campus News & Highlights

• Arts-in-Action: Exploring the Creative Side of SHS

• Gator Sports: From Fundamentals to Championships

• Alumni News: Lectures, Events, & Class Notes

On the cover: A daily tradition at the Preschool & Kindergarten, Principal Cee Salberg greets students with a handshake before they walk to their classroom to begin their day. Salberg retires in June, after nearly 30 years at SHS. To read more, please visit p. 38. Pictured left: Following the Lower & Middle Schools’ annual May Crowning ceremony, third graders joined retiring teacher Joan Eagleson in front of the flower-adorned Mary statue.

Sacred Heart Magazine Summer 2016

Dear Sacred Heart Community,

Editor Dana A.S. Rakoczy

Like a marathon runner pushing past the finish line, in the world of academia the summer break reliably brings a welcome sense of relief and celebration.

Assistant Editor & Designer Diana A. Chamorro (SHP ’04)

For students, of course, it means the cessation of exams, papers, and the school-day routine. For teachers, it’s the end to class preparations and mountains of grading. And for staff, it marks the return to a quiet campus, when parking is plentiful and focus on big projects, possible.

Contributing Writers Ann Elizabeth Roddy (SJS ’73, CSH ’77) Matt Carroll Contributing Photographers Ciara Bedingfield Beeldboot/USAWP FIVB Peggy O’Leary Abel Sanchez/Golden Images SHS Parents Joel Simon Vanessa Woods Printing Dual Graphics Digital Copy shschools.org/publications We encourage all comments, suggestions and questions; email SHMagazine@shschools.org. Please note, submissions may appear in a future issue and may be shortened for length or clarity.

2015-16 Board of Trustees Maryan Ackley, Chair Peter Bell Sandra Bergeron Devon Briger David Burke Ed Cluss David Crawford Barbara Dawson, RSCJ Richard A. Dioli Elizabeth Dunlevie Diane Flynn Cathy Friedman Duane Tim Haley Catherine Harvey Mary Henry Kristina Homer Armstrong Beth Kawasaki John Kerrigan Eric Lamb Casey Lynch Sandy McNamara Amity Millhiser Mike Mohrman Clare Pratt, RSCJ Shami Ravi Mindy Rogers Mary Pat Ryan, RSCJ Paul Rydberg Paul Sallaberry Jeff Wachtel Trustee Board Emeriti Robert Glockner John N. Hunter

At Sacred Heart, we’re no different in this respect. Despite the continuous buzz of activity that occurs during our summer camp season, the months of June, July, and early August are traditionally a time of renewal, when we can ease the frenetic pace and truly plan and prepare for the year ahead. Happily, I can report that during this time, much is accomplished on all fronts, as we move through with a general optimism and energy in anticipation of starting the cycle once more. But in this relatively peaceful interlude, we also have the opportunity to take stock and evaluate the school year that’s just past, to reflect on moments and events that were truly impactful and indelibly changed us. Not surprising, it’s easy to recall numerous high points. For example, the tremendous leadership and sense of history alumna Jennie Whitcomb has brought to the Prep as its new principal. The explosive growth in the Creative Inquiry program. The significant surge in participation in the high school’s theatrical program and expanded arts opportunities at the LMS. The more than 40 championship titles our Gator sports teams amassed across both the elementary and high school divisions. And the list goes on. But companion to these more upbeat markers in our 2015-2016 history, there were also a few more sobering occasions. In addition to the departure of Martha Roughan, RSCJ who has been with us the past eight years, we also said good-bye to eight retiring teachers, colleagues, and friends, who together have given a collective 189 years of service to this institution. These wonderful people have been at the very heart and soul of our community, and have given the majority of their professional lives in service to our mission. In modern times, it’s rare to see such loyalty, and we stand in gratitude for the hundreds of students they’ve guided and lives they’ve touched. And in the space of just 12 months, we also lost two very close members of our Sacred Heart family: Mike Murphy last June and Bill Campbell this past April. Both men, intimately known to this community as supportive fathers, coaches, and mentors, were larger-than-life figures on this campus, and the void they’ve left behind is tangible. Only weeks ago, we held the very activities with which they were so closely associated—Coach Campbell and the annual girls’ flag football match against Menlo, and Mr. Murphy and the eighth grade graduation exercises—and their absence was keenly felt and duly acknowledged. In their memory, the football game has been aptly renamed the Campbell Cup, while the area used for the Middle School graduation has been christened the Michael E. Murphy Grove. Hopefully, in this small way, the Murphy and Campbell families, along with the Sacred Heart family, are assured that both Mike’s and Bill’s legacies continue. So, while we close another year not forgetting all events that made it memorable, we are at the starting gate for the year ahead, anticipating with Sacred Heart confidence that we will meet—and quite possibly exceed—expectations for our mission. Have a blessed summer, and I look forward to seeing you on campus soon. Sincerely,

Richard A. Dioli Director of Schools

EXPERIMENTATION: From learning about animals and geometry to making slime, the first grade welcomes The Lawrence Hall of Science to campus yearly for a series of hands-on workshops.3

AROUND ATHERTON

Charging Ahead

Robotics team gains ground in trio of tournaments Over March and early April, SHP’s FIRST Robotics Team 2144 hit the road for a trio of regional competitive tournaments, which challenge students to design, build, program, and test an original robot in head-to-head, scored matches against other opponents. The FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics Competition games are held annually, with high school teams participating around the globe. Operating under strict rules and with limited resources, students are given just six weeks to create a robot expected to perform a given series of tasks. Each team is sent a box of parts which must be used in the build out; embellishments and additional functionality are then—for the most part—left up to the designers. Themed this year around a knight’s quest, the FIRST STRONGHOLD games allied robots in groups of three, with a challenging goal to “breach their opponents’ fortifications, weaken their tower with boulders, and capture the opposing tower.” Competing against more than 50 schools around the country in the first bout at Northern Arizona University, SHP’s nine-member team amassed a respectable 6-3-1 game record, ranked 18 overall among competitors. “We fought valiantly through several technical challenges to finish strong, but we were up against schools with award-winning STEM programs and several teams with over 50 active members who had built and tested three or four robots,” said Clint Johns, team mentor

and head of SHP’s robotics lab. “Given that we were the David to their Goliath teams, we did remarkably well!” Heading next for the tournament at University of California, Davis, the Gator team played a string of qualifying matches, beating one alliance that included a 2016 World Champion team, ending the games ranked No. 10 and nearly making the semi-finals. With their last stop at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Gatorbots entered a whole new arena of play, with teams hailing from Denmark, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and China, among others. Ratcheting up their competitive strategies, battling technical hiccups, and collaborating under new alliances, the SHP team worked its ranking up to No. 7 and made it to the quarterfinals, eventually eliminated following a brutal third match.

Hot Topics

Seniors impress with honors independent study projects Replicating models typically found at the college-level, SHP’s senior honors independent study enables a student to select a discipline of interest and devise an original topic for intensive research and query, under the guidance of a faculty member. Concluding the study, the student then delivers a presentation on findings and process, in a forum open to the community. Among the 2015-2016 independent study projects were: • Islam and Gender: The True Meaning of Fundamentalism and its Impact on Muslim Women throughout History Camille Hausken, social sciences • The Fifth of July: An Exhibit Exploring Race in America Sofie Surraco, fine arts • Number Theory Dylan Modesitt, mathematics 4

• Love and Marginalization in the Catholic Church: A Comparative Study on Undocumented Immigrants and LGBTQ Individuals Within the Church Jaclyn Tsiang, religious studies • Circus: Change in the Republicans’ and Democrats’ Political Platforms John Desler, social sciences • A World Without Bees: Vision-Based Artificial Pollination and the Collapse of the Honeybee Dina Safreno, science • In Pursuit of Manhood: Evaluating Masculinity in the Modern World Aidan Williams, social sciences • Working Memory and Affective Psychology: Subjective Happiness as a Predictor for Cognitive Decline Among the Elderly Komal Kumar, science

Extra Credit

SHS faculty and staff collect honors, accolades, and advance professionally In addition to daily delivering a world-class, rigorous, and relevant education to SHS students, Sacred Heart faculty and staff remain active scholars who continue to further their own professional skills and experience through a variety of ways. Below is a sampling of recent faculty and staff activity. Director of Mission Initiatives & Institutional Planning James Everitt has been named to a teen mental health steering committee, serving an intiative of the Children’s Health Council. The effort, which provides public programming targeting awareness and early intervention to combat a prevalent local trend, includes members from the educational, medical, and social work fields. Deborah Farrington Padilla, SHP director for global education and initiatives, was awarded her Ed.D. through the University of San Francisco’s International & Multicultural Education program, with an emphasis in human rights education. Farrington Padilla’s dissertation, Exploring the Emergence of Global Citizen Identity in Youth, drew from an in-depth study of Sacred Heart students participating in SHP’s international exchange program. Robotics and computer science faculty member Clint Johns received “Teacher of the Year” honors from Tutor Corps Foundation. Nominated by one of his current students, Johns earned the award for his “combination of passion and innovation, and overall commitment to challenging students to excel.” SHP English teacher, instructional technology coach, and author Diana Neebe was honored this spring by her alma mater—the University of San Diego—for her extraordinary work with blended learning and student enrichment through technology. Currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of San Francisco, Neebe received USD’s prestigious Alumni Emerging Leader Award.

Using acrylic paints, Gabriella Sarrouh (SHP ’17) presented incoming dean Lamont Quattlebaum with a one-of-a-kind portrait.

Beginning his tenure over summer, Lamont Quattlebaum has been named the new Dean of Students for Sacred Heart Preparatory, responsible for student leadership, discipline, and experential education, among other programs. A former Gator basketball coach and longtime assoicate dean of students, Quattlebaum has served at Sacred Heart for a collective 18 years. Sally Vance-Trembath, a Catholic theologian who heads parent education programs exploring faith, is well-known among media for her expertise in contemporary religious matters. In recent months, she appeared on local broadcast television KQED to discuss Pope Francis’ letter on families, on KCBS radio to contextualize the canonization of Mother Theresa, in the Los Angeles Times regarding the Pope’s historic journey to Mexico, and in the San Jose Mercury News regarding the “politics of faith.”

Stellar Experience Begun just about a decade ago, “Space Day” brings together fifth grade students with high school juniors and seniors taking Guy Letteer’s physics class for an afternoon exploration of basic physics principals such as planetary motion, astronomy, and gravity. Constructed as a “teach-in,” the event introduces scientific concepts through stations of fun activities created by the physics students themselves, enabling the older students to teach and inspire the younger ones. Highlights from this year’s lineup included a t-shirt cannon, speed gun, and solar oven. According to organizer Letteer, “It’s always a huge success because it ends up being about equal as to who learned the most from whom!” Pictured at right, at one intergalactic station, fifth graders paint their own keepsake from the day—a ceramic planet.

Works in Progress

Strategic initiatives continue moving forward Identified via the Living Agenda strategic process, and in support of the goals for Sacred Heart’s Vision 2025, SHS has undertaken five priority initiatives to explore and address in the 2015 -2016 school year: Health & Wellness, Instructional Technology, Integration of Goal III (Service) in the Student Experience, Sustainability, and Diversity & Inclusion. As work proceeds on these initiatives, solutions are found, and cogent improvement occurs, brief updates will be made available through the school’s website (www.shschools.org/ livingagenda) and in issues of the Sacred Heart Magazine. Going Native: Tech Initiative Requires Further Study, Divisional Focus In this techno era, where a generation of students are now “digital natives” and it’s not uncommon to be sporting three, four, or five different devices in your bag or backpack at any given time, schools often wrestle with establishing a “best practices” for curricular use. Without question, the power and allure of the web as a supplemental tool for learning can convert dry material into something much more exciting and accessible, enabling student learning across different media and at differing speeds. But at what point in the educational spectrum does technology become less a benefit and more a burden? Under Sacred Heart’s Living Agenda, the topic of effective use of technology is being closely examined as instructional trends continue to fluctuate and institutional practices and policy play catch-up. In a survey conducted by the Technology Initiative task force this spring, a few key findings came to light. First, the 1:1 technology program has enabled faculty to customize learning in classrooms, increasing inclusion and collaboration among students, and improving student organization, group work, research, and global

awareness. However, the survey also indicated that faculty, particularly those at the LMS, would benefit from increased tech resources and support. Additionally, school policy notwithstanding, student use of social media and personal devices can pose a challenging distraction to educational work involving technology, both in classrooms and out, raising questions surrounding standards of digital citizenship. Moving forward, the task force has recommended further exploration at the divisional level to identify and address more immediate solutions, an annual review of tech infrastructure and platforms, and a longitudinal study to gauge overall educational impact. Teen Talk: Health & Wellness Initiative Brings College Issue to Forefront Heading into the second half of spring semester—and official “crunch-time” for SHP seniors making college decisions—two events connected with the Health & Wellness Initiative were planned to help alleviate family anxiety related to college admissions. The first, co-hosted with Menlo School, was an evening with columnist Frank Bruni, author of New York Times bestseller Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania. Speaking to an audience that included parents, students, and college counselors, Bruni said that the hyper-focus on admission to schools deemed “highly selective” has become a societal problem, and stems from a growing pessimism about the future generation’s ability to meet or exceed their parents’ success. Responding to that fear, there’s a drive to grab hold of any advantage that appears to exist, namely a namebrand institution.

But this is a false assumption, he cautions, as the desired rank of “highly selective” is not synonymous with quality of experience, but rather intensity of admissions marketing. Nor does breaching entry to the Ivies or other “top” schools equate unilateral student success when it comes to long-term career mobility and earnings potential. In fact, it can put undue pressure on a student to pursue a path that limits or devalues personal fulfillment in favor of economic benchmarks. “There’s a widespread conviction that the road to riches is trimmed in Ivy,” said Bruni, “but no one’s told that to the Fortune 500.” Of those companies’ CEOs, he says, only one is an Ivy League grad. “So really what drives earnings isn’t the luster of the diploma, but the type of person in possession of it.” Bruni’s thoughts were echoed in the second of the two Health & Wellness events, a panel discussion on “Critically Rethinking the College Admissions Race.” Guided by psychologist Don Williams, speakers from Google, Airbnb, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Enjoy—all of whom are directly involved in hiring—talked candidly about what they seek in an intern or job applicant, what sets someone apart from the pack, and how important—or inconsequential—the candidate’s college name or GPA may be in the end. “I look for a bias toward action,” said Andrew Chen, partner at high-tech executive recruiting firm Kleiner Perkins, who was an engineering major/theater and Spanish minor at a public university. “I think a lot of people either have that or they don’t—and a long list of activities doesn’t necessarily mean someone has that particular quality. Did they actively seek out a leadership role, for example. To me, that’s far more telling as to whether or not they’d be a good match than where they attended school.” “I see a lot of internship applicants who have tons of breadth, but not that spark. If you ask them about their activities, they’re able to answer the ‘what’ but not the ‘why,’” agreed Sidnie Davis from Google, a member of the internship hiring team who emphasized quality experiences over quantity.

coffee barista, he networked with a customer who gave him his first position in a tech start-up—Curtis wound up skipping college and working his way up through AltaVista, Yahoo, and Facebook before settling in at Airbnb. But it was fourth panelist Ron Johnson, CEO for Enjoy and former executive for Apple, Target, and J.C. Penney, who really offered the evening’s best food for thought. As a parent of two SHP alumni, Johnson zeroed in on the real issue at hand. “As a parent, I want my kids to find the joy that comes with figuring out what they are uniquely designed to do, and I think Sacred Heart really encourages that. But many are driven to get into the best college, the best graduate program, a job with [the best company], and it isn’t about what they want to do for a lifetime, but rather about what is the next respected, high income-earning step. And once you get on that train, it’s pretty hard to get off. I’ve worked with a lot of people who did this well into their 40s, who never had the satisfaction of doing something they love. And to me, spending all that time not doing something you love, that’s tragic.” Adolescent “Storm & Stress”: Focus Groups Explore Middle School Hot Buttons Expanding its exploration of teen and adolescent mental health issues, this spring the Health & Wellness task force headed by Jen Sabo, LMS vice principal of student life, conducted a number of focus group dialogues with students, parents, faculty, and staff in each of the middle school grades. Partnering with a team led by Dr. Victor Carrion, director of research programs in the Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, SHS hosted the discussions which both built upon the results of a widespread survey administered earlier in the school year, and were designed to more specifically drill down to uncover the most pressing concerns of this Sacred Heart age group. Those participating in the discussions were randomly selected, and next steps for the task force will be to synthesize each constituency’s key points and formulate an action plan.

Davis cited the four areas that Google does look for in a candidate—leadership, problem-solving skills, role responsibility (technical skills), and the famed, intangible “Googliness”— none of which weight college name or GPA. Herself a graduate from a small liberal arts school with a degree in Middle Eastern studies, Davis cited her college study abroad experience as her most important resume asset for Google, as it illustrated a comfort in navigating ambiguity, making decisions, and working independently. Mike Curtis, vice president of engineering for Airbnb, noted that while college is important, it is not requisite to professional success. Parlaying his way into a job while still in high school—as a

Candidly discussing what they seek in prospective employees were panelists Chen, Davis, Johnson, and Curtis.

The Power of One As part of the overall day’s reflection, the SHP community was asked to consider what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. might have meant when he referred to “creation of the beloved community.” In response, students in the media program produced a video short, offering insight to student perspective on this and related topics.

Beloved Dream

At the Table inspires relfection, illustrates connections

Sampled from the video, below is an excerpt of how students envision Dr. King’s ideal of a “beloved community”: A society where everyone’s identity is equally valued, and a place where people have compassion for one another’s differences. Equality for everyone, and a free, creative domain without judgment or prejudice. A community where everyone can be who they are without judgment, no matter what they look like, the color of their skin, who they want to spend time with, or their gender. A place where everyone’s accomplishments and contributions are recognized, and not undervalued based on social status; that we’re working together on a common goal and support each other. Treating each other with love, care, and equality. Rooted in compassion and empathy, where we all work together to make something better. The full video piece created by students can be seen at www.shschools.org/news.

Performing troupe At the Table with Dr. King delivers an emotional and engaging show at a March Espacio in Harman Hall.

Using music, multi-media, spoken word, and above all, audience participation and the assistance of SHP’s band and chorus, the organization At the Table with Dr. King called the high school community to action in a dynamic experience celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Weaving together newsreel video footage, passages from King’s speeches, composed song and musical interludes, the live performance piece afforded the Sacred Heart audience an accessibility to the civil rights struggles of the courageous Dr. King, but moreover, hit home his messages of the universal human struggle on a journey to reach the “Beloved Community,” and the power and impact one person can have in the service of others. “This was an incredible opportunity for our students, faculty, and staff,” said Brian Bell, SHP assistant principal for student life, “and really falls right in line with much of our Goals and Criteria. I think that the show’s more contemporary slant, the things it makes students think about in different way perhaps, helped them connect the aspirations and challenges of this 1960s

activist and historical figure with those of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat 200 years ago, and in their own lives today. “Above all, the show is about taking action now, today; that one individual can effect important change. And that’s a message that resonated with all of us, not just the students.” With a stated goal “not just to educate others about Dr. King, but to challenge others to take up his legacy and become champions for the cause of helping others,” the At the Table group is composed of professional touring artists committed to honoring the MLK legacy through workshops, performance, and online resources. Their marquee production of the same name, At the Table with Dr. King, has been performed across the U.S., in India, and the United Arab Emirates, among others, joined by world-class and award-winning musicians on occasion.

Justice League

Teach-in shines light on tough topics Convening the entire high school community for a daylong conference featuring expert panels, faculty-led discussions, and a keynote address, the SHP Social Justice Teach-in was a spectacular culmination of a year dedicated to the difficult-but-timely theme of “Race and the Criminal Justice System.” At the conference, sessions explored interconnected topics such as policing and media, mass immigrant criminalization and incarceration, subversive symbols and social justice through the arts, the role and impact of education, and the politics of reform, among others. Predominantly coordinated by a student team led by senior Sofie Surraco and juniors Dominique Through open dialogue and reflection, the SHP community explored topics such as Just & Unjust Laws, Reese and Oscar Delgado, the Art & Social Change, and Seeking Equity in Classrooms: The Burden of Low Expectations for Students. April teach-in represented a departure from the school’s prior model, which had met with mixed conference, through one-on-one interactions—in order to [pave results. Seeing a way to make a significant change within the SHP the way] for those hard conversations,” explained Hennesey. “And community, last spring Scott Fitchen (SHP ’16) proposed a Creative more than a goal, I’d like to think that at the end of the conference, Inquiry project to re-engineer the process, and it was his prototype the end of the year, the community will be genuinely engaged, that this year was enacted as a trial run under the leadership of be inspired and hopeful about what’s possible. And that these Reese, Surraco, and Delgado. students, who’ve put their hearts and souls into coordinating the teach-in and other activities this year, feel satisfied about the work Dr. Katie Hennesey, advisor on Fitchen’s inquiry project and they’ve done. Because it’s not been easy every day.” facilitator for its pilot implementation, talked about the origins of this year’s theme. “When the national Student Diversity Leadership Conference was taking place last year, the #BlackLivesMatter campaign was all over the media. The conference pretty much dropped the scheduled agenda and dealt with that instead. The SHP group of students and faculty in attendance were pretty fired up about it, thinking how we could bring this question of race and criminal justice back to campus.” “We were really inspired by the conference, and all of us felt a deep connection with this topic,” added Reese. “We thought about what’s going on in the news, and what’s not being talked about on campus but should be.” “Too, I think people feel that all this information is being given in class or at a teach-in, but with no ideas on how to act. So for our conference, we wanted to get speakers that could really talk about different [tangible] ways to get involved and make a difference.” “Throughout this year, our emphasis has been about building community—through small group discussions, through the

Students lead discussion on Intersectionality & the Say Her Name Campaign, a national effort building awareness for six African American women fatally shot by law enforcement.

Perspective

Service Learning Coordinator Matt Carroll clarifies the call to serve “Why don’t we just send the money?” A student asks this question at least once during each service-immersion program that I run, often after we’ve made some mistake in the work we’ve come to do. Without fail, the query stirs debate, creates uneasiness, and forces our group to sincerely consider why we are here—wherever here is—and whether the community we’ve come to “help” might have been better served had we simply cut a check. It’s an uncomfortable conversation. I love it. The idea that we can do more by sending our money to work rather than our bodies is not born out of fear of a hard sweat, sub-five-star accommodations, or local food options that often require a pronunciation chart (though one is sure to encounter all three of those). It comes from a genuine desire to do good and the feeling that whatever good we do accomplish is insufficient.

Carroll, at center, annually leads a group of SHP students and chaperones for an immersion experience at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles.

Immersion programs are not designed to deliver a silver bullet to social, economic, or political injustice we’ve gone to learn about and tackle. Rather, they are about planting the seeds of Goal III, specifically the third criterion: The school is linked in a reciprocal manner with ministries among people who are poor, marginalized, and suffering from injustice. Links don’t get made from a distance. Putting ink to a check won’t erase the margins. The antidote to suffering is not remaining comfortable to do something for the other; it’s compassion, which literally means “to suffer with” the other. Immersion programs, which run about a week, remove the distance from the “other” and place students in the midst of the experiences of those who are poor and marginalized so that compassion— which, even more than awareness, impels one to act—might become second nature. To sustain them in this task the students don’t go it alone. To ask students to develop a deeper sense of community with those at the margins without first doing so among themselves is absurd. Thus we turn to the absurd to ensure that this happens: spontaneous dance contests, cockroach-hunting expeditions, and unfathomably complicated efforts at preparing family dinners abound. For groups with such little collective cooking experience, opinion about this chef’s recipes is one ingredient in great supply.

and cry our way through the experience. This helps us when we inevitably return to the original question. I am careful to not dismiss the concern of how much we are really doing during our time on the immersion trip. After all, when we travel to Los Angeles we don’t magically end gang violence any more than we somehow solve the immigration crisis when we travel to the border town of Nogales. Heck, sometimes we feel like we are actively unhelpful, like when we paint the wrong door during a Katrina rebuilding trip in New Orleans. In the moment, I understand the temptation to dwell on what we’re unable to do. But, I remind them, we do humanize the community members who might otherwise remain to us mere statistics, complicate the issues so as to seek more mature and humane solutions, and practice intentional accompaniment with one another and those we serve. We also critically examine how our faith is challenged by and can sustain us through these encounters. In doing so, we are fundamentally altered, shaped, and changed by our experience, and students move a step closer to using their future influence, power, and vote—greater tomorrow than today—on behalf of those with whom they now feel a sincere sense of kinship. So no, it wouldn’t have been better to just to “send the money.” Even if we paint the wrong door.

Students often tell me that their favorite part of immersion is getting to break out of their comfort zone, whether it be the distance that’s created from home, their typical friend group, or their phones when we engage in fasts from technology. This allows them to “be where their feet are,” as my colleague Reid Particelli puts it, and it is in this space that we journal, laugh, reflect, pray, 10

SHP service learning coordinator and religious studies faculty member Matt Carroll holds a master’s in divinity from Santa Clara University, and has previously served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, and as a resident minister with the University of San Francisco.

Mindful Method

Student-led conferences spark confidence, build skills The young man nervously cleared his throat. Throwing a furtive glance at his audience from under lowered lids, he launched into his presentation, stumbling and quiet at first, then gaining volume and conviction as he warmed to his subject: himself. Though not universal, this was the typical start to the Middle School’s new method of spring semester student assessment: student-led conferences. Each student in grades 6, 7, and 8 was asked to select a few representative works across core subjects from the semester, and in a formal meeting with both parents and teacher, talk about their perceived progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. The format, while new to Sacred Heart, is not an extraordinary one, and in fact a growing number of schools across the country have begun to utilize this self-reflection and presentation model as a way to encourage and empower students toward ownership in their own respective learning journey. While guided by faculty, each student has the freedom to choose his or her work for review. Each scrutinizes his ability to identify, and meet, potential. And each is required to deliver a cogent narrative regarding progress and process, and be ready to respond to any parent questions.

“With this new formula, students are actively owning their educational growth, able to analyze their own development over time, able to aspire to and set new goals for themselves.” “One of the most exciting aspects of this has been seeing the parent reactions,” adds Jen Sabo, assistant principal of student life. “I think most came in a bit skeptical since this was so new, but as they watched their student convey a level of introspection and maturity in sharing what they’re doing well and where they need to refocus effort, this all visibly changed. Their faces reflected pride, respect, and even perhaps a bit of surprise. “Students, too, were really eager and excited to take on this process,” she continues. “They were up for the challenge, and took it very seriously. And in the end, their hard work really paid off. I’m fairly confident that dinner table discussion has changed somewhat since the experience—altering the rote responses to ‘how was school’—and I anticipate the skills these students are developing now as a result will stand them in good stead throughout their personal and professional lives.”

“Though reflection is an essential part of a Sacred Heart education, this is definitely an academic culture shift for everyone,” said Chad Harlow, LMS assistant principal of academics, who was among the team that initiated the model’s implementation at SHS.

Most important, Sabo points out, the exercise itself is perfectly aligned with the school’s educational design, articulated in Goal V of the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart Education: “Students [will] grow in self-knowledge and develop self-confidence as they learn to deal realistically with their gifts and limitations.”

“Traditionally, the parent-teacher conference has been a more passive transfer of information, with no student involvement in the discussion.

Following the success of this pilot effort, the spring student-led conferences will continue through next year, with the fall semester will maintain the traditional parent-teacher conferences.

Show-offs Begun this spring in conjunction with the Middle School’s student-led conferences (SLC), a new Lower School “Showcase of Student Learning” provides a similar opportunity for parents to hear directly from their children in grades 1-5 about perceived growth and academic progress. For the one-day event, a small sample of schoolwork is selected for each student’s portfolio, which is then shared by the student with his or her parents on the day of the event, intended to spark meaningful discussion about the learning process. Mirroring certain design aspects of the SLC, preparation for and execution of the showcase engages younger students in the development of skills related to self-reflection, communication, and confidence-building. 11

The Reinvention of Sr. Martha Roughan RSCJ heads home to Boston

“In April, I turned 72. I think it’s time to reinvent myself.” Such is the straightforward assessment offered by Martha Roughan (SH-Newton ’66), RSCJ, as she packs up her office on the third floor of Main Building and prepares for her upcoming yearlong sabbatical. A well-deserved rest, to be sure, following her eightyear stint at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton as its first Formation to Mission director, with a two-year interlude as interim LMS principal—all of it preceded by more than 40 years in leadership across eight different Sacred Heart schools around the country. One of only two RSCJ serving at SHS—her colleague and friend Kathy Dolan continues at the LMS—Sr. Roughan has been a special member of the community since her arrival in 2008. With a pronounced Boston brogue, keen gaze, and quick wit, she has worked to keep the St. Madeleine Sophie tradition and spirit alive and well on campus, always happy to stop and chat with young students she encounters, and always willing to serve as advisor and resource for the SHS family as it grapples with questions of faith, education, and Sacred Heart history. Lured to SHS from her five-year term as principal at Josephinum Academy in Chicago, Sr. Roughan saw an opportunity to escalate mission formation within the Atherton campus community. Unlike most schools, the position offered was fulltime and gave her freedom to develop a pathway and plan for greater community comprehension about the school’s roots and educational philosophy. Building on existing resources and activities, she worked with local RSCJ to start, evolve, or adapt programming from SHS and other schools and create a sustainable model that met the community’s needs. And while a necessary break detoured her efforts—Director of Schools Richard A. Dioli asked her to serve as interim LMS principal from 2012-2014—she remained committed

to her chief reason for coming to SHS. “One of the things I chose to focus on while LMS principal, was to get people to really think about and use the Goals and Criteria— among the faculty, the staff, the parents. It needed to be brought back to center, and it was a conscious choice. I always remind people that this is who we say we are, and parents have the right to call us on it if their children are not turning out kind, generous, forgiving, etc. “And I think [there’s always an opportunity to do more] with parents; it’s essential that families who choose Sacred Heart for their children truly understand what our mission means, and how [intrinsic] it is to our everyday approach.” Considering her next step in life, however, Sr. Roughan is less certain, and plans to take her time with this year off in Boston, reconnecting with family and friends, living in an RSCJ convent, supporting her beloved Boston teams, and taking courses at Boston College. “I’ve been lucky, had great jobs. And I want to stay in mission for longer, though I need to bring balance back into my own life. My career seems to have [regularly alternated] between serving in affluent communities and serving in poor communities. So from here, I know I’m going to work with the poor—on that much I’m clear. Right now, I’m looking at things like working in a Spanish-speaking ministry, though that means I’d have to learn Spanish, or teaching English as a second language, connected with the migrant crisis. So to somehow respond to the world where it’s neediest.” Asked about the void the departure of an RSCJ leaves behind at SHS, she is quick to praise the current senior leadership, and in particular, her successor Dr. James Everitt. “Each year, there are fewer schools that have RSCJ; we’re incredibly lucky, because we’ve had two working here, and of course there’s Oakwood. It’s challenging, but I think everyone is working really hard to make sure we remain mission-oriented. Too, when I came here, James had been handling Formation to Mission part-time, so I think he will be just fine.”

Sr. Roughan, pictured here with Middle School students at May Crowning, during her final year as LMS principal in 2014.

She thinks a moment, then adds with a twinkle in her eye, “And while I don’t think he needs much advice, I will always be willing to take his calls.”

A Global Bond

SHS welcomed Sacred Heart students from near and far Sixth-graders welcomed their pen pals from Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (Bellevue, WA) over spring for a brief campus visit and indoor picnic lunch. On their annual class trip, the Washingtonians also took a day trip to Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco and spent an afternoon with the Sisters at Oakwood.

Until We Meet Again Collectively representing more than two centuries of service to Sacred Heart over the space of four decades, eight members of the SHS community opted to retire at the close of the 2015-2016 academic year. They leave in their wake a school made richer by their presence, stronger by their contributions, and deeply grateful for and proud of their longstanding loyalty, spirit, and collegiality over the years. We bid fond farewell to our newest SHS retirees: Janet Wildey (38 years) Preschool & Kindergarten Registrar & Admissions Assistant

In April, 31 girls from Baradene College of the Sacred Heart (Auckland, New Zealand) enjoyed their tech-focused trip to Northern California, visiting corporate headquarters of local Silicon Valley tech companies, such as Apple, Facebook, and Google.

Cee Salberg (28 years) Preschool & Kindergarten Principal Joan Eagleson (27 years) Lower & Middle Schools Campus Ministry, Religion Teacher

While on the SHS campus, they spent time with faculty and staff from the IT department, explored the Creative Inquiry Lab, and had ample opportunity to visit with the RSCJ living at Oakwood.

Carrie Bozzo (25 years) Preschool & Kindergarten Teacher Pat Roberts (23 years) Sacred Heart Preparatory Instructional Librarian

Uniting for the second consecutive year, the Model United Nations teams from SHP and Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart (Omaha, NE) partnered to participate in the Stanford Model UN Conference in November. During the three-day meeting, the OmahaAtherton team represented Namibia, Thailand, and Syria.

Cherie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cookieâ&#x20AC;? Cattaneo (20 years) Lower & Middle Schools Teacher Mary Traub (16 years) Sacred Heart Preparatory Theater Manager Bob Fraser (12 years) Sacred Heart Preparatory Technical Director

On the Banks of Sprout Creek Farm immersion teaches life skills Over spring break, 18 fifth- and sixth-grade girls hopped a plane to New York for a weeklong service opportunity at Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie. Owned by the Society of Sacred Heart, and staffed by RSCJ, the 200-acre Sprout Creek is a working dairy farm and creamery, complete with bovine and wooly critters, a variety of fowl, and a market selling cheese, eggs, and meats. In the immersion experience, students learn first-hand about the natural world and participate in all manual aspects of farm life, from daily chores in food preservation and animal husbandry, to tending the gardens and cooking meals. Throughout, they build close friendships, exercise collaboration, commitment, and respect, and overall live the Goals and Criteria through interdependence with and respect for God’s creation and one another. According to Kelly Power, LMS global citizenship and service coordinator, this is the fifth year SHS has taken part in the Sprout Creek program, and collectively more than 75 LMS young women have since benefitted from the formative experience.

Farm chores, fun, and a familial atmosphere characterize the annual Sprout Creek Farm service immersion program, this year attracting 18 LMS student participants.

“The first year we took a group to the farm was 2011,” she says. “Those young women are now high school juniors and seniors, and they still refer to the trip as one of the most impactful and fun

learning opportunities they had. There’s an application process to secure a spot on the trip, and often, we’ll get returnees applying to go again. Each year, I invite one of these ‘veterans’ to help me plan the meetings and trip activities—another great opportunity to develop and showcase leadership, responsibility, and character.”

Navigating global isssues like pros, members of the eighth grade Government Team discuss the day’s strategy for the international Middle School Model UN conference in NYC. The 16 SHS reps joined more than 1,700 students from 30 countries to discuss topics ranging from migrant workers to preserving cultural heritage to militarization in space.

On a spring pilgrimage to Rome, LMS third-grader Megan O’Flanagan visited and prayed at the original fresco of Mater Admirabilis, whose replica can be found in every Sacred Heart school around the world. Created by young RSCJ novice Pauline Perdrau in 1844, the iconic work is found at Santissima Trinita dei 14Monti, located above the historic Spanish Steps.

World Traveler

SHS welcomes first student ambassador from India Following a concerted four-year effort, Sacred Heart has finally been able to welcome its first student ambassador from the Indian Sacred Heart school, Sophia College for Women. In April, student Anit Aji arrived at the Atherton campus for a month-long stay with an SHS host family, and under a schedule ensuring a wealth of experiences in American classrooms, lifestyle, and friendship. While here, Anit participated in several classes alongside host Julia Basnage (LMS ’13, SHP ’17), attended the SHP prom, joined the choir for a competitive festival at Disneyland, took part in the Indian celebration of Holi at Stanford University, and was a guest speaker for a meeting of the SHP Women’s Group, among numerous other activities. Speaking to the Women’s Group early on in her stay, Aji discussed her own experiences in the all-girls, Catholic minority institution of Sophia College.

Anit Aji (at right) shares the artistry of her home country with SHP students and Fran Tobin, RSCJ, each of whom selected an intricate henna design.

“The school, which includes the undergraduate junior and senior colleges and post-graduate certificate programs, is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The central building is a former maharaja’s palace, which was sold in 1940 to the Society of Sacred Heart to establish a women’s college. Right now, Sophia is about 40 percent Muslim and the other large majority is Hindi. Culturally, we have a large mix, and students come from all over India. We have a strong arts school and a popular sports program, and in fact, my roommate is on the National Walking Team. In all,

there are about 25 active young nuns in residence, and while the room and board for the year is about the equivalent of USD $1,300, the cost of a year’s tuition is only about $10.” Having just completed her two-year junior college program through Sophia, Aji plans to continue her studies at the school’s senior college, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mass media (BMM), with the hope of becoming a professional journalist. Over summer 2016, 13 SHP students will participate in the international Network Exchange program, staying with host families and attending Sacred Heart schools in Spain, France, the Philippines—and for the first time ever, Japan and Taiwan.

During the LMS Stevens Library’s Book Fair, Atherton Mayor Elizabeth Lewis headlined an evening reading for a bevy of pajama-clad students. Covering the mayor’s appearance for local newspaper The Almanac, LMS first-grader Fiona Lempres called the event “an extravaganza” and noted how much fun the 100 or so attendees had, “especially the mayor.”

Making the Grade

Annual auction gets “A” for effort, excitement, and execution From the bevy of cheerleader gear, letterman jackets, college colors—and most impressive, Sacred Heart uniforms!—sported by the nearly 700 SHS parents, faculty, staff, and friends, the 2016 auction Be True to Your School hit all-new heights in terms of successful fundraising and wide-scale and cross-divisional communitybuilding. Arriving early to peruse the silent auction items at the reception, guests were treated to the smooth tones of the SHP band and crooner Nick Conroy (SHP ’16) and the dance team’s electric routines, followed by an impromptu musical revue of Guys & Dolls, delivered by the recent SHP cast. Once inside the Rogers Pavilion, attendees were drawn to the “science lab” reception bar, where strange fog floated out of colorful beakers, and where, for a small price, a guest might be put in detention by an enterprising “classmate.” Gearing up at a pre-event pep rally with Director of Schools Richard Dioli are auction With dinner underway in the big tent, however, co-chairs Alison Van Dyke, Charlie Hays, Mary Stevens, and Amy Yang. the night’s business accelerated considerably, and the 18 packages up for live auction were soon the subject Capping the night, the annual Fund-a-Need appeal for financial of hot contests and good natured competition. Among the items aid brought the event’s purpose into sharp focus, as with poise garnering the most interest was the replica Shelby Roadster and grace beyond her years, student speaker Lilika Teu (SHP ’16) currently being constructed by four SHP students in the Creative expressed her tremendous gratitude for the opportunity she had Inquiry program. With the mechanical work-in-progress on display been given, sharing how attending Sacred Heart has dramatically at the auction’s entryway, and a promise to customize the body to changed the course of her life and opened up a world of possibility the buyer’s color choice, the car generated several outstanding bids and promise. before a winner was declared. Spurred by Lilika’s heartfelt story, an overwhelming number of pledges were collected, and an anonymous donor stepped forward with a 2:1 Challenge Grant. In all, approximately half a million dollars were pledged to the SHS financial aid program as a result—a figure that means critical support to the one-quarter of all enrolled SHS families who yearly rely on financial assistance.

Sharing how her own life has been transformed by the opportunity to attend Sacred Heart, Lilika Teu (SHP ’16) was an eloquent speaker on behalf of the night’s Fund-a-Need campaign.

The “Serious Fun” of the Annual Fund

Volunteer veterans share why they support Sacred Heart’s yearly campaign Recently, Annual Fund parent volunteers Chris Surowiec and Kathleen Texido hit “rewind” and took a look back at their experience as 10-year campaign veterans. As parents of young Sacred Heart students, both Surowiec and Texido joined the campaign with a desire to understand more about it. What is the Annual Fund campaign? Why do we have one? And what they discovered during their first years working on the campaign was that many other parents had the very same questions. A small team of Annual Fund volunteers spent several years diligently educating their fellow parents on the importance of the campaign— explaining “the gap” between tuition and the actual cost of a Sacred Heart education and how Annual Fund dollars were spent in the current year to help fund teacher salaries, program costs, and provide financial aid. Only once all of those questions were answered could the volunteers ask for their support.

Ten-year veterans of the Annual Fund campaign, Chris Surowiec, mother of Catherine (LMS ’18) and William (LMS ’15, SHP ’19), and Kathleen Texido, mother of Annie (LMS ’16), Will (LMS ’14, SHP ’18), and Megan (LMS ’12, SHP ’16), appreciate that from their experience, their children are learning the importance of philanthropy and “giving back.”

Once the education strategy was firmly in place, the focus of the campaign turned to participation. With more than 80 percent of parents participating in the campaign at the time, the goal became 100 percent participation and volunteers rallied around the idea that garnering the support of the entire community was more important than any specific gift.

And this, Surowiec and Texido agree, was a turning point in the campaign. “I knew that if we could reach 100 percent participation, we would never go back to something less than that,” said Surowiec. A friendly competition ensued and grade-level volunteers encouraged fellow parents to pledge support to the campaign and help bring their grade to 100 percent participation. “It was fun to watch the different grade levels develop a personality of sorts,” commented Surowiec. “Yes,” agreed Texido. “Some grades rallied around being first to reach 100 percent participation, and others had a ‘don’t worry; we’ll get there’ attitude. The great thing was that every grade got to be who they wanted to be.” And the result, as they say, is history. For the past five years, 100 percent of the Sacred Heart parent community has pledged their support to the Annual Fund campaign.

“The Annual Fund has become has become the voice of the entire community,” Surowiec shared. “And it is a very strong, very positive voice.” Texido, reflecting on her years working on the campaign, said, “I believe in Sacred Heart. I believe in the essence of community building. I believe every parent who desires the education and values taught for their own child, wants the same for every child on this campus. And that is why we all support the Annual Fund campaign with our time and our resources.” Surowiec added, “As Annual Fund volunteers we support not only our school, but we support each other as well. We unite at the beginning of the school year to kick-off the campaign, communicate avidly during the campaign, and celebrate together at the close of the campaign. And from time to time you may see a large group of us in the stands at AT&T Park cheering on the San Francisco Giants in celebration of another successful year. I like to think of our work on the Annual Fund campaign as serious fun.” For information on joining the Annual Fund volunteer team, please contact Amberly Nardo, assistant director of annual fund and stewardship, at anardo@shschools.org or 650.473.4054.

Getting Wild

Annual visit to the PSK highlights lessons about rainforest Giving dimension to their lessons on the rainforest, each spring the PSK is visited by Wildlife Associates, an organization that serves as an educational resource and sanctuary for animals unable to be released back into the wild. The animals, or “wild teachers,” help staff members to provide a dynamic, interactive, and impactful presentation for all audiences. This year, students were introduced to an anteater, coendou (porcupine), scarlet macaw, and skink lizard, learning more about the different habitats of each animal and the critical need for human preservation of these environments. “This presentation brought the rainforest to life for all of the PSK children,” said kindergarten teachers Nancy Blears and Alli Ramseyer (SH-Greenwich ’98). “It [gave a spotlight to] the biodiversity and importance of this valuable habitat, and enhanced what the children are taught in the classroom. They were able to see and learn about an animal from each layer of the rainforest. It was highly engaging and informative!” While learning about anteaters, preschoolers do their best impression of one using its claws to dig into an anthill.

(Above) Preschoolers enjoy learning about the scarlet macaw and hearing it “speak.” (Right) Zoned in, the kindergarteners listen to the Wildlife Associates’ presentation about the rainforest.

SHS 2.0

Redesigned website offers new look & features Launched in mid-February, the new Sacred Heart website delivers a media-rich and technologically updated platform across all audiences. Built in “responsive design”—a technology that conforms to the device being used—the site now offers a number of content-driven features and additions for visitors just learning about the school, for alumni looking to reconnect, and everyone in between. With an entirely revamped architecture, user-friendly icons and links, social media integration, and a number of embedded slideshows, videos, and calendar streams, the website delivers a more interactive experience and authentic reflection of SHS today.

CELEBRATION: Girls from the PSK, LMS, and Prep take part in Diwali, the Indian Festival of Light, at one of SHSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; five cultural and faith celebrations throughout the year. 19

ARTS-IN-ACTION

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a Good Man, Charlie Brown features K-8 cast

ARTS-IN-ACTION

Springing Into Action

A bevy of classic characters command SHS stages Channeling the minds of literary greats Damon Runyon, Charles Schulz, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sacred Heart studentthespians from kindergarten through grade 12 brought icons to life this spring, onstage at the Campbell Center for the Performing Arts. SHP Musical: Guys & Dolls Taken from the Runyon story “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown,” the musical Guys & Dolls has been an American favorite since its Broadway debut in 1950, having numerous staged revivals, touring shows, and a 1955 film adaptation featuring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, and Jean Simmons. Sticking true to a script that’s proved timeless, the SHP production under director Francine Torres was every bit as bold, bright, and playful as the Frank Loesser songbook. With just about 60 cast members, backstage crew, and production team, the show hit new heights for student participation and audience attendance, and the resulting energy both onstage and off was palpable. Leading the accomplished cast were Jack Larkins (SHP ’19) as Nathan Detroit, Steffi Anderson (SHP ’17) as Miss Adelaide, Alexa Thompson (SHP ’17) as Miss Sarah Brown, and Ted Catlin (SHP ’16) as Sky Masterson. K-8 Musical: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown Battles with errant kites, unrequited love, challenging school assignments, and the occasional Red Baron drive the narrative of musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, cleverly blending well known moments from the Peanuts comic strip together with fanciful songs that underscore the quirks, traits, and foibles of adolescence that define Charles Schulz’ beloved characters. Typically produced with a small cast of core actors, the show at Sacred Heart under director Rachel Prouty headed in the opposite direction, deftly utilizing a cast of more than 80 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. As a result, Prouty kept the stage populated with a “Woodstock flock,” beagles, schoolchildren, and others—a harmonious, and at times hilarious, visual addition. And, while the eternal struggles of Charlie Brown were never quite conquered, the show’s message was crystal clear to all: that true happiness comes from within. Among the featured cast were eighth-graders Luke Higgins

Proving that love is the greatest gamble of all, the SHP cast of Guys & Dolls delivers humor, harmony, and huge audience appeal.

(Charlie Brown) and Alexa Schlotter (Lucy); seventh-graders Bennett Kruse (Snoopy), Ian Cardamone (Linus), Bella Bachler (Sally), and Andrew Plaschke (Schroeder); and kindergarteners Sabine Cardamone, Stella Komin, Elliot Scordella, and Sophie Verner as members of the Woodstock Flock. SHP Actor Showcase: Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery Journeying to the desolate moors, literature’s best known crimefighting pair of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are on the hunt solve their greatest mystery ever—the hound of the Baskervilles— in an inventive, funny, and fast-paced retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale. Written by Tony Award-winner Ken Ludwig, Baskerville takes the audience on a wild, sometimes silly, adventure to identify a killer before the next victim falls prey. The twist? Anchors Holmes and Watson—played by SHP seniors Ted Catlin and Nick Conroy, and juniors Isabella Rhyzu and Shelby Malcolm, respectively—are flanked by a small (and nimble) cast of actors that quick-change and play up to 30some different characters as the plot progresses.

(Above) SHP’s Baskerville offers a female duo of Holmes and Watson. (Right) Students in kindergarten through eighth grades recreated the loveable Charles Schulz Peanuts characters in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Scenic Route

Ellie Duebner (SHP ’17) takes theatrical turn in France Within a refurbished parlor of a 17th century chateau in Normandy, Ellie Duebner is living, breathing, and working her craft. In France this summer for the prestigious Berridge Conservatory, she is one of only 30 students selected from around the globe for a residential, five-week intensive in theatre arts. Led by a phenomenal cadre of working artists from New York and the UK, the program has Duebner and classmates immersed in rigorous study and rehearsal for about 40 hours per week, in courses ranging from contemporary styles to Shakespeare, movement to oncamera acting. Throughout, fundamentals are emphasized while students also experiment with and train in a variety of techniques, working up to a final showcase of individual and group performances. It is a “pedal to the metal” experience in which Duebner is thrilled to take part, hoping to “fine tune” her abilities and deepen her skills related to character development and expression, performance, and musical theater—the latter her elective track for the summer. Adding extra Cast in all four mainstage and black box shows this year, Ellie Duebner plans dimension to the theatrical immersion experience, the to up her game even further through a summer intensive program. student group will also visit local historic sites, from a medieval festival to a thousand-year-old monastery to D-Day cast in a few pilot shows developed for television. And in fact, the landing beaches, to further their cultural knowledge and explore soon-to-be senior is currently looking at college programs in film to emotional connection to place and time. continue her study and successfully convert passion to profession. But for now, the allure and charm of her temporary Berridge Involved in numerous stage productions at Sacred Heart, Duebner home, Chateau le Mont Epinguet, and the satisfaction afforded held leading roles in two of the four works that comprised the by theatrical immersion and shared with this intimate group of most recent SHP season. Nonetheless, she remains clear on her professionals and aspirants, is bien assez. preference for film, having gained both exposure and experience

In March, approximately 25 students from the SHP drama club jetted to New York City for a five-day immersion in some of the country’s finest arts venues. In addition to visiting Big Apple staples like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, and Rockefeller Center, the group also took an in-depth tour of Radio City Music Hall, exploring the historic deco architecture and practicing a few of their “inner-Rockette” dance moves backstage of the storied structure. Furthering the NYC allure, the thespian troupe paid homage to the mecca of Times Square and Broadway, attending a series of critically acclaimed musicals: The Book of Mormon, Fun Home, Something Rotten, and the recent Tony Award-winner, Hamilton—after which the group had the rare opportunity to privately meet with members of the original cast.

The Write Stuff

Art of communication underscored in pen pal project Over spring, SHP students in Vanessa Woods’ photography courses became pen pals with fourth graders at the Children’s Aid Society in the South Bronx. Initiated by Woods, the goal of the project was to create a mentorship for underprivileged youth, while challenging the high schoolers to be vehicles of positive change through their craft. Often dealing with challenging personal circumstances, with some in the foster care system and some homeless, the South Bronx students were eager to connect with the Atherton class, and readily wrote the initial notes to their SHP counterparts, who responded with equal enthusiasm. As part of the ongoing exchange, the high schoolers included pictures—samples of their current photography work—along with their letters, sharing thoughts on the images they chose to send. As a result, the younger students furthered their visual and written literacy, built communication skills, and ignited their own creativity, while the SHP mentors gained first-hand perspective on both their privilege and power to impact others. The origin of Woods’ pen pal project began in 2001, when she herself mentored a young woman in an after school program for youth in the community. The relationship between the two flourished during Woods’ time at the Bronx River Art Center, where both shared a love of photography, and ultimately collaborated on a photo project. In large part due to her connection with Woods, the young woman went on to pursue photography, graduate college, and is now the current director of the Children’s Aid Society.

Inspired by an exhibit of African American quilts at the Oakland Museum of Contemporary Art, third-graders learned the traditional folk art of “felting,” designing and crafting individual panels for a large-scale class quilt. Tied to class study, the resulting work depicted Sojourner Truth’s “journey to freedom.” The project was designed to complement similar folk art forms being explored in both the drama and music curricula.

According to art teacher Ciara Bedingfield, “The students really loved felting and quickly learned how to create pictures with roving wool.”

Beyond Hashtags

Solo honors exhibit explores tough themes With mixed media pieces, digitally blended photos, and a collection of pop-art graphics, the independent honors art exhibit The Fifth of July: Exploring Race in America by SHP senior Sofie Surraco was both chilling and thought-provoking. The culmination of months of research, studio time, and a good deal of introspection, Surraco’s pieces presented a compelling visual mashup of historical images of lynching, segregation, and civil rights integrated with modern images of protests, stereotypes and Biblical verses, in a deliberate palate of red, white, and blue. Explaining the stark theme for her project, Surraco noted, “Most of [my] images portray the current state of this nation in a condemning way, suggesting that it is impossible to create progress in a society that cannot address its faults...In Fifth of July, I aim to shed light on some of the fundamental injustices [in] contemporary American society...to suggest the yearning, or hope for a new citizenship— one in which the only necessary qualifications are a deep desire for justice and a compassionate consciousness. “I [also] aim to redefine what it means to be American...to express the necessity of looking at the world for what it is and identifying injustices, so that [they] can be righted. My work is a catalyst for exploring my own identity in relation to others and the larger systems operating in society, [and] I hope this exhibition motivates viewers to do the same.” Originally scheduled for a few-days run in May, Surraco’s exhibit was extended through the end of the school year, becoming an unintended-but-fitting close to the yearlong SHP social justice focus on “Race and the Criminal Justice System.” Utilizing student artwork from grades 1-8, a set of one-of-a-kind greeting cards were among the items up for bid at the annual school auction. The colorful cards showcased compilations of projects, such as the musical instrument and guitar still life studies conducted by the first and second grades. Once completed, the collections were assembled, photographed, and printed by LMS art teachers Ciara Bedingfield and Lisa Pinelli.

(Right) Second-graders proudly display their finished artwork.

Musical Postcards

LMS spring concert showcases global sounds Tuning up their instruments, student musicians and choral singers in grades 4-8 headlined the second annual spring outdoor concert, “Musical Postcards,” an eclectic program designed to showcase a wide array of cultures, musical styles, and world geography. Relaxing on picnic blankets and camp chairs and dining on a variety of food-truck fare, the more than 200 spectators embraced the festival-like atmosphere, pivoting attention between the two performance “stages”—one for choirs, and one for instrumentals. Over the course of the afternoon, a total of 17 acts from the LMS music program triad of chorus,

band, and strings had a turn in the spotlight, delivering concert selections that covered everything from lively folksongs to haunting spirituals to contemporary compositions. “This year was awesome! It’s our second year producing our ‘picnic on the hill’ concert, and hope was to create a fun, festivalstyle atmosphere that takes advantage of our beautiful campus,” said LMS music teacher David Chiorini. “I think the inclusion of choral selections to our concert really showcased the depth of our program, and all of the kids performed extremely well. We’re so grateful to the many who attended and supported our event. “Also, the food trucks were a big hit with everybody, so expect to see them again next year!”

Swingin’ Strings

San Francisco musicians play well with others Seven-time Grammy-nominated “Quartet San Francisco”—a foursome of crossover chamber musicians revered for facility with multiple styles of music—joined the SHS community for two weeks in March, serving as this spring’s artists-in-residence. Under a portfolio that includes swing, jazz, big band, funk, bluegrass, and Latin, among others, contemporary, the renowned group has performed extensively throughout venues and festivals in Asia, Argentina, and the U.S., producing six CDs, three of which earned Grammy nominations for production and overall content. In 2002, the group began a unique onstage collaboration with tango dancers, earning the Grand Prize at the 2004 International Tango Competition in New York City. While on campus, QSF predominantly worked with LMS student musicians, as well as with the SHP symphony musicians. Delivering lectures, discussing performance and rehearsal techniques, and talking about their groundbreaking catalog of arrangements and composition, the quartet completed its 26

stay with a special assembly performance, given alongside the LMS strings ensemble.

Score

Musicians take note of opportunities ahead Visiting with seventh grade musicians in late May to perform and talk about challenging scales, favorite composers, and life in the high school band in general, members of the SHP symphony led by Emilio Lacayo-Valle capped another memorable year with the second annual Band Day at the LMS, performing some of this their favorite pieces from this year’s portfolio, including “Safe and Sound” (from The Hunger Games) and music from Broadway’s Wicked. Started as a way to build the relationship and continuity between the LMS and SHP music programs, the exchange has since proved an excellent opportunity to encourage engagement at the high school level and promote SHS musician camaraderie. Above all, says Lacayo-Valle, it has become a “really fun tradition.” “This year, what we really hoped to do was get the kids excited about all the opportunities they’ll have at SHP in music— from courses to clubs to electives. In particular, I wanted to encourage enrollment in a new eighth grade elective, Pep Band, which launches this fall. This is a course that will not only give graduating middle schoolers the opportunity to learn the high school music book early on, but also enable them to gain valuable performance experience at SHP football and basketball games over fall and winter.”

And those are not the only perks that band leader Lacayo-Valle mentioned in his “recruitment” pitch. Any Pep Band student in good standing—and pending administrative approval—will also be invited to join the SHP band program’s Hawaiian tour in spring of 2017.

At an open rehearsal and under the direction of outgoing conductor Will Skaff, the SHP choir prepares for its final performance of the year. The program included an eclectic array of musical styles and selections, from traditional hymns to doo wop, Motown to rhythm and blues. Among the evening’s highlights, a stirring rendition of The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” performed by the Advanced Chorus.

The Middle School choral group, the Gator Tones, participated in the 20th Annual Children’s Choral Festival on April 30, jointly hosted by Holy Names University and the Northern California Association of Kodály Educators. Preparing since January, the students participated in their first off-campus performance since the group was established last year. At the festival, the Gator Tones performed four songs—two pieces alone and two festival pieces—and successfully took direction working with a guest conductor.

Signs of the Times

Dance performance glides through decades With electric performances set to music from Elvis, the 5th Dimension, NSync, Common, Meghan Trainor, and many more, the SHP spring dance concert kept the Campbell Center audience on beat and in tune with the theme, “Signs of the Times, Straight from the Heart.” In all, 44 students in three different levels danced in the show, about a third of which were graduating seniors. “The idea of ‘decades’ came up pretty naturally when brainstorming themes,” said Lauren Benjamin, SHP dance instructor and one of the primary choreographers for the show. “There are so many great pieces of music that represent the novelty of different eras, so that seemed fun. We also wanted to make more ‘meaningful’ work, that we’d connect with and that would express ideas that were personally relevant. This is how we came up with the show title; in essence, it’s a fusion of two concepts.” Developing the program over the entire spring semester, Benjamin and fellow instructor Matthew “Monte” Montenegro challenged students in the intermediate and advanced levels to plan and choreograph original pieces for small groups, duets, and solos. As a result, of the 24 dances performed, 10 were entirely student-driven. “I’m proud of every piece because each involved a unique process. No one sees the struggles, people only see the final product. As a teacher, the most gratifying aspect is watching students develop and change as thinkers throughout. For them, the performance

The Artist’s Eye

celebrates this process, enabling them to share it with others,” said Benjamin. “I’m most proud of the community we built this year,” she added. “The learning in dance must be collective; it is not an individual process like most classes. The dancers must do everything together—rise and fall. Each member is a part of a larger picture and goal, and in order to achieve the desired end, we have to work together. And the students certainly accomplished this.”

LMS show puts spectrum of studio art program on display Ceramic cars and dragons, fanciful monkeys in paint and print, self-portraits in chalk and pastels, and narrative felting were only a few of the items on display during the LMS’ first-ever all-school art show, which ran from May 4-11 in the Ravi Family Assembly Hall. In all, more than 600 pieces of individual art were exhibited, along with samples from eighth grade portfolio work, demonstrating the breadth of media, subject, and context the LMS studio art program delivers. 28

Visionary

Mural channels apparition at Guadalupe Over four days in April, accomplished Los Angeles artist and counselor/mentor with Homeboy Industries Fabian Debora brought vivid beauty, dazzling color, and fresh perspective to the SHP campus, with a new, two-story tall mural in Homer depicting “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” The project, pitched some time ago by James Everitt, was intended to expand the high school’s dedicated sacred spaces and artistry, with the iconic selection of the Virgin of Guadalupe referencing the cultural growth at SHP and underscoring a message of inclusion.

Speaking about his process, he said, “Art brings people together. Art brings life. Art gives meaning and it never fails. Every time I [begin new work], it’s not only just about painting, the technique, the style, but it’s a form of prayer and meditation as well. I’ve been talking to the Virgin Mary since I’ve gotten here. Asking her to appear as she would like to...and I think that people feel that when they stand in front of it; they feel those prayers or that conversation I’ve been having with her.”

A former gang-member-and-drug-addict-turned-painter, Debora has exhibited across the U.S. and received acclaim for his works, which interpret immigrant culture with personal experience, contemporary realities, and reverence for the divine.

As part of Earth Awareness Day in spring, LMS students were challenged to craft topical, original artworks using only earth-friendly materials. The inventive “Trash-to-Art” collection utilized everything from cardboard and foam crates to CDs and gourds, and reflected global concerns related to industry, environmental preservation, and energy, among others.

GATOR SPORTS

The boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lacrosse team posted a perfect 13-0 league record

GATOR SPORTS

Getting in the Game

LMS students continue to enjoy inclusive opportunities

Boys’ Lower School Boys’ Middle School Girls’ Lower School Girls’ Middle School

Varsity Gold 1 - 7th Grade Varsity Gold 2 - 7th Grade Varsity Silver - 8th Grade

Volleyball

JVA - 7th Grade

Baseball

9 4 3 1

Varsity A - 8th Grade Varsity B - 8th Grade Varsity B - 7th Grade Varsity B (3) - 7th Grade Varsity B (4) - 7th Grade JVB (3) - 6th Grade JVB (1) - 6th Grade JVC (1) - 4th Grade JVC (2) - 4th Grade

Track & Field

Lower & Middle Schools Championships Girls’ Basketball

With another year in the books for the LMS sports teams, the resounding feeling of fun combined with championships capped off successful late winter and spring seasons. From the girls’ basketball teams dominating on the hardwood to a sweep in all divisions of track & field, student-athletes proudly represented the Gators in action.

Remembering Coach Campbell

SHS community honors beloved past parent and coach On April 18, the Sacred Heart community mourned the passing of past parent, community supporter, and LMS football coach Bill Campbell. While his impact, generosity, and love for SHS is felt throughout campus, his mentorship of boys and girls in the eighth grade has left a lasting legacy. “For 16 years, Bill Campbell was the head coach of the Sacred Heart boys’ Varsity A flag football team and the girls’ eighth grade flag football team,” said LMS Boys’ Athletic Director Jeff Reynolds. “The boys and girls always return to campus with the same view, that playing for Coach Campbell was the highlight of their eighth grade year. His devotion to coaching kids about what football can mean as a team sport and the life lessons it brings with it are at the core of what a Sacred Heart studentathlete is all about. His inspiration and love for the game and his players will forever remain in the hearts of the students, coaches, and parents that were lucky enough to have him on their sidelines.”

In recognition of the 15th anniversary of girls’ flag football game versus Menlo School, the game was renamed the Campbell Cup, in remembrance of Coach Campbell. The Gators honored their late coach by topping the Knights with a shutout victory, 19-0, on June 2.

Champions Circle

Prep takes home 11 titles over winter and spring season Successful winter and spring seasons capped off a 20-championship 2015-2016 year for the Prep sports teams. From lower level to Central Coast Section (CCS) titles, student-athletes shined in competition. “The extraordinary effort put forth by our student-athletes and their coaches have once again resulted in a memorable year of athletic achievement here at Sacred Heart Prep,” said SHP Assistant Principal of Athletics Frank Rodriguez. Winter Rewind On the pitch, the soccer teams took home a pair championships. The boys’ junior varsity team won the league title, while the varsity girls’ squad shared the West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division crown and advanced to the CCS title game for the second consecutive year. Both varsity basketball teams had successful campaigns, as the boys’ side took home the West Bay league title and the girls’ team captured the CCS championship for the first time since 2002. Spring Success The boys’ lacrosse and girls’ track & field junior varsity teams captured lower level titles to pace the way in the spring.

For the first time in 14 seasons, the girls’ basketball team won the CCS Division IV championship behind a thrilling 52-51 victory over Scotts Valley on March 5. The Gators have won 13 section titles in program history.

On the field the boys’ and girls’ varsity lacrosse teams punctuated their seasons with league championships, while in the pool the

boys’ and girls’ varsity swimming teams each took home league championships for the sixth consecutive season.

Emma Johnson (SHP ’16) and the varsity girls’ soccer team were co-West Bay Athletic League champions and advanced to the CCS title game for the second time in as many seasons.

Tevin Panchal (LMS ’13, SHP ’17) helped the varsity boys’ basketball team take home the league title behind a 58-54 win over Woodside Priory on Feb. 19. The Gators advanced to the CCS tournament, reaching the semifinal round.

College-Bound

18 student-athletes are headed to play sports in college SHP Student-Athletes Playing in College: Finn Banks (Johns Hopkins University • Men’s Water Polo) Isabelle Chun (Wellesley College • Women’s Golf) Juliana Clark (Scripps College • Women’s Lacrosse) Andrew Daschbach (Stanford University • Baseball) Tierna Davidson (Stanford University • Women’s Soccer) Justin Harmon (Chapman University • Football) Riley Hemm (Presbyterian College • Women’s Basketball) Jack Hocker (Chapman University • Men’s Water Polo) Back row (l to r): Justin Harmon, Nick Oliver, Andrew Daschbach, Finn Banks, Matthew MacFarquhar. Center row (l to r): Jack Hocker, Tierna Davidson, Malaika Koshy, Kayla Holman, Libby Muir. Front row (l to r): Juliana Clark, Jorden Schreeder, Lilika Teu, Emma Johnson.

For the 10th consecutive year, Sacred Heart Prep will send 12 or more student-athletes to play at the intercollegiate level. The Class of 2016 boasts 18 headed to play 10 different sports in the collegiate ranks. “We couldn’t be more excited for this group of outstanding student-athletes,” said SHP Assistant Principal of Athletics Frank Rodriguez. “We are grateful for all their contributions to Sacred Heart Prep athletics these past four years and wish them nothing but continued success as they compete at the next level.”

Kayla Holman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Women’s Swimming) Emma Johnson (Scripps College • Women’s Lacrosse) Malaika Koshy (Stanford University • Women’s Water Polo) Matthew MacFarquhar (Johns Hopkins University • Men’s Soccer) Libby Muir (Stanford University • Women’s Lacrosse) Sasha Novitsky (Claremont McKenna College • Men’s Cross Country & Track) Nick Oliver (UC Santa Barbara • Men’s Swimming) Mason Randall (University of San Diego • Football) Jorden Schreeder (Vassar College • Women’s Volleyball) Lilika Teu (Academy of Arts University • Women’s Volleyball) Marggi de Lusignan (SHP ’16) and the Gators avenged their regular season loss by edging Menlo School, 7-6, for the varsity girls’ lacrosse WBAL title on May 17.

Nick Ralston (SHP ’16), Harrison Toig (LMS ’12, SHP ’16), Will Kremer (SHP ’16), and Frank Bell (LMS ’12, SHP ’16) of the varsity boys’ lacrosse team celebrate winning the PAL Bay Division league title on May 13.

The Road to Rio

Denise Sheldon (SJS ’93, SHP ’97) will serve as Head of Delegation for USA Volleyball As the world gears up to watch the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games with national pride and excitement this August, St. Joseph’s and Prep alumna Denise Sheldon will be living out her dream as the Head of Delegation for USA Volleyball’s women’s national team. The 2012 Sacred Heart Athletics Hall of Fame inductee is headed to her first Olympics with Team USA and will manage all the logistics for the players and coaches, so they can solely focus on game preparation, recovery, and competition. “It’s a thrilling position, as it always feels like you’re making an impact,” she said. “I am excited to attend my first Olympic Games and experience Olympism at an international level firsthand. The goal of Olympism is to ‘place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promote a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.’ “The opportunity to contribute to a more peaceful society free from discrimination through sport is awe-inspiring to me, and it is what motivates me every day in my work.”

(Center, with arm raised) Denise Sheldon (SJS ’93, SHP ’97) celebrates Team USA’s gold medal victory at the 2015 FIVB World Championship.

Sheldon credits her Sacred Heart experience as foundational, not just in volleyball but life.

bolstered by her experiences helping coach St. Joseph’s teams and “interning” for SHP’s Girls’ Athletic Director Dawn Hemm during her time at Sacred Heart.

“I say all the time that I received the best education in the world at Sacred Heart Prep. SHP taught me how to think critically. I learned how to question the world and how to consider details and make decisions that have tremendous impact comfortably. Sacred Heart equipped me even more for the challenges I would face in life and how to navigate those. It’s something that could be really easy to take for granted, but I credit Sacred Heart for a lot of that.”

“I took a job at a brand new Catholic high school in Watsonville that was starting a volleyball program for the first time.” Along with coaching, Sheldon was a school administrator and taught psychology, all while founding a non-profit volleyball club. “That experience taught me a tremendous amount about administration, and I discovered I loved that side of things even more than coaching.”

She fondly remembers the bonds she created not just with her volleyball teammates, but the entire community—citing Spirit Week as one of her favorite memories.

Her passion and goal to expand her reach with the sport she loves guided Sheldon to start coaching USA Volleyball High Performance National Team programs—the program she would eventually take over and currently directs. In this role she works with the top youth and junior national players, helping develop and evaluate the talent for the future of Team USA’s men’s and women’s national teams.

“I have so many incredible memories from my time at Sacred Heart. Winning back-to-back state championships as a volleyball player was a really unique experience and I definitely did not realize at the time what an accomplishment that was. I learned a lot about life from that experience, and about what kind of coach, administrator, and person I want to be. “Some of my most fun memories are from Spirit Week. The students and faculty were so close during my time at Sacred Heart, and those relationships are what made my education at SHP so special.” Following her graduation, Sheldon accepted a scholarship to play volleyball at the University of Nevada and played professionally overseas, before returning stateside to begin her professional coaching career. Her transition from athlete to coach was

“I set a long-term goal to work for USA Volleyball as the National Governing Body—I had no idea that a position would open up so quickly. I took the job with Team USA in 2011 and quickly fell in love with the nationwide impact I was able to have on the sport of volleyball in the United States.” Since 2014, Sheldon added an additional role with USA Volleyball, working with head women’s national team coach Karch Kiraly as the Head of Delegation at several international tournaments. Since then, Team USA won its first-ever FIVB World Championship in 2015 and will look to carry that success to Rio and accomplish another first—a gold medal in women’s volleyball.

From Nearly Quitting to Playing for Gold

KK Clark (SHP ’08) to play for USA Women’s Water Polo at the Summer Olympics Facing a crossroads at the end of her freshman year at Sacred Heart, KK Clark nearly quit playing water polo for good in pursuit of her passion for horseback riding. Fortunately for the Gators and eventually Team USA, a nudge from her parents and the camaraderie of her teammates influenced her to recommit herself to the sport. “After school, I would go ride and then come back campus to go to water polo practice. My coaches [encouraged me to] pick a sport, but I refused and said I would do both of them. After my freshman year, I thought ‘yeah I’m done, I’ll just stick to riding,’ and my parents being the smart people that they are said to play water polo another year. It was easy for me to accept, because all my best friends played,” explained Clark. After two years on junior varsity, Clark began to see a future for herself in the sport, thinking, “This is my niche, this is what I do, this is what I love, and I’m happy my parents didn’t let me quit.”

KK Clark (SHP ’08) is the first Sacred Heart alumna to be named to the U.S. Women’s Water Polo Olympic team.

While at SHP, the 6-2 defender played on the U.S. Youth National Team and helped capture the 2007 Youth International Series title in Sydney, Australia. From there, the prospect of playing at the next level began to become a realistic dream for her and she went on to have a standout career at UCLA. As a member of one of the powerhouse programs in the country, Clark and the Bruins won the 2009 NCAA national championship and she was a three-time All-American. While in college, FINA, the international governing body for water sports, changed the age group classifications, meaning Clark was too old to play on a junior level national team and she was not experienced enough to make the senior roster. “I had the freedom of a whole college career and didn’t do any national team stuff. Looking back, that might have helped balance my life and keep me from getting really burnt out.” The summer following her junior year, Clark helped Team USA earn a second-place finish at the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China, gaining valuable international experience and exposure. During the spring of her senior year, she began to get more into the mix with the U.S. Senior National Team. Clark was invited to train on the scout team in preparation for the 2012 London Summer Olympics; however, she did not make the transition to fulltime national team member, quite yet. After graduation, she enjoyed the opportunity to play professionally in Italy from September 2012 to May 2013, relishing living in Europe, exploring other cultures, and finding a sense of independence, before feeling like it was time to try to fulfill her lifelong dream of playing on the national team.

“I think for me, because I remember making that youth team when I was at Sacred Heart, [I would say,] ‘well if I make this team then maybe I can go to college for [water polo] and then maybe way down the line maybe the Olympic team,’ but it was something so grandiose in my mind that it really scared me. When people asked me, I kind of always said I am going to graduate and see how it goes.” Despite a fear of failure, Clark learned to appreciate the process and challenge, and she earned a place on the U.S. Senior Women’s National Team in 2013. Clark also credits the foundation she built while at Sacred Heart, both in and out of the water. “I didn’t know it at the time that I went there, but going through college and looking back I realized how well it prepared me for college and for life. I have only fond, fond memories of the school. “I think of specific teachers that taught me how to love to learn,” citing taking religious studies faculty Rod Cardamone’s Prayer & Meditation class as something she still uses as a professional athlete. “I think about him all the time. I remember taking that class and being introduced [to meditation], and have found that really has carried with me.” For Clark, the sport she nearly quit as a teenager has taken her around the world to compete at the highest level. It is an experience she is grateful for and she often reminds herself to stay in the moment—one day at a time, one play at a time. She will rely on that mantra, as she heads to her first Olympic Games this summer. Clark is one of 13 players on Team USA’s Olympic team and she is the first-ever Sacred Heart alumna to accomplish this feat.

Close of an Era After nearly three decades on the Atherton campus, beloved Preschool & Kindergarten Principal Cee Salberg retires

he large SUV rolls up to the drop-off point. The door opens and a small child emerges, wearing a plaid jumper, messy curls, and brightly colored shoes.

On the sidewalk, a woman waits patiently as the youngster grabs a near-forgotten backpack, absently waves goodbye to the occupants of the car, and turns toward the woman with great expectancy. In one fluid motion, the woman leans down just enough so the child can grasp her extended hand, executing a firm handshake. “Good morning,” says the woman, calling the child by name. “Good morning,” responds the child, peeking up at the adult, knowing respectful eye contact is required. Their clasped hands break apart, and the child skips happily into school, as the woman straightens and turns to greet the next arrival. Such is the ritual played out every morning in front of the Preschool & Kindergarten (PSK) at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton. It is an important moment of connection for both adult and child—a reaffirmation of this learning partnership, a sign of the welcome and care that each child should associate with the school community, and a gentle reminder of the fundamental respect and good manners that form its foundation. And while not unique to Sacred Heart—the interchange is a prescribed Montessori practice—it remains a compelling visual, and one that is indelibly imprinted on a generation of the school’s current and former students for its central figure, retiring PSK Principal Cee Salberg.

Follow the Leader A veritable Sacred Heart institution herself, Salberg has been nurturing and guiding the growth of the PSK division for nearly three decades, bolstering and supporting its faculty, shepherding alterations to the school’s physical environs, and above all, keeping pace with the young hearts and minds of the student body she loves and serves. As one PSK parent aptly phrased it, she is the “child whisperer,” known for an uncanny ability to zero in on exactly what an individual student needs most to grow in confidence and capabilities. Prior to her arrival at SHS in 1988, Salberg had gained a solid background in early childhood education, having trained and taught extensively in a number of Montessori programs, as well as in infant and toddler care. Desiring to work for “the Montessori school with the best reputation in the area,” Salberg was first hired at Sacred Heart as a teacher in the kindergarten classroom. Within one year she was offered the directorship for the entire PSK—an opportunity that presented an intriguing challenge to significantly strengthen the school on a number of fronts. Ably stepping into the new role, Salberg was a first of sorts for the division that had formally opened in the early 1970s. Begun as an outcropping of the prior Convent program and as adjunct to St. Joseph’s elementary school, the preschool and kindergarten program had in past been overseen by a “coordinator,” typically a member of the St. Joseph’s faculty, who split time between fulltime teaching duties and PSK administrative care. Salberg, with her prior experience managing a Montessori program, quickly took the reins and began identifying areas that could benefit most from immediate or long-term improvement. Early on, she recalls there was “very little” in the way of operational budget, requiring teachers to supplement with their own money for classroom supplies and materials. Knowing the impact this could have on attracting and retaining top faculty, Salberg set a course to fight for and secure incremental budgetary increases for the PSK, in order to ensure the availability of ample program funds—a goal, she is proud to have met and maintained throughout her tenure. Wanting to ensure the foundational Sacred Heart program is open to a broad spectrum of families, Salberg also made concerted effort to establish a committed financial aid program for the PSK. Knowing well the importance of these years in the healthy development of a child, she was able to find intermittent success; for a short period in early 2000s, a pool of funds was allocated to help with PSK student recruitment and retention. However, as need for aid at the elementary and secondary levels grew, the PSK The trio of teacher Carrie Bozzo, Cee Salberg, and administrator Janet Wildey, all of whom are retiring from the Preschool & Kindergarten this year, represent a collective total of 91 years of service to Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton.

pool necessarily diminished. And to Salberg’s “greatest regret,” a permanent aid program proved an elusive goal to achieve. Applying lessons learned during her year in the classroom, Salberg also set her sights on creating a more unified PSK faculty and staff. Critical to developing a more professional approach in educating young children, “communication, consistency, and commitment” needed to be built among her colleagues. Initiating discussions on educational trends and research, inviting sharing between newer and more experienced teachers, and generally inspiring a more open and collaborative atmosphere made the PSK team flourish—evidenced today in the longevity of its current faculty and staff under Salberg, the majority of whom have remained with the school for more than 15 years. The Battle for Character, Not College

A frequent visitor in the preschool rooms and always found on the playground with students at lunchtime, Salberg has been loved, respected, and revered by a generation of students, who bloomed under her attention and care.

As a Montessori and Sacred Heart school, the PSK’s curriculum is in many ways set in concrete. Academic objectives and socialemotional milestones form the base of the program, delivered under the ethos of the Sacred Heart educational philosophy. It is a system that Salberg has believed in and held firmly to throughout her tenure, despite contemporary pressures to significantly increase the academic quota in early childhood education. “Working with the RSCJ is where I learned the most about running a school,” she recalls, crediting fellow SHS legends Srs. McGowan, Morris, Brown, McMahon, McKenna, and Roughan—all of whom likewise hold Salberg in high regard. “From each of these women, I [gleaned] a little more about what a Sacred Heart education is, saw how clearly the Montessori method is aligned with the Goals and Criteria, and reaffirmed the value in a more balanced approach. “The truth is, the curriculum has been pushed down since I’ve been here. My first year, kids were expected to be blending and have a basic knowledge of mathematical principals going into first grade. Now, that’s expected going into kindergarten. “It’s a trend that frankly has been counter-productive,” she says with a degree of exasperation, arguing that character formation and confidence building are vital to this stage of intellectual development. “I think this gets overlooked because there’s a hyperfocus on the end game. Good thing is, there’s research to back this

up, showing that choice of college does not predict future success, and that no matter their age or level, students can more readily pick up math or reading if they believe themselves capable of doing so. “Montessori is probably the most academic curriculum there is. It takes into account the whole child, and it respects different developmental pacing. So if a child is really ready to learn to read at four, he’ll get to, but others might be five. “ Conveying the essence of her division’s instructional program at a recent trustee meeting, Salberg further explained that while there are certainly academic thresholds to meet, the dominant goal is to “guide the development of critical social-emotional skills—motivation, self control, persistence, openness to new experience, gratitude, empathy, resilience, optimism, enthusiasm, and flexibility.” Skills which contribute to success throughout a student’s educational career, and prophetically—she points out— are the very qualities sought in the workplace today. And with nearly 30 years of PSK alumni to reference, many of whom have continued through the entire Sacred Heart program and gone on to great professional and personal success, Salberg makes a powerful case.

For generations of students, their earliest Sacred Heart memories are from their time at the Preschool & Kindergarten. From morning greetings, to classroom visits and supervising recess on the playground, students fondly remember the love they felt during their earliest years on the Atherton campus from Ms. Salberg and Mrs. Wildey. “Janet and Cee were the heart and soul of Sacred Heart for my children since the day they started preschool. We are so grateful for their many years of dedication to our family and the entire Sacred Heart community,” said Suzi (Walsh) Tinsley (SJS ’79) about the impact of Salberg and Wildey on the foundation for her seven children. Top row (l to r): Patrick (SJS ’09, SHP ’13), Riley (LMS ’11, SHP ’15), Janet Wildey (SJS ’65, CSH ’69), Cee Salberg, Brian (LMS ’15, SHP ’19), Sean (LMS ’19), Kevin (LMS ’14, SHP ’17). Front row (l to r): Molly (LMS ’20) and Megan (LMS ’17).

All We Ever Really Learned... Without question, the entire school community will feel Salberg’s absence next fall. She has been called “the best educator SHS has” by Director of Schools Richard Dioli, praised for her “aweinspiring, single-hearted love of children” by colleague James Everitt, and deemed “the kindest woman I know,” by one of her former students, graduating high school this year. Salberg is so highly regarded by the spectrum of the SHS community that her unfailing dedication to her work, her genuine care for her colleagues, and her fierce allegiance to children— particularly children of the Sacred Heart—has quite literally made her an iconic figure on campus to a generation of students, educators, and families. As Sr. Roughan says, “Quite simply, Cee gets it. She understands what St. Madeleine Sophie was all about, and that innate sense has guided everything she does.” 42

Closing the book on this significant chapter of her life, therefore, Salberg herself is understandably feeling bittersweet. Having helmed the PSK for nearly half her life, she is both proud and confident that the school she leaves behind is strong in foundation and unparalleled in faculty. “Each of these women is extremely well educated, highly skilled in the field of early childhood education, with years of experience, and a passion and dedication to the work,” she says. “Together, we’ve formed a cohesive and supportive group of professionals, grounded in the Goals and Criteria and Montessori method, who provide the children we serve with a caring, consistent, and stimulating learning environment.” But Salberg also acknowledges that come September, it will be the children who she will be missing the most, the special relationships formed with each student under her care, those she greeted each morning by name.

MS. SALBERG BY-THE-NUMBERS

Years at PSK

Years as PSK Principal

RSCJ mentors

19.6

Average number of years served by PSK faculty & staff under Salberg

Among the many programs she helped establish, Salberg is extremely proud of the annual faith and cultural festivals the school now hosts, supporting and sharing the diverse heritage and traditions of families in the SHS community.

“The work is different every day, every week, every month, every year, and it’s always a thrill to get to know the new children, new families who will partner with us and become part of our community as they move through the grades. Relationship is the essence of a Sacred Heart education. You cannot truly educate a child to our mission without first forming this bond. “At heart, we are here to love and serve the children, and I’ve been so proud to be part of that, and to have spent my time here so well.”

2K+

Number of prospective families she has met with over three decades

98%

Attrition rate for PSK students to LMS

400+

At their final Kindergarten Espacio at the Prep, students honored Salberg and Wildey and recounted some of their favorite memories from their time at the PSK. (l to r): Erik Morris (LMS ’13, SHP ’17), Wildey, Salberg, Luke Rohlen (LMS ’14, SHP ’18), and Stephanie Nawas (LMS ’12, SHP ’16).

Students who enrolled at Sacred Heart at PSK and graduated from the Prep

250%

Overall PSK program budget growth since Salberg began (approximate)

Those Who Can, Do From immersion trips to class projects to independent study and summer opportunities, Sacred Heart students have access to a wealth of opportunities to help their fellow man. And yes, while service is a curricular requirement at Sacred Heart Prep and an excellent credit to have on a college application, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not why numerous students are jumping on the opportunity to simultaneously explore their own passions and encourage others to see beyond limitations. Inspired by the stories of the people they choose to serve, driven by a personal conviction in the Sacred Heart tenets, and energized by the optimism and empower ment their work gives to those in need, the current crop of SHP students are moder n-day standard-bearers for the spirit of St. Madeleine Sophie. The following is just a small sample of the promise our g raduating Class of 2016 represents, already having made positive impact throughout the Bay Area and abroad. 44

hen Ted Catlin was asked by a former teacher to be one of her teaching assistants (TA) in the Peninsula Bridge Program the summer between his freshman and sophomore year, he was both honored and intrigued. Here was an opportunity to take on a position of responsibility and authority at the young age of 15. But what he didn’t expect when he stepped up to serve, is how much he would learn from those he taught. Helping with math courses in the morning, Catlin was also able to craft and lead his own afternoon elective class. Choosing to share his interests in arts and media, he developed a curriculum that would have the kids write, film, and produce their own short movie to screen for their classmates. Instructing groups of 30 fifth- and sixth-graders at a time, Catlin’s goal was to tap into and nourish the creative spark of every student in his class, to give them tools to explore something new and the confidence to share their personal perspective with one another through artistic expression. “The toughest challenge, I think, is getting these kids to be open to learning something different, especially if it’s really [out of their wheelhouse]. Most come from schools where it might not be ‘cool’ to be excited about a lesson plan or take pride in classwork. But once they get over the barrier of sharing enjoyment in something— finishing a math problem, writing a short script—once that clicks for them, the rest of the summer is great.

Ted Catlin (SHP ’16) The Artist Philanthropic Area of Interest: Engaging young minds with power of creativity, building self-confidence through artistic channels Service Experience: Head Teacher’s Aid, created and taught short film-production course (script writing, filming/editing on iPads, screening to class) to 30 fifth- and sixth-graders Organization Served: Peninsula Bridge Program (St. Matthew’s Episcopal site) Number of Years: 3 SHP Credits: Student Government; 14 theatrical productions, including both musicals and drama; Drama Club; editor-in-chief, section editor, staff writer for the Heart Beat (student newspaper); SHP Jazz Band (trombone); Kitsch (improv troupe); Senior Honors Independent Study; Dark Blue Ribbon recipient

“And one of the more lasting benefits for TAs comes in the recognition of this duality of service—it’s a two-way street. In the program at St. Matt’s, TAs are given a remarkable amount of trust; they really endowed us with an important role and the independence to create something of value for the kids. But as much as we teach them, they teach us. And it’s a really special bond that we form with these students, more than just role models or mentors. “Working with these kids who come from a very different background, getting insight to their families and home life—it’s a moving experience, and daily you have to be ready to deal with whatever comes your way. It’s a lot of thinking on your feet, and making sure that no matter what happens, the kids feel safe and excited to come and learn each day. And when you meet up with the kids from past years, it’s truly incredible to go back and see how much they’ve grown and changed, and also realize how much they’ve helped you figure something out about yourself.”

Plans Post-graduation: Brown University, undeclared major; applying for summer internship addressing gender equality in the workplace with the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University or the Anita Borg Institute

rom age eight to 12, Chandi Ingram lived with her family in Bangalore, India. Indelibly drawn to the people, history, and traditions of her one-time country of residence, what she remembers most about the experience is not quite the Hollywood version of color and joy. Rather, she says, it was poverty outside my gates—“looking into the eyes of children my own age, who were begging on the streets for a living, and wondering why I had the fortunate life I had, and they had theirs.” Becoming aware at such an early age of the inequities brought on by economic disparity, the caste system, lack of education, and a cycle of poverty that often results in human trafficking and bonded labor involving the youngest and most vulnerable, Ingram was compelled to act. Back in the United States, the now-seventh grader began an ambitious project—writing a novel centered on India’s child slave labor issue. Over the course of the next six years, her personal interests and determination to effect positive change would twice return her to the heart of India, the first time in pursuit of research for her novel, the second to take part in an nonprofit initiative tackling the root causes of slavery, and empowering a section of its young adults to rise above circumstance through education, entrepreneurship, community activism, and self-advocacy.

Chandi Ingram (SHP ’16) The Activist Philanthropic Area of Interest: Education and advocacy for human rights, with an emphasis on stopping child slave labor and human trafficking in India’s poverty-stricken regions Service Experience: Researched root causes and co-authored comprehensive human rights curriculum to educate high school graduates from rural and urban communities toward financial security and individual empowerment; worked on team engaging local Bangalore craftsmen in online market to establish international consumer audience and further financial stability Organizations Served: Jeevika Trust and Dwaraka Foundation/ Anita Reddy Number of Years: 3 SHP Credits: Basketball Team (2016 CCS Champions); Lacrosse Team; Heart Beat staff writer, section editor; Student Executive Council; Sacred Heart Network Exchange (Barcelona, Spain); Senior Independent Study; Legacy Summer Internship recipient Plans Post-graduation: USC for international relations for a global economy, minor in human rights (awarded a full-ride Trustee Scholarship); self-publish original novel Freedom Child on Amazon (freedomchild.net); continue support for Dwaraka; eventually become a human rights lawyer and/or journalist and create an NGO

Working for activist Anita Reddy on a Legacy Summer Internship, Ingram was tasked with researching and mapping out a transformational one year program that would effectively move 17-19year-old students from classroom to steady workplace, financial self-sufficiency, and leadership in their home communities. Encountering language barriers, different learning styles and cultural factors, and core ideas that came across as foreign or new (especially in the area of individual rights), Ingram met every challenge with patience and an open mind, never losing sight of why she was there. “So many [equate the idea of] slavery with the American Civil War, human beings with chains around their arms. But in many ways, modern slavery is more psychological, people trapped because they have no other solution, because they literally have no money and no resources and are forced to put themselves in bonded situations. But with education about what their individual rights are, helping them gain self-confidence and stand up for themselves, they can begin to see a different path and possibility. And that can make all the difference.”

Code,” however, changed everything. Treating the students more professionally, hosting a series of speakers from Silicon Valley companies, emphasizing the urgent need for gender and racial diversity in the high tech industry, and incorporating field trips to tech giants like Google, Intel, and Facebook, the program ignited Shanahan’s passion and made her think seriously about a future career in STEM. It also made her take a critical look at what she felt the industry was doing wrong in terms of recruiting future innovators and leaders. “If you look at where companies are reaching out, or what courses are regularly offered, it’s mostly in high school,” she says. “But really, that’s way too late. There needs to be more opportunities at the middle school level, so that kids can [develop the skills] and get excited about the possibilities much earlier on.” Putting her theory to the test, Shanahan went after and won a Legacy Internship, enabling her to devise and teach her own computer science curriculum over summer to a younger and more diverse audience through the Peninsula Bridge Program at Sacred Heart. Working with a mix of about 45 fifth- and seventh-graders over a two week block, she utilized game design as the easiest and most alluring entry point for programming, knowing that her class had little-to-no experience at all with computer science.

Riley Shanahan (SHP ’16) The Techie Philanthropic Area of Interest: Teaching tangible computer science skills targeting students in grades 5-8, inspiring careers in STEM Service Experience: Devised three-sequence computer curriculum (game development, website development, appbuilding), taught computer program course with games-building emphasis to underserved middle schoolers Organization Served: Peninsula Bridge Program (SHS site) Number of Years: 1 SHP Credits: Soccer Team (2014 CCS Champions), Legacy Summer Internship recipient; Sacred Heart Society; Model United Nations Team; CHOMP writer; Yearbook; Retreat Ambassador Plans Post-graduation: University of California, Berkeley for program in computer science; mobile app development apprenticeship with Expedia, summer contract work (web marketing) for Hackbright Academy, volunteering with Bridge; continue mentoring/education connected with under-resourced adolescents in the Berkeley/Oakland

“Using a basic drag-and-drop coding program, I had them create around six to eight games, all structured more around problemsolving than driven by knowing coding language. Within the program, they could follow the prompts, or dive in deeper to personalize and enhance their game. What I quickly saw is that it was really important to not be rigid with daily goals, but more go at the pace these kids wanted...to let that passion happen and grow [organically]. And from it, these kids really took off. I remember one boy who showed incredible creativity and artistry in design— better than I think a high school kid could do—all [manipulated] through this laptop which was new to him. “Most important, though, I started and ended the program with giving them a taste of what this is about—the same things that inspired me. I talked to them about the [intersection] of computers and a range of fields, like doctors working with robotic arms, or devices created to help someone who’s impaired. I also coordinated a field trip to the Google campus, where they got to meet some engineers and see the projects they work with, and play with a Google robot. It was such an important moment, to be able to [visualize] what they could be capable of, and what’s really out there for them in the world of computer science.”

mere three years ago, Riley Shanahan didn’t know much about computers, and what she knew, didn’t excite her that much. Taking a summer course called “Girls Who 47

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2016

SHS Hosts 118th Commencement Ceremony Prep graduates 144 students

Sacred Heart Preparatory graduated 144 students on May 27 on the SHP Soccer Field at the 118th commencement ceremony at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton. Graduates from the Class of 2016 will attend 70 different post-secondary institutions. Sixty-eight will attend colleges in California, 76 are enrolling in institutions out of state, and 30 graduates will attend Catholic colleges. Twenty-seven students earned recognition by the National Merit Scholarship program, 18 have committed to play collegiate athletics, and 17 members of the graduating class have been on the Sacred Heart campus for 12 or more years. The Class of 2016’s valedictorian was William Horvath, who will enroll at Yale University in the fall. The salutatorian was Liam Clancy, who plans to attend the University of Southern California. The recipients of the Blue Ribbons, the highest honor Sacred Heart Prep bestows upon a senior at graduation for embodying the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart Education, were: Goal I: A personal and active faith in God–Juliana Ayala Garcilazo, Mark Bechtel, and Jacquelyn Louie; Goal II: A deep respect for intellectual values–John Desler and Komal Kumar; Goal III: A social awareness which impels to action–Lauren Morrissey and Jaclyn Tsiang; Goal IV: The building of community as a Christian value–Joshua Lin, Brianna Roque, and Sarah Spreng; and Goal V: Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom–Diaja Smith. The Dark Blue Ribbons were presented to Ted Catlin, Andrew Daschbach, and Sofia Surraco for exemplifying all five Goals and Criteria.

Blue Ribbon Winners Top row (l to r): Mark Bechtel, Andrew Daschbach, Edward “Ted” Catlin, and John Desler. Center row (l to r): Diaja Smith, Joshua Lin, Jacquelyn Louie, Sofia Surraco, and Juliana Ayala Garcilazo. Front row (l to r): Brianna Roque, Jaclyn Tsiang, Lauren Morrissey, Sarah Spreng, and Komal Kumar

(Above) Valedictorian William Horvath receives his diploma from Director of Schools Richard A. Dioli. (Left) Following tradition, the graduates toss their caps in the air at the close of the commencement ceremony.

Where the Class of 2016 is Headed Academy of Art University Beloit College Boston College Brown University Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Cal Poly, Pomona Chapman University Claremont McKenna College Colgate University Columbia University Cornell University DePaul University Duke University Georgetown University Gonzaga University Holy Cross College Indiana University at Bloomington Johns Hopkins University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mount St. Mary’s University New York University Northeastern University Northern Arizona University

Presbyterian College Saint Mary’s College of California Santa Clara University Scripps College Southern Methodist University St. John’s College Stanford University Texas Christian University The University of Arizona The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of Texas, Austin Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of Chicago University of Colorado at Boulder University of Hawaii at Manoa

University of Kansas University of Maryland, College Park University of Michigan University of Mississippi University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of Southern California University of St. Andrews University of the Pacific University of Virginia University of Washington University of Wisconsin, Madison Vassar College Wake Technical Community College Washington University in St. Louis Wellesley College Wesleyan University Yale University

MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS OF 2016

Middle School Commencement Sacred Heart graduates 66 eighth graders On June 11, the Sacred Heart Middle School graduated 66 eighth graders during its 110th commencement ceremony, taking place at the newly named Michael E. Murphy Grove on the LMS campus. Recognizing students for outstanding work, the American Legion of Honor Citizenship Award was presented to Joseph Patrick Frimel and Isabella Jordan; the Kate Basile de Blois Alumni Scholarship Award was given to Alan Kagiri; and 21 students graduated with honors from the California Junior Scholarship Federation.

(Above) Kate Basile de Blois Alumni Scholarship Award winner, Alan Kagiri, is presented his diploma by Lower & Middle Schools Principal Francesca Brake.

(Above) Joseph Patrick Frimel and Isabella Jordan receive the American Legion of Honor Citizenship Award.

(Left) Sasha Bellack â&#x20AC;&#x2039;is all smiles receiving her Middle School diploma. (Below) Graduates gather together prior to the ceremony beginning.

(Right) Addressing the proud crowd of parents, families, faculty, and staff, Student Council President Jake Birdwell reflects on his time at the LMS.

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni return to campus for the Middle School Mater Ceremony

ALUMNI NEWS

From the Alumni Association President Dear Fellow Alumni, Our Alumni Association loves giving back to Sacred Heart graduates. We continue to work hard to offer relevant and fun social events, intellectual growth opportunities, and service projects for generations of alumni who have shared in the Sacred Heart experience. While our preference is to give—whether in benefits, special programming, or resources—today, we ask for your help. You have so much value to offer the Alumni Association and Sacred Heart community as a whole. Thousands of alumni, current students and parents, and future alumni and parents of alumni are eager to hear you how you are living out the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart Education, to learn from your success, and find inspiration in your individual stories. What’s the easiest and quickest ways you can add value to your SHS Alumni Association? Here are a few ideas that will make a difference: 1) Share your story. Help us tell the Sacred Heart story through our most essential asset, our alumni! Know a fellow grad who is doing something really interesting or inspirational? Drop an email, send a picture, make a call, or stop by the alumni office! 2) Keep us in the loop. Got married? Earned a professional degree? Moved to a foreign country? Won a Nobel Prize, conducting groundbreaking research, or published your first novel? Whatever your update, we’re eager to hear and include your news in our Sacred Heart Magazine. 3) Show your Sacred Heart pride. Snap a photo wearing school/Gator gear, attending an event with fellow alums, or reading a copy of the Sacred Heart Magazine while on holiday and submit to us. We’ll share on social media, the web, or in print. 4) Nominate worthy alumni. Each spring, we issue a callout for Sacred Heart alumni candidates to be honored with the Spirit of Mater, SHP Athletic Hall of Fame, and Saint Joseph’s School Henry Schimpf awards. Details and nomination criteria, and sub mission instructions can be found at www.shschools.org/alumawards. 5) Give us feedback. Tell us how you have benefited from our alumni programs! Have you been part of the internship or mentorship program? Please let us know about your experience, including what you liked or didn’t like; we always are looking for ways to improve. As always, don’t hesitate to be in touch with Alumni Relations Manager Shannon Melinauskas at alumni@shschools.org, or to reach out to me or any other Alumni Board members directly. In Your Service, Christine O’Neal (SJS ’94, SHP ’98)

Converging In April 2017, the rhythmic strains of school song “Coeur de Jésus” will reverberate down the San Francisco Peninsula, as members of the Associated Alumnae & Alumni of Sacred Heart (AASH) gather from across the country for their biannual meeting. The five-day conference, “Celebrate the Past, Create the Future,” will predominantly take place on the campus of the Convent of the Sacred Heart/Stuart Hall in San Francisco, but will include a half-day program on the Atherton campus. In the works for the SHS portion are a visit with the Sisters residing 56

at Oakwood, a tour of the grounds, and a panel discussion led by alumnus and high school faculty member Dan Brady (SHP ’04) around Sacred Heart’s innovative design-thinking model, Creative Inquiry. Begun in 1930, AASH functions as a national network for Sacred Heart graduates, bridging together the 24 schools in the U.S. and Canada, fostering a sense of unity among the more than 40,000 alumnae/i and with the Society, and furthering the mission and ministries of the RSCJ.

In Session

Lecture series marks return of beloved teacher They came from neighboring towns and as far away as Colorado. Some were once colleagues, others former students, still others representing a new generation, ripe for the rich stories and keen perspective of a practiced artist, offered by the new alumni lecture series. But to a one, all of them were there to experience the pure joy of a Janet Whitchurch class. For more than three decades, Whitchurch held students in thrall as a member of Sacred Heart’s high school fine arts faculty, teaching courses in studio art, art history, and freshman history. Retiring from teaching in 2003, she exchanged her career in scholarship for fulltime pursuit as a working artist and book illustrator. Bringing the same passion and energy onto a canvas as she did to her classroom, Whitchurch’s eye for detail and embrace of subject matter are evident in her collection. Feeling completely at home leading an SHS class, Janet Whitchurch held An exhibition of works from her recent series, PALs, former colleagues, and RSCJ in thrall as she discussed her artistry. “John Steinbeck’s Salinas Valley and River,” preceded the lecture and served as the basis for the evening’s discussion. Relating stories regarding both inspiration and process, she once again wove a spell over her Sacred Heart audience with a vivid spectrum of humor, history, and personal connection.

alumni,

Against a verdant backdrop of the SHS organic garden, Dr. Stewart Slafter offered advice on “Sustainability for Busy People” at the second faculty lecture for alumni and PALs, held June 2. During the event, attendees toured the SHS farm and the multiple herbal and vegetable beds dotting the LMS campus; dined on light fare utilizing ingrediants harvested or made on campus and prepared by Epicurean’s Executive Chef Marc Frias; sampled an original craft beer supplied by alumnus Sean Cole (SHP ’92); and strolled through the expansive main garden, where guests were encouraged to “pick their own organic souvenir” from the evening.

Key People

Alumnae share insight about women in tech

Honoring the Convent Name Led by alumna Roberta (Mullin) Carcione (CSH ’65), a new scholarship fund has been established to honor the high school’s former name of Convent of the Sacred Heart (CSH). Reflecting its purpose as both school for young ladies and primary residence for the Religious of the Sacred Heart, the Convent operated under the moniker until 1984, at which point the boarding program ceased and the school became a co-educational institution. Gifts to the CSH Scholarship Fund will be directed to the financial support of eligible students enrolled at Sacred Heart Preparatory, with a goal to permanently endow the fund as an alumnae-driven legacy. Whitehouse (left) and Howard talk to members of the Women’s Group in January.

At an SHS Women’s Group meeting in spring, invited speakers Kira Whitehouse (SHP ’10) and Kristie Howard (SHP ’10) shared insight with current SHP students on pursuing a career in computer science, from the paucity of women in college programs to what is required in the entry market and what the workplace is really like. Having earned bachelor’s degrees in management-engineering from Claremont McKenna College and in computer science from Columbia University, Howard is now a software engineer with startup Docker, Inc. in San Francisco. Whitehouse, who graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s in computer science, currently works for tech giant Google, also as a software engineer.

Musician and songwriter Rooney Pitchford (SHP ’11) launched his debut album “Familiar Places,” following a highly successful Kickstarter campaign.

Last fall, writer Alex Braslavsky (SHP ’13, at right) conducted a poetry workshop on campus, joined by fellow alumna Maddie Mattehews (SHP ’13, at left) and about 35 student and faculty attendees, discussing the creative process, sharing some of her 58 work, and leading a number of writing exercises.

Rite of Passage

Alumni return to campus for Middle School and Prep ceremonies Each year alumni spanning generations return to campus to celebrate the Sacred Heart bond at the Middle School Mater Ceremony and Prep Pinning Ceremony. Held in the Main Building Chapel, faculty, staff, and alumni join the eighth graders for a reflective prayer service. The Mater Ceremony culminates with each student receiving a Mater Admirabilis pendant from an alumni, honoring their transition from eighth grade to high school. The Pinning Ceremony, hosted just prior to commencement exercises, serves as the graduating class’ official welcoming into the Alumni Association. Seniors select alumni from any Sacred Heart school in the international network or RSCJ to pin them with a special Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton gold pin.

(Above) Mary “Be” Mardel, RSCJ (CSH ’35) welcomes Dylan Modesitt (SHP ’16) into the Sacred Heart Alumni Association at the Pinning Ceremony. (Left) Susie (O’Brien) Frimel (SJS ’83, SHP ’87) places the Mater pin on her son, J.P. (LMS ’16), during the Middle School Mater Ceremony in the Main Building Chapel.

Early this year, about 20 past parents met for a PALs Class Representatives program “reboot,” led by Alumni Relations Manager Shannon Melinauskas, and supported by Director of Schools Richard Dioli. Serving as an important conduit for information between the alumni and school communities, the group, representing the Classes of 2000 to 2015, embraced its redrawn charter. Interested in becoming a PALs rep? Visit www.shschools.org/alumni for more information. In spring, a record number of PALs also gathered at Stanford University for a cultural outing to explore the Anderson Art Collection, guided by alumna Putter (Anderson) Pence (SJS ’73, CSH ’77). The afternoon event, which included a lively reception, drew about 80 past Sacred Heart parents and alumnae representing five decades.

My Life in China

Alumna shares personal story of life abroad By Ann Elizabeth Roddy (SJS ’73, CSH ’77) A redeemed idiom, “You can lead a horse to water and, in point of fact, make him drink,” is a fitting description of my early enchantment with China. I was born in New York City and my mother was an actress on Broadway. When time permitted, we would spend the day together, strolling down the block to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We discovered early on that the Chinese painting installation, a large gallery with carefully controlled lighting and temperature, was to become the guardian of my contentment. I would sit entranced before the subtle scrolls of long landscape, the contrasting and unbroken lengths of grassstroke calligraphy, in silent absorption, like the soft tamp-cloths old Chinese painters and calligraphers used to keep their ink from bleeding. The confluence of Chinese thought, language, studio and historical art from my early years to my high school years grew in swells, which lifted me quite weightlessly into a formal structure of appreciation for things I loved deeply. In high school, I was included in painting workshops at neighboring Stanford University, where abstract impression was the prominent school and suited me perfectly; by the time I graduated from Sacred Heart, I had participated in two group exhibitions. I applied to several universities, but decided I wanted to travel and live outside of convention. I moved to Europe and supported myself by doing lettering, signage, and painting—and at times it seemed absolutely nothing but being in love with the countryside, farming, animals, and foreign culture. After returning to the U.S. on a full scholarship to Mills College, I wound up leaving school to pursue some art projects, working as a newspaper columnist and on a few large commissions for corporations. I then enrolled at the University of Minnesota where I had my first full Chinese curriculum, and by graduation I had read every Chinese work in the English language, and a good deal of philosophy, poetry, and fiction in both Chinese and Japanese. I graduated with honors in three degrees: Chinese language and literature, Japanese language, and studio art. Accepted to UC Berkeley’s graduate program, I made the decision to defer, in order to take a two-year fellowship at China’s Beijing University. It was during the second year of my fellowship that I met Bernardo Bertolucci, who had arrived in town with around 30 crew members to begin location scouting and pre-production for The Last Emperor, the first international co-production ever filmed in China. The Beijing Film Studio was not far from the university, and since summer was approaching I went to the studios and offered my services as an interpreter for the production. I was strongly influenced—visually and poetically—by all Italian cinema, and was absolutely thrilled with the thought of assisting in the filmmaking of Bertolucci in China. The production manager instructed me to come back for an interview, followed by a larger interview and then a lunch. 60

A little terrified, but confident that I had reached this stage because of my affinity and training, I went to the lunch and was seated somewhere down the side of a long, linen-covered table among the director’s crew. Bertolucci was at the head of the table surrounded by his assistant directors; he started speaking in English and referred to me as “John Wayne,” who I later learned was his favorite American actor. I wasn’t sure what sort of prompt that was so I didn’t say anything and just tried to force some food down my throat to buy some time to think. Then he said in Italian to the first assistant director that he “wanted John Wayne on the film.” So, this was the beginning of a new profession for me in production, as a researcher and interpreter. This career in Chinese-subject filmmaking went on for many years, and I found that my early research, interest, and tremendous resourcefulness made me feel quite useful in a way that I appreciated. I moved more into the creative field of story concept, subject treatment, historical research, and script writing. The Italian producer of The Last Emperor, Franco Giovale, proposed the development of a dramatic historical trilogy based on the life of the Tang Dynasty magistrate Judge Di. I was hired to research and recreate the authentic Judge Di, or Di Ren Jie An, the mystery cases of Magistrate Di. (Left) Writer, researcher, and art director Roddy consults with legendary director Bernardo Bertolucci. (Below) Roddy was instrumental as an interpreter and cultural consultant on Bertolucci’s 1987 Oscar-winning film, The Last Emperor.

In 1989 the Tian An Men Massacre changed they way the world viewed China, and all sources of foreign funding were relinquished as China became considered revolutionary territory an insurmountable risk for investment. This was a good exit point for me too, as I wanted a break from the life of film production.

material in my stories the more I wanted to become better skilled in research and translation to reproduce some of the more obscure and fascinating aspects Chinese thought and belief systems for a popular audience, namely Daosit female divinities and their role in the feminization of the Buddhist goddess Guan Yin.

For several years following, I worked throughout China in various positions as a teacher, cultural consultant, and liaison to facilitate cooperative understanding of China and working successfully with the Chinese people. Because of my instrumentality in unprecedented Chinese and Western coproduction, I hired by the Beijing Olympic Games organizing committee to create a learning platform to explain Chinese traditions to foreign dignitaries and athletes.

In the decades to come I feel that the global understanding of China and its role in the future of civilization will require much more authenticity and transparency in order to dissolve cultural barriers and stereotypes, and create a new wave of awareness, and global cooperation. I hope to be a part of its constellation.

My interest and work in China and with Chinese culture was more of a popular, global necessity than an academic specialty, but in fact my real strength was in authenticity, in the dissolution of western concepts of oriental exoticism and direct racism that was manifest in Hollywood characterizations. Later I began to write short stories about these experiences, and the more I examined the

The film having won a total of nine Academy Awards, Roddy (second from left) celebrates with Emperor’s composer Cong Su, the first Chinese to win an Oscar.

The Shot That Almost Wasn’t It was the week we were preparing to film the coronation scene of the infant emperor Pu Yi, a crucial moment in the narrative and in the on-location production work for The Last Emperor. The scene was composed of 5,000 extras in full regalia, bowing in succession in the massive courtyard in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in reverence and anticipation for the arrival of the child emperor. Every extra, mainly soldiers in the Chinese army, was dressed in layers of costume that would reveal his rank and file, while the steady cam operator, under Bertolucci’s direction, was to weave himself through their appointed positions, until the boy took his place on the throne in the Palace of Supreme Harmony, becoming the last emperor of China. Each and every morning, the production was required to clear permissions to film on all of the locations proposed in our contracts with the Beijing Film Studio and government authorities. On that particular morning, however, we received official notice that permission to film the scene in the Palace of Supreme Harmony had been withdrawn. No Chinese had ever been allowed to enter there and apparently the fact that a western film crew was granted permission inflamed the conservative fabric of public policy. Given that this was the largest orchestration of the story and a pivotal scene in film, Bertolucci was devastated. He had the producer summon me immediately to his large formal office at the Beijing Film Studio, where I found the great director nearly white with anguish and speechless. After several minutes he asked if together we could compose a letter to Deng Xiaoping, that would communicate the deep, cultural significance of

this scene in a Chinese manner and authenticity that may possibly move the Premiere to change his mind and keep our original contractual agreement. Well, we stayed up all night long composing and rewriting and rethinking this critical message, between Italian and English and finally into Chinese. I left the office around seven in the morning with pages of my final draft, handed it to the producer, who then gave it to a court calligrapher to write up in official script, and it was delivered to the Premiere that afternoon. With a lot of luck and hard work, fortunately the follow morning when we checked our permissions, we were granted entrance, and the iconic scene—which eventually became the memorable backdrop for the film’s marketing poster—was allowed to proceed. 61

Alumni Class Notes

Convent of the Sacred Heart • Sacred Heart Elementary • St. Joseph’s • Sacred Heart Prep

Note: Alumni entries are categorized by highest year of attendance. If an alumnus/a is a graduate of multiple campuses, a notation will appear next to the name, prior to the submitted news. CONVENT OF THE SACRED HEART (CSH) CSH Class of 1973 Since the Class of 1973’s 40th reunion in 2013, the class has continued to grow closer and try to get together much more often, including a Christmas lunch every December. Notably, classmates Jean Prinvale Swenk, Linda Power Holden, and Ana Carlotta Araujo have been delighted to join with Eugenia “Gena” Pares-Reyna McGowan to celebrate the wedding of her daughter, the birth of her first granddaughter, Maria Amelia Kramer, and this past March, the wedding of her son. During the May commencement ceremony at Boston College, Gena Pares-Reyna McGowan was awarded an honorary

doctorate in humane letters for her work with dual-language immersion programs, efforts which have significantly benefited St. Matthew Catholic School, an inner-city K-8 school in Phoenix, AZ, where she serves as principal. Noted in the program, “When Gena McGowan took over as principal, she transformed the way the inner-city school educates a student body whose families live at or below the poverty level. She led the school through two successful reaccreditation processes and re-structured the way the school uses assessment data... But the most dramatic step was the school’s adoption of a dual-language immersion curriculum, where proficiency in both English and Spanish in all subjects is the guiding principle. Two years ago, St. Matthew joined the 18 schools that are now part of the Boston College Roche Center for Catholic Education’s Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools (TWINCS), which provides curriculum support, professional development, and a network for dual-language Catholic schools. Jean Prinvale Swenk received the Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President Obama, recognized for more than 100 volunteer hours given last year to the Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto. She notes, “my role is ‘House Warmer’—someone who works at the front desk and responds to phone calls, questions, comments, etc. This week we celebrated the grand opening of the new expansion, so that hopefully for the first time in the House’s 37 year history, RMH will have enough rooms so no one who needs a place to stay has to be turned away.”

CSH ’73-ers Eugenia “Gena” Pares-Reyna McGowan, Jean Marie Prinvale Swenk, Colleen Casey, Meghan Kramer, and Ana Carlota Araujo gather for a mini-reunion lunch in April

Jean also recently traveled to Halifax, Nova Scotia and visited the Sacred Heart school there. “What a delight to discover that

Sr. Rude, principal when we were at the Convent, now lives there (as luck would have it, she was back here in the US when I was there). I got a fun tour of the of course gorgeous building/grounds. I also this past year visited our network school in New Orleans. Wherever I go, it always feel a lot like ‘home.’ That’s the power of the Sacred Heart spirit!” SACRED HEART PREPARATORY (SHP) SHP Class of 1993 Margarita Woc Colburn, DVM earned her BS in biology and MS in conservation biology at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2003, she earned her DVM degree from Cornell University Veterinary School. She completed a Zoological Medicine and Surgery residency at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, in conjunction with Oklahoma City Zoo. Currently, she is the associate veterinarian at the Nashville Zoo, where she is the SSP Veterinary Advisor for Giant anteaters and Tamanduas. She is currently researching the causes of gastrointestinal disease in Giant Anteaters.

Photo credit: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Promoted? Moving? Married? New baby? New job? Please share your news with us for a future issue of the Sacred Heart Magazine at SHMagazine@shschools.org. All submissions may be edited for length and clarity, and digital photographs are welcome, too!

Margarita Woc Colburn, DVM (left) checking the vitals of a red panda

SHP Class of 1996 Previously with Yahoo, Intuit, NOOK, and GitHub, Kelly Dragovich was recently named senior vice president of people for San Francisco startup Hired, Inc. Among her volunteer activities, she has served as an SHRM mentor for young professionals and coached AYSO youth soccer.

SHP Class of 1997 After nearly six years living and working in Hong Kong, Christopher Gould (SJS ’93) and his wife, Aly, will return to U.S. in June. They are excited their daughter Eleanor will start SHS in the fall. Peter Sachs is an air traffic control specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration, stationed at San Francisco International Airport, and is a subject matter expert on radar and electronic flight strips systems. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Whitman College, and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern.

As director of partnerships for Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival/ Tribeca Enterprises, Danielle DiPaola was among three young female “powerhouses” profiled in Club Monaco’s spring campaign. SHP Class of 2004 Andrew Dryden is the vice president of operations for Medialets. SHP Class of 2005

Photo credit: Jennifer Broski

Nic Rouleau has returned from a yearlong stint at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London’s West End, and is back home in Broadway’s Eugene O’Neil SHP Class of 2001 Theatre, reprising his Molly Coogan is taking part starring role in the Perry Mansfield New in the TonyWorks Festival in Colorado this award winning summer, released a new, original musical, Moll&Rell comedy sketch on The Book of YouTube, and successfully Mormon. In crowdfunded the first season of March, he and her webseries, “Things I Hate.” fellow cast members were SHP Class of 2002 invited to “flip the switch” After eight years working at the Empire foreign affairs issues at the State Building, Pentagon, Jaime Poole is lighting it currently assigned to U.S. Africa up in orange Command, headquartered in and white in Stuttgart, Germany as of January celebration 2016. Jaime and her husband of the show’s Nic Rouleau (right) and fellow plan to be in Germany for the next Mormon cast members light up the five-year Empire State Building three-to-five years. Jaime also has a Broadway run. master’s degree in government and global security studies from Johns Hopkins University and is an Ironman triathlete. SHP Class of 2009 SHP Class of 2003 Kendra Armstrong is currently employed at the Bank of America corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC where she is a Human Resources Manager supporting Global Risk Management. She holds a bachelor’s in communications and Spanish from Wake Forest University and an MBA in strategic human resource management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is Vice Chair of the Wisconsin Business Alumni Board and was recently highlighted as one of “8 to Watch Under 40” by the Wisconsin School of Business.

Jimmy Morgan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2013 with a BFA, and is a working actor residing in New York. In early summer, he temporarily returned to the Bay Area to take part in the Palo Alto Players’ production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. While local, he headed back to SHP to lead a freshman and sophomore drama class.

Danielle DiPaola (left) with fellow Tribeca colleagues profiled by Club Monaco

SHP Class of 2011 A 2015 graduate of Northwestern University, Ali Shields currently writes for and performs with legendary improv group The Second City in Chicago. Over summer she took part in the Women’s Comedy Festival at Stage 773 with female improv group, Eggs, No Sausage, and an original play she authored was featured in the American Theater Company’s Bridge Program. While a student at Northwestern, Ali co-founded Lipstick Theater, a student performance group “tackling women’s issues and providing female theater artists with more opportunities for artistic growth and expression.” SHP Class of 2012 Following leading an eight-member team to a first-place finish at the Associated Schools of Construction national competition, A.J. Chamorro was one of 21 undergraduate and graduate Cal PolySan Luis Obispo students honored at the California State Capitol on Feb. 1 as part of the school’s academic “Champions Tour.”

Jimmy Morgan (center) with SHP drama students

All In the Family

Fund established to support Kairos Thanks to a generous endowment gift from the Verne C. Johnson Family Foundation, the Kairos retreat program’s future is secure, ensuring Sacred Heart seniors continue to have the opportunity for profound introspection, self-awareness, and personal faith development at a critical juncture in their lives—as they prepare to graduate high school. Kairos, a Greek word meaning “opportune moment,” is the SHP culmination of a series of faith-based retreats experienced during the high school years. Grounded in Christian theology but open to students of all faiths, the three-day off-campus retreat includes prayer, discussion, reflection, and sacraments, and is constructed to encourage honest sharing of personal successes and challenges, openness to vulnerability of self and others, and a new or renewed sense of God’s purpose in the individual’s life. Currently an optional program for SHP seniors, Kairos regularly attracts about 90 percent participation each year, and is regarded by students as one of the most impactful activities of their Sacred Heart careers.

The Carol and Verne Johnson Endowed Fund honors the grandparents of Lizzey (SHP ’13) and Will Johnson (LMS ’12, SHP ’16), and Matthew (LMS ’15, SHP ’19) and Christine Flynn (SJS ’09, SHP ’13). Not pictured, Lisa Flynn (SJS ’06, SHP ’10).

The newly established Carol and Verne Johnson Endowed Fund for the Kairos Retreat Program will provide critical underwriting support and enable future generations of Sacred Heart Prep students to benefit from this vital experience. Speaking on behalf of the Johnson Family Foundation, trustee and current Sacred Heart parent Diane (Johnson) Flynn said, “A strong faith, recognition of the divine in all things, and the development

All-In...Again! The SHS Annual Fund continued its record streak of garnering 100 percent pledged participation from all current parents for the 2015-2016 campaign. Closing the books on the fiscal year in June, the fund once again exceeded its goal with community members pledging generous financial support to help meet the “gap” between tuition and actual cost of educating an SHS student, ensuring that vital programs and a diverse community remain top priorities for the school. We are so very grateful to all of our donors for their continued loyal support and thoughtful investment in the students of Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton. Salute!

of a personal relationship with God were essential to my parents’ beliefs, instilled within our family growing up. The Kairos program at Sacred Heart is truly exceptional and life-changing for so many young people, and a fitting way to honor the ideals my parents held so close to their hearts. My children, Lisa, Christine, and Matthew, along with my brother Ron’s children, Lizzey and Will, are direct beneficiaries of this incredible program.”

Saturday, October 1, 2016 SHS Campus • 150 Valparaiso Avenue • Atherton 3:00 p.m. Goûter at Oakwood 4:00 p.m. Mass in Main Building Chapel 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Oktoberfest Celebration 5:30 p.m. Alumni Awards Presentation Outdoors behind Main Building $25 per person (includes food and beverages) Children 12 and under free

RSVP and find more information at WWW.SHSCHOOLS.ORG/ALUMNIDAY Contact alumni@shschools.org or 650.454.8394 with questions, to update your email address or get milestone class reunion information.

All alumni and families are welcome Sacred Heart Prep Convent of the Sacred Heart St. Joseph’s School Sacred Heart Elementary

Milestone Reunions

2011 - 5 th Reunion 2006 - 10th Reunion 2001 - 15th Reunion 1996 - 20th Reunion 1991 - 25th Reunion 1986 - 30th Reunion 1981 - 35th Reunion 1976 - 40th Reunion 1971 - 45th Reunion 1966 - 50th Reunion 1961 - 55th Reunion 1956 - 60th Reunion

150 Valparaiso Avenue Atherton, California 94027-4402

Invest in Our Future As simple as making a bequest in your will, a planned gift to Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) can be a wonderful way to demonstrate your belief in its mission and your desire to safeguard its future. “In past, we felt we were not in a position to give to the school at the level we would have liked. Still, we very much wanted to show our appreciation for all that Sacred Heart has meant to our three daughters. The Tower Circle Society was a means for us to be able to support SHS in the future through our will. “We are thrilled that this avenue exists, allowing us to give in a manner more comfortable for us, to the Sacred Heart community that we so cherish.”

—Sara and Steve Steppe, parents of Cami (LMS ’13, SHP ’17), Kennedy (SJS ’08, SHP ’12), and Ali (SHP ’11).

Establish your SHS legacy today. For more information on joining our Tower Circle Society through a planned gift, please contact Director of Institutional Advancement Karen Rogers, krogers@shschools.org or 650.473.4090.