Horizons: Summer, 2011

Summer 2011

embracing

future

the

Summer 2011

Convent of the Sacred Heart 1177 King Street Greenwich, CT 06831 Tel: (203) 531-6500 www.cshgreenwich.org Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 Editor Kathleen S. Failla Contributors Victoria Taylor Allen, Rebecca Cash, Nick D’Agostino, Kathleen A. Feeney ’98, Elizabeth Fernandez, Pamela Juan Hayes ’64, Highpoint Pictures, Dr. Ann Marr, Dr. William Mottolese, Mandy Dawson Murphy ’85, Mary Musolino, Nicole Narea ’12, Jenna Nobs ’11, David Olson, Isabella Sio ’16, Ellyn Stewart, Kelly Stone, Paula Tennyson, Linda Vasu, Joe Vericker, Lori Wilson Designer Good Design, LLC Printing Original Impressions Mail letters to the editor: Kathleen S. Failla faillak@cshgreenwich.org Send address changes: Office of Institutional Advancement developmentTeam@cshgreenwich.org Send alumnae news: To class agents or Kathleen A. Feeney ’98 feeneyk@cshgreenwich.org

Board of Trustees 2011–2012 Pamela Juan Hayes ’64, Head of School Paula Tennyson, Chair Kimberly J. Huchro Imma De Stefanis, rscj, Vice Chair Jeanet H. Irwin Donald E. Foley, Treasurer Kevin A. Knight Joseph N. Walsh III, Secretary Robert G. Leary Patricia E. Molloy Neil A. Augustine Deborah Brown Murdock Bridget Bearss, rscj Mandy Dawson Murphy ’85 James T. Bretzke, S.J. Bernadette Prato, Parents’ Assn. President Joseph J. Ciancaglini Mary Ellen Vouté Sutherland ’85 Lenore de Csepel Patreece Williams-Creegan ’84, Frances de La Chapelle, rscj Alumnae Assn. President Lorena Ferrara Charles A. Fishkin M i ss i o n S tat e m e n t Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, founded in 1848, is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school for young women, from preschool through grade 12. True to its international heritage, the School provides students with experiences of diversity and welcomes students of all races, socioeconomic backgrounds and religious beliefs. Convent of the Sacred Heart, steeped in a solid academic tradition, educates women to have independence of judgment, personal freedom and strength of character so that they can become leaders with broad intellectual and spiritual horizons.

Service to others is a compelling commitment of our education, and the entire School community, as a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, is dedicated to the Goals and Criteria.

on the cover At commencement on June 3, Erin Aoyama ’11 embraces the second-grader who presented her with a bouquet of red roses, the traditional gift from the Lower School to the graduating seniors.

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FEATURE S 4 Future Problem Solving Teaches Students How to Think

By Dr. Ann Marr

6 Commencement 2011 14 2011 Auction: “Into the Wild”

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16 From Maplehurst in the 20th Century to Maple Trees at Greenwich in the 21st Century 20 Student Filmmakers Feature Global Issues at the CSH Film Festival 22 Book Club Skype Interview with Christina Diaz Gonzalez

By Isabella Sio ’16

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24 Spotlight on Curriculum 63 Behind the Door: 2011 National AASH Essay Winner

By Jenna Nobs ’11

D e pa r t m e n t s

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2 Message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees 3 Letter from the Head of School 26 Points of View 28 Around Campus 34 Sports Highlights

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38 Message from the Alumnae President 39 Alumnae Celebrate 44 Class Notes

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M e ss a g e f r o m Th e Ch a i r o f t h e B o a r d o f T r u s t e e s

Dear Convent of the Sacred Heart Family and Friends: Each year, the summer issue of Horizons celebrates the accomplishments and future promise of the most recent Convent of the Sacred Heart graduating class. It is another opportunity for us to share the pride and satisfaction their families and teachers feel about these bright young women as they go forth embodying all that is good about a Sacred Heart education.

Each of our seniors will be attending a wonderful institution of higher education.

These schools across the country have accepted extraordinary women who will

enrich their communities with a special blend of academic curiosity, devotion to the service of others, and a value system rooted in the Goals and Criteria that have carried them through their Sacred Heart years.

Having their time with us come to an end is always bittersweet. Because like their parents, while we want them to reach their greatest potential in the next stages of their lives, we will miss their smiles, energy and spirit on campus. We are so grateful to their parents for sharing their daughters with us, and we thank their families for believing in a Sacred Heart education.

So on behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is with a profound sense of gratitude that

Paula Tennyson

we celebrate our graduates and assure them that this will always be their home.

Paula Tennyson Chair, Board of Trustees

Goals and Criteria

As a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, the entire School community is dedicated to the following Goals and Criteria:

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Goal One A personal and active faith in God Goal Two A deep respect for intellectual values Goal Three A social awareness which impels to action Goal Four The building of community as a Christian value

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Goal Five Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.

Dear Members of the Sacred Heart Community: We end this our 162nd year with great spirit and hope for the future. Certainly we have much to be grateful for in all that has been accomplished from the hard work of so many. Above all else, we have, through our collective efforts committed to preserve and advance Sacred Heart education. We have named our work this year in the greater community, “The Building of Community as a Christian Value.”

Where is it that we have excelled? How do we at CSH, as centers for individual discourse, as sacred safe places for scholarship, friendship and community, come to terms with all that has come into our lives locally, nationally and internationally? The answer lives in the School’s commitment to our core values and mission – now more valuable and needed than ever before. The answer lies in each individual’s commitment to mission in whatever role they play in the School family.

This year, two criterion for defining our community stand out in my mind.

These for me are learning and growth.

They are omnipresent characteristics of our

community, evident in everything from the intellectual, spiritual and social development of individuals to the literal expansion of our programs and facilities.

We began our year recommitting ourselves to our mission, to service and to appreciating and nurturing the goodness around us. I believe that in the long run it is education that will make a difference in the course of the world and our individual lives. This year has been a time of hope, of opportunity to learn and engage the mind and fashion a future of unlimited possibility. Learning, as we know, is the key to deep and lasting change. Learning enables people to see possibilities and potentials within themselves and others and to envision a desirable, attainable future. Learning generates and continues the processes that constitute the journey of a successful life. Learning allows us to recognize and celebrate the diversity around us and inspires us to understand, to respect and to foster inclusion. Learning is life-long. Learning transforms.

There are always at CSH, Greenwich, special moments that illuminate the lives of students, faculty, staff, parents, alumnae and friends alike. In these moments the convergence of genius, talent, and, in some

C onvent of the S acred H eart

Letter from the head of school

cases divine inspiration lift learning above the expected to an understanding that develops wisdom for life. This year, we were blessed with so many of those moments.

It is my hope that we will continue to be learners of mind and heart, inspired by our Sacred Heart legacy. We have been blessed

by God with the companionship of each other, as we serve others. I want to thank each and every one of you for what you have brought to this community.

With love and gratitude,

Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 Head of School

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sept. 6 �������������������������������������������������������������First Day of School Sept. 9–30 ���������������������������������������������������������������� Class Coffees Sept. 21.................................. Middle School Back-to-School Night Sept. 17 & 24 ������������������������������ Parents’ Assn. Pot Luck Dinners Sept. 17 �����������������Heart Connections (SH Network athletic event) Sept. 19 �����������Parents’ Assn. host author-educator Rachel Simmons Sept. 22 �����������������������������������Lower School Back-to-School Night Sept. 26.............. Golf & Tennis Outing at Quaker Ridge Golf Club Sept. 30–Oct. 1 ������������������������������������������������ Alumnae Reunion Oct. 6.......................................Upper School Back-to-School Night Oct. 13.............................Middle School Mother-Daughter Liturgy Oct. 14.............................. Upper School Mother-Daughter Liturgy Oct. 22 �����������������������������������������������������������Fall Family Festival Oct. 27............................. Admission Open House for Upper School Nov. 1 ������������������������������������������������������� All Saints Day Liturgy Nov. 4................................ Middle School Father-Daughter Dance Nov. 5.................................. Upper School Father-Daughter Dance Nov. 5 �������������������������������������������������������Admission Open House Nov. 23–27 ����������������������������������������������������Thanksgiving break Dec. 3 ����������������������������������������������������������������� Christmas Party

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Future Problem Solving Teaches Students

how to think

By Dr. Ann Marr, Lower School head

Drop by the Lower School science lab almost any Thursday after school, and you’ll find teams of girls,

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from grades 4–12, enthusiastically at work solving futuristic problems relating to such global issues as cultural prejudice, sensory overload, orphaned children, pandemics, simulation technology, and invasive species.

The academic enrichment program is Future Problem Solving (FPS), originally the brainchild of creativity pioneer and educator, Dr. E. Paul Torrance, who, in 1974, took on the challenge of designing a curriculum to build the critical and creative thinking skills of gifted children. In so doing, he developed a way for bright students to think more creatively and productively about issues critical to our world. Today, FPS involves some 250,000 students annually in grades 4–12 throughout the United States and internationally.

Briefly, here’s how the program works at CSH. Interested students, who are recommended by their teachers and have permission from their parents, are invited to join the Future Problem Solving team and meet with me after school every Thursday, beginning in late September. (Girls in the upper divisions: intermediate, grades 7–9, and senior, grades 10–12, often meet instead before school.)

Students work in teams of about four on topics which are meaningful and relevant. Topics for the current academic year included healthy living, air transport, genetic testing, water quality, and emergency planning. After researching and learning all we could about a given topic, the teams were given an imagined futuristic scenario to study. From the scenario, the girls brainstormed 16 problems, an underlying problem, 16 solutions, criteria with which to judge their solutions, a numerical grid on which they quantitatively evaluated solutions, and, finally, a narrative description of the team’s “action plan.” The written packet completed by each team was mailed to the Connecticut FPS headquarters to be scored, along with the packets of all other participating schools. Each team then received not only a score, but valuable feedback on its work. Teams begin a new topic every six weeks.

I always tell parents that FPS is not for every child. It is designed for children who: • Love to read and read quickly and well • Are interested in current events • Have EXTRA time available after homework to devote to FPS • Are willing to make a yearlong commitment to the program as their teammates will be depending on them.

CSH’ s te am won the fol lo w i n g awa rds at t h e state com petition in Ma rch at UC ONN: Ludnie Rene ’19: The Medallion Award, presented to only one student in the entire state, based on her peers’ nominations.

This award celebrates a child who is encouraging, creative, and a great teammate.

Team members Grace Hirshorn ’11, Sarah Hirshorn ’13, Emily Hirshorn ’15, and Concetta Brusco ’15: First place award for dramatic presentation of best solution.

Grace Hirshorn ’11 is Connecticut’s first place FPS winner in the scenariowriting competition, senior division (grades 10–12), and represented our state and school at the International Conference this June.

©iStockphoto.com/aluxum

Girls involved in Future Problem Solving build their 21st century skills by focusing on relevant, real-world problems, as they develop divergent, precise and critical thinking skills; problem solving; organizational and research abilities; and creativity. Truly thinking “outside the box” and working in teams, the students also learn collaboration and teamwork, skills we know they will increasingly need, during and beyond their school years. They tackle social, scientific, political, economic, and technological issues, by approaching each seriously and imaginatively. I have found that the FPS program often brings out the best in our students.

Currently beginning our tenth year, Future Problem Solving is thriving at Sacred Heart. Student teams from CSH have been invited every year to represent our school at the Connecticut state conference held at the University of Connecticut, Storrs (UConn).

During the last four years, CSH students have been victorious at UConn, thereby earning invitations to the international conference, held at a selected U.S. university each June. Recent trips to Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin have been wonderful experiences for our girls, opportunities for them to stay on a college campus and to meet and exchange ideas with students from across the country as well as the nations of New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom.

This year, the FPS girls had a wonderful, successful weekend at the Connecticut competition in late March. Tackling the issue of water quality, they were presented with a futuristic scenario about water contamination in the region of the Danube River, where Ukraine and Romania meet. Faced with pharmaceutical contamination, endangered aquatic species, desalinization issues, and the potential for military response, the girls applied thoughtful and thorough research to this complex issue, arriving at excellent, creative solutions. 

FPS team, front row (left to right): Anneliese Hummel ’15, Concetta Brusco ’15, Emily Hirshorn ’15; back row: Grace Hirshorn ’11, Sarah Hirshorn ’13, Nola Jenkins ’15, Molly Geisinger ’15, Jessica Hummel ’15, Julia Davis ’15, Nephthalie Rene ’18

Hirsh o rn wins inter nat i o na l awa rds Grace Hirshorn ’11 represented the School and Connecticut at the International Future Problem Solving (FPS) Conference held in June at the University of Wisconsin. She brought home several top international awards.

Throughout her nine years in FPS, Grace has been coached Dr. Ann Marr, head of the Lower School and FPS coach.

“The conference was truly memorable and a wonderful way to end my FPS career,” said Grace, who, serendipitously, met three of her future Yale University classmates at the conference.

Grace was the first place international champion in the scenario-writing competition, senior division (grades 10–12). She also won first place for her on-site scenario-writing and was named the Best Writer in the Senior Division.

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Class 2011 of

presenting the 79 graduates of Convent of the Sacred Heart

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Anastassia Lindo

C onvent of the S acred H eart

Commencement Address

by Indra K. Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer of pepsico and csh parent Members of the Board of Trustees, distinguished faculty, guests, friends and family, and most of all, graduates of the class of 2011: I’m honored to be with you on this very special day.

Every commencement speech is unique for its own reasons.

Some are extremely funny. Some are insightful. Some are inspiring. Some are poignant.

My great fear is that today’s address will be memorable because your commencement speaker couldn’t get through a single sentence without crying like a baby.

So, fair warning: there may be more water at this podium today than in the Long Island Sound.

It was last September when I was asked to be the commencement speaker … but the announcement wouldn’t be made until a luncheon in May. So, for the last three months or so, I’ve been asking my daughter, Tara, who graduates today, “Tara, do you know who the commencement speaker is going to be?”

And she said, “Mom, no, but do you know what? I just hope this person doesn’t put us all to sleep because this is an important day. Last year, there was a good speaker.

This year, I just hope it’s someone fun.

Otherwise, it’s going to be tough.”

And I was sitting there thinking, “Oh my God, the bar has just been raised.”

So, when I actually went to the lunch and Pamela said, “Let me introduce you to the commencement speaker this year.” And I walked in: the whole group spontaneously decided to clap because they all know me, but Tara just about fell off her chair. She said, “Mom, what are you doing here?” I said, “Tara, I am the commencement speaker.” You should have seen her face. It was unbelievable.

And now, I get to look out at all of your faces. It is such a beautiful sight. I’ve known most of you since you were three years old. I know I’m not the only parent thinking that the hardest part about being here is that I’m hastening the thing that I dread most: which is that the intelligent, funny, thoughtful, beautiful person who

Caitin Duffin

Salutatorian Kathleen Mahoney

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Tara Nooyi with her mother, Indra K. Nooyi, the commencement speaker

Arianna Arca, Shaniece Raffington, Michelle Peng, Amanda Molinelli

Salutatorian Grace Hirshorn

Kathleen Spillane Image by Joe Vericker/photo bureau

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Kristie Manzueta and Tara Nooyi

Margaret Trimble

lives under the same roof as me won’t be living under that roof much longer.

I think: if I could somehow make this speech last for an hour or two, I could delay the inevitable. But then, I also realize that I’m speaking to graduates who say all you need to say in 140-character tweets.

If I speak too long, I’ll lose all of you to a video of a talking dog or a water-skiing squirrel on your smartphones.

So, I’ll try to keep it short. I’d like to start by saying something to the class of 2011 that every single parent and loved one will say to their own graduates today. I know I speak for everyone here when I say: I love all of you. I’m inspired by you. I’m privileged to know you. And I am so very, very proud of you.

In turn, class of 2011, I also happen to know the incredible people in your own lives. Before we go any further, let’s hear it for your parents and grandparents, friends and loved ones, who made today possible.

One of the things they don’t tell you as a parent is that as your child grows older, you begin to see the world with two sets of eyes. On one hand, you live in the moment: you see the incredible person they are becoming, and the bright future they have ahead of them. But on the other hand, memories keep pushing their way to the surface. Past, present, and future are sure fighting for supremacy today.

As we walked through the same doors we’ve walked through since we first came here in 1992, you’ll have to forgive me, Tara: part of me was seeing you as that sprightly three-year-old with an adorable pinafore and a backpack three sizes too big for you … tagging along on the heels of your big sister.

There are so many more memories from the intervening years of school.

And then, I also think back to all those times at home when you tucked me into bed when I was tired. And, all those text messages you sent me when I was having a difficult day saying, “Don’t worry mom—it will be great.”

I thank God every day that I’ve been given such a super special daughter.

But like every parent here—who has raised equally incredible daughters, mature beyond their years, who are seated around you right now—there is also another thought on our minds today: thank God for Sacred Heart. Thank God for Joan Magnetti and Pamela Juan Hayes and the incredible teachers and staff here at Sacred Heart. Thank God you’ve all had the privilege of attending this school.

The Goals and Criteria that have lived in your lockers and in your books the past 12 years now live inside all of you.

You embody the best values of Sacred Heart. Two centuries ago, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of Sacred Heart on the belief that women should be educated to be skilled—not just intellectually, but spiritually and morally.

She believed that educated women could influence and transform society.

If she could be standing where I stand today, I think her heart would be bursting with joy to see how fully her vision has been realized in all of you.

In her lifetime, St. Madeleine was fond of saying that God does not ask of us the perfection of tomorrow, nor even of tonight, but only of the present moment.

She would ask her students, “What will be your contribution to creating a more perfect world?”

That is the question I ask you today: what will be your contribution to creating a more perfect world?

The world has acquired a new velocity in your lifetimes. Most of the tools that we take for granted didn’t even exist on the day you were born. If you are 18 now, the Web browser was invented when you were one. Google came when you were five. The iPod came along when you were eight. Facebook first friended you at 11 …YouTube debuted when you were 12 …

Twitter first tweeted when you were 13 … the iPhone landed when you were 14 … and the iPad hit when you were 17.

For all that has changed in the world since you’ve been at Sacred Heart—perhaps the most profound change has been the role of women. You are coming of age at a time when the ability of women to influence and transform society is greater than it’s ever been.

When I was growing up, my mother used to tell us that girls could do anything that boys could do—but we had to take it on faith. It wasn’t as apparent.

Just think: if you were graduating as part of the Sacred Heart class of 1971 instead of 2011, here’s how the world looked.

There were no girls in Little League. Many law firms had never had a woman partner.

There wasn’t a single woman governor.

There were no women in the President’s Cabinet, none on the Supreme Court and very, very few in corporate boardrooms.

In fact, no Fortune 500 company had ever had a woman CEO. (speech continued on page 11)

C onvent of the S acred H eart

The Class of Maya Everett Albert Erin Kathleen Aoyama *++ Arianna Talbot Arca Emily Page Attubato *+

Alessandra Lydia Badioli Katherine Granville Benjamin Molly Rhoads Blessing Kerri Ann Brown *++ Anne Katherine Cammisa Jillian Nicole Carter *++ Megan Anne Cincotta Lauren Link DeGennaro +

Caitin Elizabeth Duffin Mally Christine Duffin Margaret Ann Dunn Audrey Simpson Finnegan Clare Cassidy Finnegan Courtney Margaret Marina Fischer Celina Prentiss Frelinghuysen Mary Regina Rolen Furth Taylor Rachel Goldman Lindsey Marie Hascher Emily Sara Hatton *+ Lacey Kathleen Henry *++ Grace Elizabeth Hirshorn *++ Alexandra L. Huchro *+ Jenne Ingrassia *+ * Cum Laude Society

2011

Aubrey Elizabeth Kalashian *++ Seulah Gloria Lee Alicia LiCalzi Mary Liguori Anastassia Elecia Lindo Elizabeth M. Mahoney *++ Kathleen Ellen Mahoney *++ Maya Ophelia Mangini Dior Faithlyn Manning Kristie S. Manzueta Bridget Anne Mara Kelsey Curran Mara Sveva Marcangeli Hannah McGovern Christine Catherine McGuire + Grace Kathleen McMorrow Amanda Elizabeth Molinelli + Samantha Anne Moor +

Faith Margaret Katherine Morley Jessica M. Morris Bridget Gael Mudd Ariana Elizabeth Muoio Joweria Joan Nakubulwa Jenna Nicole Nobs *+ Tara K. Nooyi Lana Michele Papa Ivanna A. Peleschuk

++ Graduating with High Honor

+ Graduating with Honor

Michelle Shannon Peng + Catherine Jacqueline Perry Danielle Polemeni-Hegarty Eva Ann Quintano Shaniece Francis Raffington Elizabeth Joan Rail Francesca Marie Recchia Charlotte Frances Rhodes Maria V. Rincon Kristen Elizabeth Roche Julie Marie Rohde Elizabeth Anne Rooney Elizabeth Carol Sabia Meagan Regina Snopkowski Carly Ann Sobecki + Nayara Inocencio de Souza Michelle Elizabeth Spera Kathleen Rose Spillane *++

Amber Rose Thrane Sarah Alexander Tranfo Margaret Frances Trimble Cecelia Caroline Urbanczyk Avery Vorwerk +

Lauren Elizabeth Mary Webb *+ Melissa Erin Whelan *++

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Awards +

honors

VALEDICTORIAN: Elizabeth Mahoney SALUTATORIANS: Grace Hirshorn Kathleen Mahoney Goals and Criteria Awards: Maya Albert Lauren DeGennaro Emily Hatton Grace Hirshorn Mary Liguori Lana Papa Danielle Polemeni-Hegarty Carly Sobecki ALUMNAE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Kathleen Spillane THE LUCIE WHITE AWARD: Erin Aoyama Kathleen Spillane

PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE AWARD: Tara Nooyi Lauren Webb THE GREENWICH AWARD: Kathleen Spillane MATER AWARDS: Emily Attubato Margaret Dunn Courtney Fischer Grace Hirshorn Alexandra Huchro Aubrey Kalashian Elizabeth Mahoney Kathleen Mahoney Jenna Nobs Tara Nooyi Michelle Peng Elizabeth Rail Charlotte Rhodes Sarah Tranfo Cecelia Urbanczyk

CLASS SPIRIT: Kathleen Spillane National Merit Scholarship Finalist: Emily Attubato Grace Hirshorn Jenna Nobs National Merit Commended Scholars: Erin Aoyama Molly Blessing Kerri Brown Elizabeth Mahoney Christine McGuire Jessica Morris Kathleen Spillane Lauren Webb Melissa Whelan National Hispanic Scholar: Emily Hatton

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Mater Society

The Class of 2011 “lifers” were recognized as members of the Mater Society at graduation and at Prize Day. The new members of the Mater Society, pictured here at a special dinner in their honor, include: Magee Dunn, Courtney Fischer, Grace Hirshorn, Alexandra “Ally” Huchro, Aubrey Kalashian, Elizabeth Mahoney, Kathleen Mahoney, Jenna Nobs, Tara Nooyi, Michelle Peng, Elizabeth Rail, Charlotte Rhodes, Sarah Tranfo, Cece Urbanczyk. At Left is Upper School head Jayne Collins and at Right is head of School Pamela Juan Hayes ’64.

Missing from photo is Emily Attubato. This is the largest number of lifers in the school’s history. These students have attended CSH since preschool, preK or kindergarten.

educators, the nurturers, the uniters, and the soothers. I’m reminded of a plaque I once saw, that read: If the three wise men had been women, they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical gifts, and there would be Peace on Earth.

Women will always play that role. We’re never going to walk away from that. But because of ALL the different roles we play, the world needs us ever so much more.

Whatever you decide to do with your lives—be it actor, doctor, teacher, diplomat, designer, entrepreneur, writer, social worker, artist, athlete, CEO, stayat-home mom, or President of the United States—I hope there are several qualities that continue to guide you.

First, I hope you never stop growing intellectually.

All of you are going on to college, and have a lot of years with books ahead of you.

But that’s not what I mean. Please don’t lose your curiosity, your quest for learning.

One of the greatest gifts of childhood is something that too many people lose as they grow older: that curiosity to know how the world works, to find out the answer to the question, Why? Your formal education will continue.

But your real learning never ends. The education you can gain out in the world is a source of wonder if you choose to embrace it.

Because we live in an era that prizes the ability to adapt, you simply can’t afford to rely on what you know today when tomorrow, what you know today will seem like yesterday’s wisdom. To be the best you can be, you need to stay in front. And that means you must be a lifelong learner.

I also hope that as you go on from here that you see everything—a failure, a boring task, a horizontal career move—as an opportunity. Every single experience you have is a terrific opportunity to learn, and expand your experience. And, when you grasp the opportunities, do it to the best of your ability.

Second, I hope you seek to be part of the solution.

There are plenty of people who will doubt that we can solve big problems, and even more whose first question will be, “who can we blame?” Don’t be one of those people. The future has never been made by doubters, it’s always been made by those who believe that anything is possible. (speech continued on page 12)

C onvent of the S acred H eart

And yet, just a generation later, none of you have ever known a world that had anything but a woman Secretary of State in the U.S. None of you have ever known a world in which a woman, and her many Muggle fans, wasn’t the best-selling author on the planet. None of you have ever known a world that didn’t take for granted that we now have millions of women firefighters and women judges, women surgeons and women partners—women ministers and women CEOs. We don’t have enough. But at a time when women account for 57 percent of U.S. undergraduates, 60 percent of graduate and doctoral students, and nearly 60 percent of the workforce—numbers that were exactly opposite that when you were entering first grade—the trends are very positive. Really, it was only a matter of time: every parent knows that compared to baby boys, baby girls walk first, talk first, draw first, read first, write first, and play together first. This is just the natural order of things.

We are, in fact, entering a Golden Age for Women. Women now make more than 70 percent of all household decisions and will create 70 percent of the global growth in income the next five years. And womenowned businesses are growing at twice the rate of all U.S. firms. And the world that you’re going to create is going to be even more awesome and different.

You may not just see the first woman President of the United States—one of you might be the first woman President of the United States. But in truth: I think it’s going to happen before you’re old enough to run.

In the words of Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changing.”

It’s not a moment too soon. The world needs what all of you have to bring. The last generation of women put its stamp on social progress. This generation of women put its stamp on social institutions. But the change you bring is going to be the most revolutionary of all: I believe the next generation of women leaders—your generation—is going to, and has to, put its stamp on the social ethos of the entire world.

Yours will be the generation that inherits old problems, but won’t be bound by old solutions. Yours will be a generation that breaks old molds, that forges new paths, and tears up the rule book. Yours is a generation that will create a whole new social compact— a whole new moral standard—for the world.

As St Madeleine Sophie Barat knew well, women have always been the creators, the

Clare Finnegan

Mary Liguori, Ivanna Peleschuk, Audrey Finnegan 11

Valedictorian Elizabeth Mahoney, Salutatorians Grace Hirshorn and Kathleen Mahoney

Cecelia Urbanczyk

college

Matriculations The following is a list of colleges and universities the Class of 2011 will attend.

Please note that the numbers in parentheses indicate the total of students enrolled.

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Adelphi University Babson College Boston College (2) Brown University (2) Bucknell University (3) Colby College College of the Holy Cross (3) Cornell University (2)* Dartmouth College (2) DePaul University Duke University (3) Elon University (2) Fairfield University (2) Fordham University (2) George Washington University (2) Georgetown University (6) Hamilton College Harvard University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Iona College Johnson & Wales University Kenyon College Loyola University, Maryland Loyola University, New Orleans Miami University, Ohio Middlebury College New York University (3) Pace University Providence College Purdue University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rutgers University Santa Clara University Sarah Lawrence College Stanford University SUNY College at Geneseo Tuskegee University University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut (2) University of Maryland, College Park University of Miami, Florida University of Michigan University of New Hampshire University of Notre Dame University of Richmond (2) University of St. Andrews, Scotland University of Southern California University of Virginia (2) University of Wisconsin Villanova University (3) Wake Forest University (3) Washington University in St. Louis Yale University * Guaranteed Sophomore Admission

Not long ago, I met one of those people.

Her name is Jessica Jackley. When she graduated from Bucknell College in 2001, she jokes, she had “no car, no bike, no job—and no idea what to do with her life.”

One day, on a whim, she went to a lecture by a man named Muhammad Yunus. He had built a $4 billion bank in Bangladesh by giving $10 and $15 loans to poor villagers. Jessica thought it was the coolest thing, and signed up to go to East Africa to help.

There, she had a brainstorm: why not set up a web-based nonprofit that links everyday Americans to people in Africa who need help? She and her boyfriend created a website that put profiles online, and then invited Americans to lend directly, $25 at a time. They called it “Kiva”—which is a Swahili word meaning “unity.”

In 2005, Kiva first posted seven businesses in Uganda. All seven businesses got funded in a weekend. They sent out a press release. Overnight, they received more than a thousand e-mails. Daily Kos did a story, and $10,000 came in the next day.

Just six years later, Kiva has raised $211 million—and to date, has given 579,718 loans, $25 at a time, in more than 60 countries. And here’s the best part: 98 percent of the loans have been paid back.

All from the mind of a student just like you who had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. If she can do it—so can you.

Sacred Heart has given you all the tools you need to make a difference: one person at a time. Whatever your passion in life, this school has prepared you to succeed.

Third, I hope you assume positive intent in everyone you meet—and be positive in everything you do.

Today, all of you leave the cloistered environment of Sacred Heart. In the coming years, you will encounter people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, in other countries, across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

Seeing the best in everyone will mean you look for the similarities, not the differences. When you think the best of people, they will very rarely let you down and most of the time they will think the best of you in return. When you have a positive attitude, and you are positive about other people, people will warm to you. They will offer advice and assistance.

One of my favorite websites is called www.1000awesomethings.com. It was started by a guy in Canada. He was going through a rough patch. His best friend

had just taken his own life, his wife had suddenly left him, and he was looking for reasons to be positive. So, he sat down at his computer, and started to make a list of all the awesome things in the world.

He soon came up with a list of 1,000 things.

Like, #245: Cool Moms. And, #250: Inventing new words and phrases with your friends that only make sense to you.

And, #306: Wearing pajamas outside of the house. And, #268: Getting a good locker in high school. And, #575: When the guy with a full cart of groceries lets you go ahead because you’re only buying one thing.

I urge all of you to spend a little time with it. Add your own memories of Sacred Heart to that list of 1,000 awesome things.

I know I did—When you had your first father-daughter dinner dance, and your dad danced with you. Awesome. When you learned in high school how to hike your skirts and wear them above the knee.

Awesome. When you opened your college acceptance letter, and saw that your hard work paid off. Awesome. And for me, learning Tara would only be 45 minutes away at NYU. Even more awesome.

There is plenty in the world to be upset about. But don’t miss the awesome things. It all comes down to having a positive outlook.

Lastly, I hope you never forget Sacred Heart.

You’re coming out of a school that has a solid moral and religious framework—a school that really marries religion and education in practical ways. It’s a school that took you from crayons to perfume, taught you to believe in yourself. It’s a school that told you to never forget the importance of family, told you to never forget the importance of friends, to never forget your faith.

And whatever your faith may be—religion or a personal belief in yourself—that’s something you should never forget as you leave Sacred Heart.

Look to the left of you and the right of you. The girls sitting next to you will be your lifelong friends. Make sure you make the time to stay in touch with each other.

Facebook has made that a lot easier for all of us. And, come back and visit the school often. Keep in touch. Serve as role models to the young girls still in school.

It’s hard to believe 12 years have gone by so fast. Most of you entered first grade here in the last year of the last millennium.

There is something that was said on the last day of that year that stayed with me.

May God bless and keep you always May your wishes all come true May you always do for others And let others do for you May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung May you stay forever young May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful And may your song always be sung May you stay forever young May you stay forever young Thank you. And God bless every one of you and your families. 

C onvent of the S acred H eart

In one of the last presidential speeches of the millennium, Bill Clinton said to an audience: “When you’re celebrating tonight, look up at the sky. The brightest light will be the constellation Orion. For six months out of the year, it is the only star system visible from every inhabited point on earth.

Astronomers tell us that the light from one of those stars began its journey here almost exactly 1,000 years ago.”

Just think, he said, “in the time it took that light to reach the Earth, Erickson sailed, Galileo dreamed, Gutenberg printed, Mozart composed, Elizabeth ruled, Washington wrote, Lincoln saved, Edison invented, Gandhi preached, Mother Teresa healed, and Mandela freed.”

A few years later, I heard a speaker at a Fortune Magazine conference take that idea one step further. She said, “In the 1,000 years it took for that light to reach us today … only the last tenth of that journey has seen a world where women could vote … only the last fiftieth has seen a world where women could determine their own future … only the last one-hundredth has seen a world where women are playing a lead role in society … and only the last one-thousandth has seen a world where women are expected to do as well if not better than men.”

Now, it is your turn. As St. Madeleine asked, “What will be your contribution to creating a more perfect world?” Whatever it is, I hope you make it extraordinary.

Knowing each and every one of you, I have no doubt that you will.

And as you embark on that journey and I wrap up, I would like to leave you with the profound words of Bob Dylan:

Elizabeth Rail

Nayara Souza

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Alicia LiCalzi and Maria Rincon

To see the videos and photo albums of graduation go to: www.cshgreenwich.org and click on HeartNet.

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Sandra Caruso, Dreux Claiden ’77, Christine Dally, Elizabeth Davis, Jackie de Alessandrini, Missy Doyle, Lucinda Falk, Hope Foley, Lise Godvin, Sharon Golden, Nora Grose, Suzy Halloran, Donna Hascher, and Terrie Henry.

In addition, the committee included Vanessa Higgins, Kelly Hoffman, Jackie Hvolbeck, Connie Keller, Lauren Kenny ’82, Deana McCabe ’89, Anne Marie Mellert, Courtney Monahan, Bernadette Prato, Elizabeth Russell, Ruthanne Ruzika, Justine Ryan, Jennifer Sommer, Debby Southwick, Beth Tarde, Barbara Walsh, and Sandy Yu. 

C onvent of the S acred H eart

he Parents’ Association’s “Into the Wild” auction on May 7 raised $525,000 in net proceeds for Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Endowment fund.

Thanks to the leadership of the hardworking co-chairs, Amy Goodfriend, Teresa Kratzman, Nora Leary and Barbara McLaughlin, the evening was a fabulous success. The auctioneer for the live auction was Lower School parent Henry Howard-Sneyd, vice-chairman of Asian Art for the international auction house Sotheby’s.

Many thanks to the volunteers who worked on the event. The auction committee included Mariela Almonacy, Lucy Brusco,

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from maplehurst in the 20th century to

Maple Trees at Greenwich

in the 21st century

By Victoria Taylor Allen, school historian

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 CSH, Greenwich

Sacred Heart has always been in love with nature, and with trees in particular. From 1905 to 1945, our School was located at Maplehurst, a large estate designed by Calvert Vaux, who also designed Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, among his many other commissions. By happy coincidence, our campus here in Greenwich was improved in the 1920s by its owner, Paul Block, who put in many beautiful specimen trees that adorned the front lawn. Already on the property were two copper beeches that stood in front of the mansion.

Unfortunately, trees, like all living things, grow old and eventually die, and new things take their place. With the passing of the two stately, old copper beeches have come two new sugar maples that will not only maintain the elegant beauty of our campus, but will hearken back to the name of our earlier location at Maplehurst. Symbolically, maple trees represent balance, promise and practicality. What a wonderful hope for our students!

Just as exciting will be the redesign of the front lawn this summer, for it will reflect in many ways the design created for the Block family, who did so much to create the grounds of the estate they called Friendship.

This photo was taken in the 1940s, or very early 1950s, and shows the way the front lawn and playing fields looked in the early days of our time here as a school. Up towards the mansion building, one can clearly see the copper beeches standing at the very top of the circle.

The “new” front circle will resemble the way the front lawn looked in the days when the Blocks lived here.

Extending from the front door, Mr. Block installed a beautiful, wide terrace with a front lawn that was graded in three levels: the terrace on land directly in front of the house, steps leading down to the copper beeches, then a terraced lawn with steps leading to the rose gardens, and below them, formal gardens.

Although the copper beeches have lived out their time with us, the new project should be spectacular, as well as reminiscent of the way the lawn looked long ago!

Trail at Maplehurst 

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Calvert Vaux, the designer of the Ogden Mansion at 174th Street and University Avenue, in Greenwich, was famous for both his architectural and landscaping projects. In addition to designing the house and grounds for the mansion, which later became our School (“Maplehurst�) Vaux designed Central Park in New York City, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and the New York Botanical Garden, working with Frederick Law Olmsted. Other projects were the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, the White House and the Smithsonian, all in Washington, D.C. Calvert Vaux buildings that can still be seen in NYC are the Dairy in Central Park, and the National Arts Club. Along with several other architects, he was also responsible for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Sacred Heart has always been in love with nature, and with trees in particular.

C onvent of the S acred H eart

Looking east at CSH, Greenwich in 1940s

Maplehurst

A Front Lawn with Curb Appeal

Convent of the Sacred Heart has embarked on a landscaping plan to enhance the natural beauty of its front lawn, that memorable green circle in front of the historic mansion building. This is the setting for Prizes Days and graduation ceremonies.

Work was completed on phase one of the plan during spring break. Phase two began after graduation and will be completed before students return in September.

Phase one called for replacing the copper beeches with two 40-ft. sugar maples. Sugar maples can reach a height of 80 feet or more, with a spread of up to 60 feet. We are looking forward to the fall, when the foliage will shimmer in a range of yellows, oranges and reds. The beeches had been damaged by storms and disease. Their advanced state of decline posed a safety hazard to students.

Planting new trees gave the School an opportunity to make other improvements, such as resodding the grassy area closest to the front of the School. During the summer, landscaping will continue to produce a truly elegant front lawn, with lots of curb appeal. ď ™ ď ź Maplehurst estate designed by Calvert Vaux

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Student Filmmakers feature Global Issues at the Convent of the Sacred Heart Film Festival

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C onvent of the S acred H eart

 Back Row (L to R): Studio Director Ellyn Stewart; Judges Hannah Storm, Dan Hicks, Angela Santomero, Greg Santomero, Beth LaBossiere Front Row: Winners Lauren Tarde ’13, Jenna Hascher ’13, Chrissy McCabe ’12, Caroline Antonacci ’12, Alex Root ’12, Diana White ’12, Kelsey Schmidt ’13

B

roadcast Journalism student filmmakers are committed to living out the mission of the School by using their media talents to help others locally, nationally and globally. More than 400 students, parents, faculty, and special guests gathered in the John and Lennie de Csepel Theater on April 7 to watch the students’ videos.

From the Arctic to Africa to Antarctica, our students traveled the world to bring back stories of heartbreak, joy, and hope.

Samantha Tarde ’12 created a documentary about last summer’s Sacred Heart trip to Uganda when five teachers and five students journeyed to our sister schools to set up computer labs and provide training to Ugandan students and adults.

“My trip to Uganda is something that I think about every single day. My experience made me appreciate so many things within my own life that I had previously taken for granted. I feel grateful to have the opportunity to share what I learned in Uganda through my documentary,” Samantha Tarde said.

Caroline Antonacci ’12 took a Network trip to the St. Madeleine Sophie Center in El Cajon, Calif., where

she worked with adults with developmental disabilities. Her documentary, “Disabled, Not Unable,” won second place at the CSH Film Festival and chronicles the stories of artists, athletes and others who have disabilities, yet live each day with a positive and grateful spirit.

The CSH Film Festival started in 2010 as a means to share the Broadcast Journalism students’ creative work with a larger audience. Guests watched nearly 30 videos in the categories of public service announcements, creative entries and documentaries.

Judges from the professional media watched each video and voted on first and second place in each category. The judges were NBC Sports Announcer Dan Hicks; CSH alumna Beth LaBossiere ’10; Creator of “Blues Clues” Angela Santomero; Emmy award-winning Creative Director Greg Santomero; and ESPN Sports Newscaster Hannah Storm. Mr. Hicks and Ms. Storm are parents of Riley ’18, Ellery ’16, and Hannah ’14. The Santomeros are parents of Ella Santomero ’22. 

1st place, Creative Entry

2nd place, Documentary

“Trail of Cookies”

“Disabled, Not Unable”

Jenna Hascher ’13 Lauren Tarde ’13

2nd place, Creative Entry

“Turn Beauty Inside Out”

“Long Island”

2nd place, Public Service Announcement

1st place, Documentary

To see the winning videos and for more information about the Broadcast Journalism program go to: www.cshgreenwich.org/broadcast.

Please see additional broadcast journalism article on page 27.

“Walk Away from Abuse”

“The Tale of the Whale”

The following is a list of the awards given out at the film festival: 1st place, Public Service Announcement

Alex Root ’12

Kelsey Schmidt ’13

Diana White ’12

Chrissy McCabe ’12

Caroline Antonacci ’12

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©iStockphoto.com/hidesy

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Christina Diaz Gonzalez

By Isabella Sio ’16

Librarians Elizabeth Fernandez and Margo Schmidt moderate the Middle School book clubs. Mrs. Schmidt hosts book clubs for fifth and sixth graders and Mrs. Fernandez runs the seventh- and eighth-grade book clubs. At the Parents’ Association Book Fair this spring, the seventh-grade club introduced author Lisa Greenwald after reading her book, My Life in Pink and Green. It has been an exciting year for our book clubs!

The seventh-grade book club had the opportunity to chat with Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of The Red Umbrella, via Skype during lunch on February 28.

The Red Umbrella deals with the Cuban Revolution and Operation Pedro Pan (1960–62), during which many Cuban children were sent, often without parents, to the United States. The novel traces the journey of two children from Cuba to the United States, and their path toward finding their way home again.

This was a great opportunity for the book club to be able to talk with a real author.

We met in the huge room across from the Middle School computer lab and were able to talk to her via Skype. This was the first author Skype visit at CSH and it was a huge success! We were able to ask her some questions and Mrs. Gonzalez answered them with interest and good cheer. We had tons of fun doing this, and I would love to have another experience like this again.

The book club was made up of Kensi Almeida, Zyanna Almonacy, Grace Campbell, Grace Conrad, Daisy Flores, Natasha Otton, Katherine Siciliano and me, Izzy Sio. We met every “A-Day” during lunch and recess in Mrs. Geraldine Pelliccio’s reading room, but on warm days, we met outside.

I loved having book club and I always looked forward to “A-Days” at school, because I got to go to book club and have fun with my friends. Whenever we met, we always had something to talk about and we were always entertained. We have formed a really strong bond and there is nothing anyone can do to break it. 

Book Club Acclaim:

“I loved the experience of talking to Christina Gonzalez. She was really nice and open to all the questions that we asked her. I would definitely Skype with another author again. It was a great way to talk to people when they are in different places of the U.S.” — Grace Campbell ’16 “She definitely taught us a lot, and led us to think about the book in more depth. I also thought that it gave visual learners, like me, an opportunity to learn more about the book, and really understand it in the writer’s perspective.” — Kensi Almeida ’16 “I would like to try it again because I would be excited to see how authors wrote such amazing books that we read in book club. Sitting in Mrs. Pelliccio’s office, eating doughnuts and talking about all the amazing books we have read is a great feeling.” — Grace Conrad ’16

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Skype Interview with author

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Spotlight on Curriculum Upper School Excels in Science Research

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Two Upper School events took place this year that highlighted our outstanding Science Research Program.

On February 5, the school hosted the Southern Connecticut Invitational Science and Engineering Fair (SCISEF) for the second consecutive year. U.S. Representative Jim Himes introduced the keynote speaker, the world-renowned astronomer Dr. Heidi Hammel. Speaking to the crowd of parents, students, teachers and judges, Rep. Himes said: “America was number one in math, science and technology. In some areas we still are, but in many others we find ourselves back in the pack—we need to catch up. For the sake of our national security, economic development and global competitiveness, we must do better and we will with students like those here today.”

Dr. Hammel is the executive vice president of AURA (Association of American Universities for Research in Astronomy) and co-director of research at the Space Science Institute. Her accomplishments include leading the Hubble Space Telescope Team that investigated the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter.

Dr. Hammel’s rousing address was entitled, “Mission, Myths and Free Advice.”

She provided an insider’s view of some real space missions, some of the myths that abound regarding science and scientists, and

advice based on her own experiences as a scientist working in today’s world. “Be brave, don’t be intimidated,” she exhorted.

“If you like it, try it. You can learn math and science just by trying and working hard—you don’t have to be Albert Einstein to be a great scientist!”

Science Fair Winners Sacred Heart students captured many top SCISEF awards. Each student was required to create an exhibit based on original research, make a presentation and participate in a question and answer session. This year’s winners included the following: Environmental Science Proposals: 1st Place—Krystyna Miles ’12, “The Effect of Construction on the Saugatuck River Watershed” Honorable Mention (tie)— Stephanie Viola ’12, “Heavy Metal and Toxin Uptake in Vegetables Grown in Soil from Urban, Suburban and Rural Areas”

Health Science Proposals: 1st Place—Katie Colford ’12, “The Effectiveness of Colchicine Nanoparticles to Treat Malignant Gliomas” Behavioral Science Completed Projects: 2nd Place—Mary Liguori ’11, “Not a Teacher, But a Teen: The Ultimate Model for Improving Nutrition in Elementary-Aged Children” Environmental Science Completed Projects: Honorable Mention— Mary Furth ’11, “Using the Narcotic Properties of the Geranium as an Earth-Friendly Way of Controlling Darkling Beetle and Tobacco Hornworm Populations” Health Science Completed Projects: 1st Place—Carly Sobecki ’11, “Fabrication and Examination of Nanoparticles Made from Various Ratios of Polymers Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and Poly-Beta Amino Esters for Use in Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis.”

Honorable Mention (tie)— Morgan Kennedy ’13, “An Investigation into Alternative Biofuels for Developing Nations”

Krystyna Miles ’12, first place winner for Environmental Science Proposals at SCISEF

SCISEF winners, left to right: Carly Sobecki ’11, Krystyna Miles ’12, Stephanie Viola ’12, Mary Liguori ’12, Mary Furth ’11, Katie Colford ’12, Morgan Kennedy ’13

Jenne Ingrassi ’11 presented her research on corneal neovascularization at SCISEF

Summer 2011 Science Research Internships

First Annual Science Research Symposium

Lucy Adams ’12—New York University (Visual Perception Research) Caroline Antonacci ’12—Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Cancer Research) Kyra Baldwin ’13—University of Connecticut (Motor, Social, and Cognitive Development in Children) Katie Colford ’12—Memorial Sloan-Kettering (Cancer Research) Caroline Cunningham ’12—New York University (Cancer Research) Margaret Gavin ’12—University of Connecticut (Molecular and Cell Biology) Madeleine Hay ’13—Yale University Child Study Center (Psychiatric Research) Jenne Ingrassia ’11—Mount Sinai Medical Center (Pediatric Epidemiology Research) India Knight ’12—The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk (Marine Biology Research) Anne McDevitt ’12—Pegasus (Therapeutic Riding Research) Krystyna Miles ’12—Earthplace Harbor Watch/ River Watch Program (Watershed Testing and Research) and University of Connecticut (Energy-Efficient Fuels Research); University of Southern California/Chevron (Frontiers of Energy Resources Summer Program) Margaret Purcell ’13—Weill Cornell Medical College (Cardiovascular Disease Research) Brittanie Sanders ’12—University of Connecticut (Elementary Education Research) Samantha Tarde ’12—Memorial Sloan-Kettering (Cancer Research) Stephanie Viola ’12—Fordham University, Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station (Plant and Soil Research)

Using nanoparticles to treat brain tumors, viruses to treat colorectal cancer, and resveratrol to treat prostate cancer—these may seem like topics presented by physicians at a medical conference. Instead, they were written by Sacred Heart students who presented their findings on March 30 at the school’s first annual Science Research Symposium.

Students, parents, faculty and guests gathered for a poster session and oral presentations showcasing the research work of 45 students. Participants also heard the keynote address of Dr. Linda Vahdat, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and attending physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Vahdat is a medical oncologist who specializes in the care of breast cancer patients, especially those with highrisk and metastatic disease. Her topic was “Thinking Outside the Box: Recent Advances in Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment.” She urged students to “keep asking questions,” and reminded them that “great things can happen in high school.”

Based on the student presentations, great things are certainly already happening for Sacred Heart’s students.

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Brittanie Sanders ’12 presented her research proposal on biomedical engineering.

Caroline Antonacci ’12 presented her research proposal on oncolytic viruses.

Eighth-Graders Win CT Siemens’ Environmental Challenge For the third consecutive year, a team of Middle School students has captured the Connecticut title as winner of the Siemens’ “We Can Change the World” environmental challenge.

A team of four in Carol Vergilis’ eight-grade science class devised a project to help reduce the use of water on campus. The team included Claren Hesburgh, Grace Isford, Isabella Libassi and Elizabeth Cunniffe.

“They came up with an incredible idea to conserve water at School and led a program to make it happen,” said Mrs. Vergilis.

After conducting extensive research into water use on campus, the girls developed a

strategy to conserve water and to educate the school community with water-saving tips. They worked to have the School agree to equip sinks with faucet aerators, which control the faucet’s flow, mixing air and water to emit less water per minute. The School also agreed to equip 25 toilets with HydroRight Drop-In Flush Converters to reduce water waste.

The team’s research has shown that these improvements will save the School 100,000 gallons of water per year. Mrs. Vergilis said the team has inspired others.

“The younger students look up to these girls as leaders and want to be just like them,” she said.

Eighth-graders who won an award for their water conservation project are, left to right, front: Grace Isford, Claren Hesburgh; back: Ailish Cunniffe, Isabella Libassi, and their teacher, Carol Vergilis.

view Faculty Viewpoint: Reading can be Wild

By Linda Vasu, Upper School English teacher

Thoreau wrote in Walking, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Delivered first as a lecture, then published in The Atlantic in 1851, it is an impassioned plea for the pleasures of sauntering, a type of walking meditation that affords reflection, inquiry and creative thinking.

“Wildness” is my metaphor for learning. For thinking outside the box, off the beaten path, two overused cliches.

Isn’t Thoreau’s “wildness” more eloquent, and more evocative?

As an English teacher, I use the tools of rhetoric and those of

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student reflection: A Lesson for Life

By Nicole Narea ’12

the Web to convey my own passion for inquiry, for the sense of wonder and loftiness, the sense of the sublime that comes with a vigorous workout of critical reading and reflection. I feel great comfort in knowing that I am a member of a distinguished faculty dedicated to educating women in the Sacred Heart tradition.

Recently I presented a workshop on managing innovation and tradition at the National Association of Independent School’s annual conference. A topic of concern was teaching students disciplined habits of inquiry and research in an age of instant and constant technological access to quick answers. There was much talk about encouraging students to “re-search”—to search again and again, instead of becoming comfortable with easy answers.

As a literature and humanities teacher, I tend to value academic terms like “research” and “scholarship” over the current educational buzzwords, such as “project-based learning” and “activities.” Sacred Heart teachers and librarians guide students through the research process, as they learn to use a range of media and tools, from books to journals, to online scholarly subscription databases.

Each time I cross the threshold to Room 210, I do my utmost to ensure that everyone has a good time sauntering—around and through the layers of a complex, ambiguous text.

When the Sacred Heart Commission on Goals (SHCOG) self-study began in September 2009, all members of the Convent of the Sacred Heart community were invited to participate in a process of reflection of how our School lives the mission of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat through a commitment to the Goals and Criteria. My opportunity to contribute to that process came during an advisory meeting, when the SHCOG Steering Committee asked the students to reflect on how the Goals and Criteria affect our daily life at school. As I pondered this question, I realized that they affect every aspect of my student life.

Thinking back, I remembered an

important life lesson involving a math problem: A spherical glass globe is filled with spherical gumballs. The globe is 12 inches in diameter, and the gumballs are 0.6 inches in diameter. How many gumballs are in the globe?

Initially, it seemed an innocuous inquiry, succinct in wording, and, therefore, appearing to have a simple solution. But I should have known better—the question was formulated by a particularly crafty German math teacher by the name of Dr. Kurt Mederer, known to all at CSH as simply “Doc.” In actuality, it turned out to be the single most tortuous mathematical conundrum that I have ever attempted to solve. For weeks, I could not arrive at a

solution. To visualize the problem, I ripped open a box of tennis balls and let them spill out onto the floor so that I could model how the spheres fit together. I even found myself scribbling calculations on paper napkins in restaurants, but all to no avail. I obsessed.

Doc finally revealed that there was no precise answer to the problem. It has been debated by mathematicians for centuries.

Though it was not clear to me at the time, he wanted us to learn that the process is vastly more valuable than the solution itself, a lesson that extends far beyond the study of mathematics. Doc let me walk down a path where I could experience “personal growth in an atmosphere of

understanding of the issues that literature presents, as a living organic record of interiority, of inner life.

This kind of close reading and analysis is based in linguistics and philosophy, and generates big questions. How do we read? How do we communicate? And why? And so what? And what now?

I hope that in reading students come to recognize something of themselves. That they can imagine lives, moral dimensions, ideologies, cultures they would otherwise know nothing about.

I hope that they learn about self and others, sameness and difference, a world of complexity that is, as Walt Whitman wrote, “large … and contains multitudes.”

For Harvard Project Zero educator David Perkins, intelligence in the wild involves a complicated and practical process of problem solving. “The phrase may conjure up images of someone trekking through the jungle, but it actually refers to intelligence as it is used to get along in the world, to handle gritty situations in smart ways. For example, ‘the wild’ might be a classroom or the street or even a used-car lot. It might involve running a corporation or managing a scout troop. Intelligence in the wild includes the ability to recognize problems hidden in messy situations and the motivation and good sense to choose which problems (because there are always too many!) are worth the time and energy it will take to solve them.”

Reading can be wild. “Let the wild rumpus begin.”

wise freedom”—Goal Five. By virtue of this endeavor, I am inspired to reach my fullest potential as an individual. That is a strength that I will carry with me throughout my life.

There are many such moments where, upon closer reflection, the Goals and Criteria are a fundamental part of everyday life at Sacred Heart. They are the building blocks of our community and permeate all that we do as students, faculty, and staff alike. Through the SHCOG reflection, we gained a better understanding of our identity as a community and, in the process, reflected on the presence of the Goals and Criteria in our own lives. In the end, we are all stronger for it.

Nicole Narea ’12

C onvent of the S acred H eart

I know after a few decades spent within a classroom that real learning occurs in the luminal space between order and chaos.

At the edges. The margins. A space that is unrestricted, a sacred space where boundaries dissolve, when we stand at the threshold, prepared to move from where we once were to another place, where our awareness of self and others is deepened.

I spend much of my time in classes guiding students as they learn to take that leap. To take risks with their thinking and learning. To free themselves of what Stanford University’s Tina Seelig calls “constraint-ridden” thinking because initially they are very busy trying to figure out what the teacher wants.

I want them to be detectives, to find ways to read for meaning and purpose. I want them to make connections. I want them to rise above the text and dig into it by questioning, examining, teasing the meaning out of language. I want them to experience the joy that comes from playing with ideas, from making connections, from exchanging interpretations, from being part of a global family of schools. I want them to have awakened minds, and the habits of mind to pose big, openended questions, medium questions for research, and small, directed ones.

I hope that by sauntering—by mining a complex literary text for data, examining it, making observations, sharing insights, developing interpretations—students arrive at a greater

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latest news from Greenwich

Caroline Kulak wins Middle School Geography Bee At a Middle School assembly this spring, Convent of the Sacred Heart recognized sixth-grader Caroline Kulak as the school’s winner of the National Geographic Bee. Sponsored by the National Geographic Society, the questions addressed geography in its broadest sense testing students’ knowledge of place names and locations, physical and cultural phenomena, statistics and tools geographers use.

Caroline survived a month-long competition in which approximately 80 students tested their knowledge of geography. In the final contest, Caroline outlasted fellow Middle School student semifinalists: Perry Barth ’18, Sophia Brusco ’18, Cate Kulowiec ’17, Kelly Heinzerling ’16, Nebai Hernandez ’16, Mary Grace Henry ’15 and Alana Normile ’15.

As the school winner, Caroline successfully completed a 70-question multiple test that enabled her to advance to the Connecticut state competition on April 1. In the state contest, she answered six of eight questions correctly and finished twenty-second out of 100 contestants.

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Caroline Kulak ’17 beams moments after receiving a medal for winning the school’s National Geographic Bee.

Amanda Poling ’18 reads aloud from her favorite picture book, Chicka Chicka, Boom, Boom.

World Read Aloud Day at CSH Students at Convent of the Sacred Heart raised their voices, along with 200,000 people from more 58 countries, on World Read Aloud Day. It reinforced Goal Two of our Goals and Criteria: “A deep respect for intellectual values.”

World Read Aloud Day seeks to create a community of readers to demonstrate to the world that literacy is a right for all. Here at CSH all students, even preschoolers, participated in the event!

Language Arts Specialist Geri Pelliccio read preschoolers a story full of rhymes and led them in singing a song.

Reading projects throughout the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools were as varied as our curriculum. For example, Lower School fourth-graders read PowerPoint presentations during computer class and this culminated in a shared research

project. In Middle School, a seventhgrade French class read aloud original stories in French.

During lunch in the Upper School, the LitWorld Club distributed fortune cookies with a variety of inspiring messages, such as past U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan’s quote: “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” LitWorld Club members Lucy Adams ’12 and Marian Ziminsky ’12 ended World Read Aloud Day by visiting girls at the John F. Kennedy Magnet School in Port Chester, N.Y., where they have formed a Girls Club to promote literacy. They taught a poetry lesson, read poems aloud, and gave the girls fortune cookies and pencils from CSH’s library.

Sacred Heart students were recognized as some of the best broadcast journalists in Fairfield County in the seventh annual Educational Access Awareness Awards given

by Cablevision of Connecticut.

For the fifth year in a row, the Upper School production of “Today from the Heart” was recognized as the top student news show in Fairfield County. The Lower School news show, “News from the Heart,” received honors for the fourth year in a row.

This year, more than 290 student videos were submitted at the school level and then went on to compete in a competition with projects from across Fairfield County.

The awards honor original student television productions cablecast during the school year on Cablevision Educational Access Channel 78. The awards are designed to encourage students to develop video production and storytelling skills by creating access television shows relevant to their school and community. Student videos are recognized in five separate categories— Public Service Announcement, School/ Community Stories, News, Documentary and Open Entries. A bronze “Eddy” (Ed Access Trophy) was presented to the School for each winning project, and student winners will receive a certificate of recognition.

Elementary School: School/Community Story 2nd Place Whole-Class Submission by Class 4B Faculty: Jennifer Bargas, Kathy William Dunn ’73, Candy Sweeney “News from the Heart”

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Our Broadcast Journalists are the “Best of the Best”

Some of the students who worked on the award-winning news show, “Today from the Heart” gather on the Today show set.

High School: School/Community Story 2nd Place Samantha Tarde ’12 “Journey to Uganda” 3rd Place Kyra Baldwin ’13 and Allison Davis ’13 “Red Cross Profile”

High School: Documentary 1st Place Chrissy McCabe ’12 “The Tale of the Whale” 2nd Place Caroline Antonacci ’12 “Disabled, Not Unable”

High School: News 1st Place Kristen Roche ’11, Elizabeth Sabia ’11, Lucy Adams ’12, Caroline Antonacci ’12, Nicole Bloom ’12, Margo Bugniazet ’12, Caroline Cunningham ’12, Rose Rinaldi ’12, Kelsey Schmidt ’13, Michele Urbinati ’12 “Today from the Heart”

High School: Public Service Announcement 1st Place Jenna Hascher ’13 and Lauren Tarde ’13 “Turn Beauty Inside Out” (See related article on pages 20-21)

Ring Day Connects Juniors and Seniors Ring Day is a rite of passage—the day a junior receives the symbol of what it means to be a Sacred Heart girl, her class ring with the emblem of the pierced hearts of Jesus and Mary. Seniors bestow the rings during a special ceremony in the chapel, this year on April 8. It is a reflective point for seniors, as they know their time at Sacred Heart is coming to a close.

At the ceremony, seniors receive a white ribbon with a silver heart from their junior “little sisters.”

Maggie Annecchino ’12, left, receives her ring from Clare Finnegan ’11 as Upper School Head Jayne Collins, center, looks on.

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Madrigals and A Ca-Bella choirs perform Students who sing with the Madrigals and the A Ca-Bella choirs traveled to France during spring break to perform and to learn more about the international Network of Sacred Heart Schools.

The students visited Sacred Heart schools in Tours and Nantes. To add to the experience, they stayed with families, while performing with the schools’ choruses, singing in church services and attending classes. A highlight of the trip was a visit to Joigny, where the girls saw St. Madeleine Sophie Barat’s birthplace and the church where she was baptized.

Students performing in France included, left right, in the front row: Alicia LiCalzi, Mary Furth, Jessica Hummel, Lee Musho, Emily Hirshorn, Anneliese Hummel, Celia Garrett, Meg Gerli with teacher Miss Annette Etheridge. In the second row: Diana White, Anne McDevitt, Nicolette Brusco, Emily Davenport, Concetta Brusco, Miranda Falk, Caroline Cahaney, Emily Matthews. Third row: Gloria Lee, Kelsey Schmidt, Abbi Wilson, Katie Martinez, Grace Kennedy, Jessica Johnson, Jane Mikus, Bridget Scaturro, Molly Smith. Back row: Alex Murray, Chrissy McCabe, Tara Nooyi, Mary O’Sullivan, Amy Lafleur, Isabella von Habsburg, Danielle Polemeni-Hegarty, Angel Lindo.

Katie Cassidy Higgins ’96 Remembered at Benefit LAX Tournament Rain did not quell the spirit of the ninth annual Katie Cassidy Higgins ’96 Memorial Lacrosse Tournament.

Beneath threatening skies, seventh- and eighth-grade teams started play on the grass and turf fields at Convent of the Sacred Heart on Sunday, May 15. Katie’s family gathered in her memory to cheer on the girls’ lacrosse teams from throughout the region who came to Sacred Heart for competitive round-robin games.

This year, there were more teams to cheer for, as it was the largest tournament ever with 625 girls on 30 teams from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Money raised from the registration fees of participating teams supports a scholarship in Katie’s memory.

The tournament was established in 2002 by Katie’s aunt, Megan Cassidy Foley ’85, with Sarah Hill, then athletic director

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and current physical education teacher. Katie attended CSH from kindergarten through her graduation. She played varsity basketball, field hockey and lacrosse. She went on to play lacrosse at St. Lawrence University, where her life was cut short when she was fatally injured while crossing a street. The tournament honors Katie’s incredible work ethic and love of athletics.

It is also a special time for the family and those who loved her to gather in memory.

In tribute to Katie’s sportsmanship, the Athletics Department presented the annual Katie Cassidy Higgins Award on May 26 at the Upper School spring sports awards to Margaret “Molly” Trimble ’11, who was honored for her “heart, leadership and love of the game of lacrosse.”

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1.–3. CSH Middle School lacrosse players compete—rain or shine. 4. From left to right, Tricia Higgins O’Callaghan, Katie’s mother, with Katie’s aunt, Megan Cassidy Foley ’85, and her daughter, Clare Foley, and son, Aidan Foley.

By Dr. William Mottolese, English Department co-chair Luke Hansen S.J. spoke to seniors, faculty, staff and parents about “Following the Nonviolent Jesus in a World of Injustice” in the Upper School’s Seminar in Literature and Thought in April.

All seniors take the seminar, a broadly interdisciplinary course taught in small discussion sections, emphasizing critical thinking and reflection on large philosophical and theological issues. The course is structured in three units: Faith and Reason; Human Nature and Identity; and Justice, Service and Global Awareness.

The reading load is challenging and varied, focusing on philosophical readings from Plato to Viktor Frankl, literary texts from Candide to King Lear, and theological figures from C. S. Lewis to Dorothy Day. Students integrate their service work into the course by producing major research and reflective projects related to their service and the themes of the seminar.

Along with regular class meetings, students meet once a cycle in the theater for a lecture or guest speaker. Mr. Hansen, a 29-year-old Jesuit in formation from the Wisconsin Province, is a former student of mine. He spoke eloquently about how

his faith and the living presence of Jesus in his life have called him not only to the priesthood, but to activism and to several challenging ministries.

Mr. Hansen’s primary call has been to minister to prisoners. Framing his talk with a powerful icon of Jesus looking out from behind barbed wire, Mr. Hansen presented the many experiences of his young life: his activism against torture, his practice of nonviolence in the spirit of Jesus and Dr. Martin Luther King, his academic work on and personal ministry to former Guantánamo prisoners, and his present work on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he teaches and coordinates volunteers at the Red Cloud School.

Mr. Hansen, who has taken part in non-violent direct action with Anne Montgomery, RSCJ, made a clear connection between his strong sense of social justice and the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, especially Goals One and Three.

The seminar is thankful for support from parents and the administration in bringing Mr. Hansen to Greenwich. Our School is considering a service trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Red Cloud School.

13 Teachers Recognized for Service At the liturgy honoring St. Madeleine Sophie Barat on May 11, the School recognized and thanked 13 faculty members who achieved the 10-year mark as a Sacred Heart teacher.

Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 presented Sacred Heart Network Service Awards to the following: Jennifer Bargas (LS), Amy Dillane (US), Karl Haeseler (US), Marilyn Harbage (LS), Marcia Josephson (US), John Martone (US), Kurt Mederer (US), Kerri Moore (LS), Kimberly Raisbeck (MS), Carol Vergilis (MS), Lisa Weinman (MS), Wendy Wenz (LS), and Lori Wilson (US).

Their certificates read, “In grateful recognition for ten years of dedicated service to the mission of education in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. Honor and Glory to God Alone.”

Sacred Heart Welcomes New Director of Institutional Advancement Convent of the Sacred Heart welcomes Joan M. Petersen, its new director of institutional advancement, who brings to the job 25 years of university, independent school and nonprofit fundraising experience.

“We are excited that Joan Petersen is leading Sacred Heart’s development efforts during this time of opportunity in the life of the School,” said Paula Tennyson, chair of the Board of Trustees. “She brings an outstanding depth of experience in development. With Joan’s help, I am confident that we can increase the strong momentum of support already under way for Sacred Heart.”

Ms. Petersen’s first experience in fundraising was at Stanford University, which she also attended as a student and from where she received an A.B. in history. After overseeing a major gift program at Stanford as associate director of development for the Eastern Regional Office, where she also served as advisor to local alumni chapters, she moved on to Columbia University as director of development and alumni affairs. At Brown University, she served as deputy director of the New York Office (1993– 1998), before returning to Stanford to become associate director of development (1998–2001) soliciting principal and major gifts in five markets in support of the university’s $1 billion campaign.

After serving in development at Yale and the New York University School of Law, Ms. Petersen joined the field of independent schools in 2004, when she became director of development and alumni affairs at the Calhoun School in New York City, a position she held until recently.

Ms. Petersen became familiar with a Sacred Heart education through her professional association with Convent of the Sacred Heart at 91st Street, while working at Calhoun. She was drawn to Greenwich because of her appreciation and respect for the Goals and Criteria and for the role that Catholic education played in the life of her family.

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Jesuit Speaks on Social Justice at Senior Seminar

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First-Grader Serves the Poor in Indonesia All schools in the Network of Sacred Heart work to instill in their students a sincere commitment to community service. One of our youngest examples is Lower School student Beatrice Stone, who took our teaching to heart.

Beatrice and her mother, Karen O’Neil, have a deep-rooted connection to Sacred Heart through her great-aunt, Anne (Nance) O’Neil, RSCJ, who is head of a Sacred Heart School in Indonesia.

When the Lower School announced that the girls would no longer be wearing the light blue uniforms, beginning in the 2010–11 school year, Beatrice got an idea.

She wondered if the cotton jumpers that had served our school so well could be recycled and put to use someplace else.

Indonesia came to mind because she had visited her great-aunt there and seen the poverty among the children.

Beatrice thought it would be useful to collect the old uniforms and donate them to Sacred Heart in Indonesia. Last fall, she launched a drive and quickly surpassed her goal of 100 uniforms. By January, she had gathered 200 uniforms from Lower School families. With the help of her mother, she washed, folded, boxed and mailed them.

When asked why she decided to start her own community service project, Beatrice smiled and replied: “It felt good to do it because they’re really poor.”

“The pinafores have made many families happy and helped the Society in its outreach to Indonesian schools,” said Beatrice’s great-aunt.

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Beatrice Stone ’22

Service Retreats Introduced to Upper School

By Lori Wilson, Upper School campus minister and community service director This was the first year the Upper School offered service as an option for student retreats and the response was overwhelming. We offered three service retreats to choose from, including home-rebuilding with Catholic Charities in New Orleans.

At Sacred Heart, we participate in service projects because of our relationship with God. That’s where our work is rooted—in the knowledge that each person is created in God’s image and is deserving of human dignity. These retreats help students realize this and our call to be the Heart of Christ in the world and to look for Christ’s Heart in the world thus blending Goal One and Goal Three. In addition, other seniors opted for the annual Emmaus Retreat or the Busy Students’ Retreat, the latter was also new this year.

In December, on the first retreat, students participated in an afternoon at the Carver Center in Port Chester, N.Y., a home-building project with Habitat for Humanity in Bridgeport, Conn., and volunteered for the School’s “Saturdays at Sacred Heart” program for underprivileged youth.

In January, six students, ages 16 and older, traveled to New Orleans to work with Catholic Charities and rebuild a home devastated by Hurricane Katrina. While in New Orleans, the girls stayed with the Religious of the Sacred Heart at Duchesne House.

In February, Convent of the Sacred Heart hosted a Northeast Network retreat. The Greenwich seniors who participated in this retreat had a wonderful opportunity to bond through prayer and service with students from Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, in Newton, Mass., and Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton, N.J. The retreat began with a workshop by Reyna Gonzalez, RSCJ and Imma De Stefanis, RSCJ entitled “Bridging Realities—From Social Service to Social Justice.” We explored different levels of solidarity and how our work with others should be about mutual responsibility. The students gained an insight into how working with others means less about the person doing the work and more about developing an understanding of the other. We concluded by reflecting on the following quote, “To be part of the Sacred Heart means we live and serve from the heart, our own and the Heart of Jesus. It means we are open to assuming a different perspective, to being changed by what we experience.” Then, we asked ourselves, “Am I willing to change the world and to be changed by it?”

The following day we headed off-campus, beginning with a “breakfast run” to aid the poor and homeless at Tompkins Square in New York City. Students spent the day engaged in a variety of service projects in Lower Manhattan. Their work was accompanied by silent reflection, and then later discussed to enrich the shared experience. On the final day of the retreat, we prayed and reflected on our call to be the Heart of Christ in the world.

The Barat Foundation, an Upper School student-run philanthropy, awarded $5,430 in grant money to 10 nonprofits at an awards ceremony on May 16. The foundation endeavors to combine volunteer support with monetary awards to assist organizations in improving the lives of children.

The philanthropy is funded by gifts to an endowment established in 2004. Grants are made from interest earned on investment. Students learn about fiscal responsibility, philanthropy and community service.

“The organizations represented here today are all exceptional in their own ways, whether they are distributing after-school meals to children, supporting teen moms, or honoring the memories of children who tragically lost their lives too young,” said Lauren Webb ’11, president for the 2010–11 school year, at the presentation.

Each year, the Barat Foundation evaluates grant applications from nonprofits and selects those that best exemplify the foundation’s mission. This year, they received a record number of 25 applications, due in part to increasing social needs, but also to the foundation’s improved visibility and a new, online application process.

The students presented the following awards and invited nonprofit representatives to speak about their programs. Three organizations, Feed My Starving Children, Real Hope for Haiti and Reverse the Course, serve the needs of poor children in other parts of the world.

Awards were granted to: • Community Food Pantry at St. Mary’s Parish, Mohegan Lake, N.Y.—$275 • Duke Excite Development, Durham, N.C.—$500 • Feed My Starving Children, Darien, Conn.—$275 • Heartsong Inc., White Plains, N.Y.—$1,000 • New Covenant House for Hospitality, Stamford, Conn.— $500 • Petit Family Foundation, Farmington, Conn.—$250 • Real Hope for Haiti, Elwood, Ind.—$500 • Reverse the Course, Harrison, N.Y.—$630 • The Child Abuse Prevention Center, White Plains, N.Y.—$1,000 • WestCOP Mt. Kisco Head Start, Mt. Kisco, N.Y.—$500 “We are proud to present these grants to the people who dedicate their own lives to bettering the lives of children,” said Lauren.

The foundation will begin recruiting new members in the fall under the leadership of Fiona Cavise ’12, president; Annie McDevitt ’12 and Meggie Purcell ’13, vice presidents; Kelsey Roche ’13, treasurer; and Amanda Webb ’14, secretary.

To make a gift to the Barat Foundation Endowment, please contact the School’s director of institutional advancement, Joan Petersen, at (203) 532-3326 or petersenj@cshgreenwich.org.

Lower School Raises Money for Sister School in Uganda Lower School students have expanded their social awareness into action with a strong global impact. The students raised money for the Sacred Heart Primary School in Masaka, Uganda, through two major annual events, “Jump Rope for Uganda” and the second grade’s “Wax Museum.”

On a beautiful day in May, 38 secondgraders displayed their knowledge of historical figures in the annual Wax Museum. It is the culmination of their study on the biographies of famous people in history. The girls and their teachers use it as an event to raise money to help young girls receive an education in Africa.

Dressed in costumes, the girls set up their “museum” in the gymnasium and invited guests to visit and learn more about history, while supporting our

sister school. Visitors arrived in droves— parents, siblings, teachers and students from other grades. Guests paid a “fee” of a dime per wax figure to hear a student recite facts and accomplishments about her historical figure. The fun-filled event raised a total of $1,445.77.

The Lower School’s contributions of “Jump Rope for Uganda” raised $6,033,

along with the first-grade Daisy Scouts donation of $500 from their service activities. This year the Upper, Middle and Lower Schools combined raised a total of $9,588.89 for our sister school in Uganda.

The money will be delivered through Irene Cullen, RSCJ, the Uganda-Kenya Mission Support coordinator for the Society of the Sacred Heart.

The second grade’s Wax Museum featured, left to right: Lily Santangelo as Cleopatra, Yvestlana Lafontant as Harriet Tubman, Sophia Mederer as Laura Ingalls Wilder and Cecilia Duncan as Amelia Bloomer

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Student-Run Philanthropy Awards $5,430 to Nonprofits

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By Kelly Stone, director of athletics

Standards raised. Milestones set. History made. That is how the 2010-11 year will best be remembered.

While all sports and teams had memorable moments and laudable individual and team performances, volleyball stole the headlines in the fall, squash in the winter and lacrosse in the spring.

VOLLEYBALL The 2010 varsity volleyball team repeated as co-champions of the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) League and FAA Tournament champions for the second consecutive year in its short three-year history as a varsity program. Defending its 2009 New England Class B Championship, Sacred Heart, once again, advanced to the title match after overcoming undefeated Pomfret (3–1) in the semifinals. Eventually, Miss Porter’s survived the Tiger attack and took home the crown.

SQUASH For the third straight year, Sacred Heart holds claim to the Division I U.S. Middle School Team Squash Championships at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The team of Kate Feeley ’15, Mary Grace Henry ’15, Bella Jones ’15, Emmie Leonard ’17 and Sloane Ruffa ’15 dropped one individual match and held off a strong Greenwich Academy (4–1) team en route to its stronghold on middle school team squash.

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Also, the Upper School squash program reached unprecedented heights at both the 2011 U.S. Squash National Team Championships and New England Tournament. With its highest seeding to date (9th), Sacred Heart registered first-time victories over Germantown Friends and Taft to complete the tournament with Sacred Heart’s best finish ever, a seventhplace National ranking.

Two weeks later at the Class A New Englands, the Tigers again exceeded all previous performances. The team claimed third-place at No. 2 (Ally Huchro ’11)and No. 3 (Christie Huchro ’14), fourth-place at No. 1 (Kayley Leonard ’14) and No. 5 (Jenne Ingrassia ’11) and fifth-place at No. 4 (Krystyna Miles ’12) and No. 7 (Courtney Fischer ’11) to celebrate a bronze medal performance.

LACROSSE Twenty-eight years later, there is a new sheriff in town!

Varsity lacrosse celebrated a historic season of firsts beating perennial lacrosse power Greenwich Academy (11–10) during the regular season, achieving an undefeated record (7–0) in Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) play to capture the FAA League for the first time since the League’s inception in 1983, and culminating the year with a second win over GA (11–9) in the tournament championship game.

To date, Sacred Heart is the only FAA school to beat GA in lacrosse; once in the tournament in 2003 and twice this spring.

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1. 2011 Varsity Lacrosse celebrates first-ever FAA League Championship after beating Holy Child 15-8 on May 9. 2. 22011 Class A New England Squash Tournament bronze medalist Coach Mike Callaway, Kayley Leonard ’14, Caroline Antonacci ’12, Jenne Ingrassia ’11, Ally Huchro ’11, Christie Huchro ’14, Krystyna Miles ’12 (missing Courtney Fischer ’11). 3. 2010 Varsity Volleyball enjoying back-to-back (2010 and 2009) FAA League and Tournament Championships after beating Holy Child in five games. 4. Middle School squash three-peats as U.S. Squash National Team Champions. 5. Coxswain Molly Pillari ’12, Margaret Dunne ’13, Julie Rohde ’11, Margarreta Ryan ’12 and Kate Welch ’12 maneuver the Charles River in Boston at the 2010 Head of the Charles regatta. 6. Erin Aoyama ’11, 2011 FAA Scholar-Athlete.

BASKETBALL Varsity basketball improved its 2–13 record in 2009 and 4–14 record in 2010 to 9–9, completing the 2011 campaign tied for 4th place in the FAA League and a berth to the FAA Tournament.

Freshman Colleen O’Neill, the leading point scorer, put up 131 points, 48 percent from the field and averaged 7.2 points per game.

CREW Fall crew’s top 4+ boat tamed its opponents at the 2010 Head of the Connecticut with a gold medal race and continued to gain momentum at the Head of the Charles finishing fifteenth out of a field of 76.

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Competing in the eight plus coxswain races, spring crew won the Greenwich Invitational for the second year in a row, took third at the Connecticut Championships reducing its differential from the Kent (perennial power) varsity boat to 11 seconds and achieving the program’s best results in the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships with a firstplace finish in the Petite Final.

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Teamwork at both ends of the field, mental toughness and speed were keys to huge wins over Loomis (13–12) and Taft (11–9) and nail-biters against Hotchkiss (9–10) and Choate (9–10 double overtime).

Two prolific scorers, Emily Hatton ’11 and Alli Sciarretta ’12 reached personal milestones when they netted their 100th career goals.

In addition to being recognized by both MSG Varsity and Greenwich Citizen as Athlete-of-the-Week, co-captain Emily Hatton was selected as a 2011 US Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention and named to the 2011 US Lacrosse Academic All-American Team.

CROSS COUNTRY Our young squad established itself as a contender finishing second at the FAA Championships and fifth at the Division II New England Championships.

Sophomore Natalie Tanner won 11 out of 14 races, took second at the Canterbury Invitational, third at the New England Championship and sixth (out of 173) at the Manhattan College Invitational, while setting two course records, one at CSH and the other at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Conn.

FIELD HOCKEY Varsity field hockey faced Deerfield for the first time in dual competition in any Sacred Heart sport and won 1–0. The win marked coach Sarah Hill’s 250th victory.

Kerri Brown ’11 and Emily Hatton ’11, recognized for their excellence in the classroom and on the field, were named to the 2010 Gladiator by SGI High School Academic Field Hockey Squad.

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GOLF Varsity golf registered big wins over first-time match opponents Hotchkiss and Choate. Five golfers traveled to the Blue Hill Country Club in Canton, Mass. to participate in the Pippy O’Connor Independent School Girls’ Golf Classic where Michelle Peng ’11 shot an 80 to tie for third place. A week later at the FAA Championship, captain Peng emerged as co-medalist with a 42 for nine holes.

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TENNIS

Varsity soccer finished third in the FAA regular season, advanced to the semifinals of the FAA Tournament before coming up short in overtime, executed stunning performances against Greens Farms, Greenwich Academy and St. Luke’s and set the standard for fitness.

Junior midfielder Erin Myers ’12 was selected to the 2010 24-member Connecticut State Prep Soccer Team.

On the tennis court, Sacred Heart beat Taft (5–2) for the second consecutive year, edged Greenwich Academy (4–3) for the first time in nine years, and won the FAA Singles Tournament. The FAA Tournament proved to be “Sister Act II” when the Urbinati sisters (Jackie ’15 and Michelle ’13) competed against each other for the singles title and Sacred Heart’s No. 1 doubles team of Courtney ’11 and Nicole ’12 Fischer took home the runner-up trophy.

SOFTBALL The softball program, growing in interest and enthusiasm, is fortunate to have a young dedicated pitcher, Nicolette Brusco ’14, on the mound.

SWIMMING AND DIVING Swimming and diving competed to a tenth place finish at the 2011 New England Prep School Championships at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Jillian Carter ’11 and Christine McGuire ’11 were recognized

by Connecticut Swimming, a division of USA Swimming, as 2010 Connecticut Swimming Scholar-Athletes. Carter, a 2009-10 Scholastic All-American, established two, new school records in a week’s time in the 100-yard butterfly. The first record (59.32 seconds) was established at the 2011 Bud Erich Invitational and the second (50.15 seconds) at the New Englands.

Amanda Molinelli ’11 earned All-America Consideration for her diving performances at the 2011 Bud Erich Invitational (third

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place) and New England Championships (fifth place).

The 200-yard medley relay team of Nicole Rogers ’12, Sveva Marcangeli ’11, co-captain Jillian Carter ’11 and co-captain Melissa Whelan ’11 placed second with a time of 1:55.86 at the 2011 Bud Erich Invitational Meet. At the same meet, co-captainelect Nicole Rogers, with a time of 2.16.06, swam to a third-place finish in the 200-yard Individual Medley event.

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UNDEFEATED Three Middle School teams achieved undefeated seasons during the 2010–11 campaign: sixth-grade soccer, sixth-grade Tiger basketball and eighth-grade Red-White lacrosse.

FAA In FAA competition, Sacred Heart succeeded in winning two regular season championships (volleyball and lacrosse) and three tournaments (volleyball, lacrosse and tennis singles) and finished second in the regular season in squash and tennis and in the doubles tennis tournament.

At the annual Honors Dinner, two Sacred Heart studentathletes, Erin Aoyama ’11 and Kathleen Spillane ’11, received the prestigious FAA Scholar-Athlete Award, given to senior student-athletes who display excellence and superior achievement in both athletics and academics.

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7. Three generations of Heffernans capture the moment (CSH 11 GA 9) after varsity lacrosse beat Greenwich Academy in the FAA Tournament Championship. Left to right: Maggie Heffernan Trimble ’83, Molly’s mother; Molly Trimble ’11, recipient of the 2011 Katie Cassidy Higgins Award; Molly’s grandfather, Jack Heffernan. 8. 2011 FAA Singles Tennis Champion Jackie Urbinati ’15 and Michele Urbinati ’13 runner-up. 9. Courtney ’11 and Nicole ’12 Fischer, 2011 FAA Doubles Tournament Finalist. 10. No. 21, Kathleen Spillane ’11, 2011 FAA Scholar-Athlete

The foundation of Sacred Heart athletics is voluntary participation.

Five students were honored for earning the Four-Year Three-Sport Award which recognizes seniors who have played on 12 interscholastic teams during their four-year Upper School career.

Megan Cincotta ’11—field hockey, squash, lacrosse Lindsey Hascher ’11—soccer, basketball, lacrosse Gloria Lee ’11—fall crew, swimming, spring crew Francesca Recchia ’11—soccer, basketball, softball Kathleen Spillane ’11— volleyball, basketball, tennis

COMMITMENT AND CONTRIBUTIONS The Riley Athletic Award is presented to a member of the freshman or sophomore class who has contributed the most to Sacred Heart athletics through her ability, enthusiasm, dedication and sportsmanship. Freshman Colleen O’Neill, a member of the varsity soccer, varsity basketball and varsity lacrosse teams, was presented with the award at Prize Day 2011.

The 11th and 12th Grade Athletic Award is presented to a member of the junior or senior class who has made the greatest contribution to the success of Sacred Heart athletics through her ability, enthusiasm, dedication and sportsmanship. Lindsey Hascher ’11, a 12-season, 10 varsity-team athlete, who played soccer, basketball and lacrosse, received the 2011 award.

The Margaret Melford Cup is given to the student who has made the greatest contribution to the Committee of Games and the Green and White Teams. Head of Committee of Games Megan Cincotta ’11 was the 2011 recipient.

With each new season, our athletes continue to raise performance standards, set new milestones and make history at Sacred Heart and beyond. Congratulations to all.

College Game Day

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Sixteen Sacred Heart alumnae participated on an intercollegiate team during the 2010–11 academic year.

Credit Vanderbilt University

Tory Bensen ’10—University of Pennsylvania lacrosse Gillian Burkett ’10—Trinity College rowing Tara Cochran ’10—Boston College crew Kelly Donlin ’08—Georgetown University swimming Kate Foley ’09—Union College crew Megan Grehan ’07—Vanderbilt University golf Kyla Harrington ’09—Brown University squash Grace Hedges ’10—Hobart and William Smith Colleges swimming Megan Jarchow ’10—Middlebury College volleyball Emily Leitner ’08—University of Pennsylvania lacrosse Antonia Libassi ’09—Brown University squash Elise Mazurak ’09—University of Vermont lacrosse Maggie McLaughlin ’10—Gettysburg College tennis Dee Miller ’10—Middlebury College field hockey and lacrosse Tori Porter ’10—Tufts University sailing Paige Terry ’10—University of Virginia rowing

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1. A two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week selection, Emily Leitner ’08, University of Pennsylvania’s lacrosse goalie, earned Academic All-Ivy honors, was named second-team All-Ivy and IWLCA All-Region selection and finished with an 8.39 goals-against average (eighth nationally) as she lead the Quakers to their fifth straight Ivy League title. 2. Kate Foley ’09 was voted captain of the 2011–12 Union College crew team. 3. Megan Grehan ’07, four-year member of the Vanderbilt golf team, made the lone birdie in the sudden-death playoff to boost the Commodores to its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship.

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FOUR-YEAR THREE-SPORT ATHLETES

As a two-sport athlete, Aoyama made a significant contribution to the development and immediate success of the volleyball program and improvement of the basketball team as a co-captain of both, a skilled performer and a role model.

Aoyama earned All-League honors during Sacred Heart’s second FAA League and Tournament Championship season, in as many years, and during the winter of 2011 when the varsity basketball team completed a 500-season after many years of recording only one or two wins. A year ago, during the 2010 basketball campaign, she distinguished herself as the leading point-scorer.

In addition to the FAA honors, Aoyama is the recipient of the 2011 Sportsmanship Award honoring the senior who, practice or competition, is fair and honorable, conducts herself with integrity and humility, demonstrates patience and teamwork and treats her teammates, coaches and opponents with respect.

Kathleen Spillane, Sacred Heart’s only three-sport varsity captain, has been recognized by the FAA seven times during her four-year high school athletic career, (three All-League selections in volleyball, an Honorable Mention in basketball, and two All-League and one Honorable Mention in tennis).

The leadership, ability and execution Spillane displayed on the volleyball court played a significant role in Sacred Heart winning back-to-back FAA Championships and advancing to the New England Tournament Finals in 2009 and 2010.

In November 2010, the Connecticut Federation of Volleyball Officials presented Spillane with the 2010 Val Dickinson Memorial Scholarship for exemplary volleyball skills, leadership, teamwork, coach-ability and love of the game.

During Prize Day, Spillane became the third recipient of the Joan Magnetti, RSCJ Leadership Award which is presented to a senior athlete whose actions best exemplify the qualities of a “profile in leadership.”

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catching up with our graduates

M e ss a g e f r o m t h e A l u m n a e p r e s i d e n t Dear Fellow Alumnae, The following is a favorite quote of mine from Journey of the Heart, a bicentennial anthology of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools: “No mere statistical recital can heighten appreciation or increase one’s gratitude for the years at Sacred Heart. The daily routine of life does that. But each one has her own favorite memories, her ‘I shall never forget the time …’ Her ‘remember when?’ anecdote. Do remember when.

Never forget the time, for if you do, something precious will have gone from your life … All these experiences belong to you and you, believe it, belong to them.” (From anonymous notes found in 1945 at Broadway, San Francisco) The opportunity to serve as president of the Greenwich-Maplehurst Alumnae Association has been one of the great honors of my life. I want to give my heartfelt thanks to everyone who made my time in this seat such a joy and express my gratitude to some specific people who have made this experience possible.

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I would like to thank my dear friend and the association’s vice president for the last three years, Patreece WilliamsCreegan ’84. She has been an intelligent, generous and steadfast partner. She will make a fantastic president for the alumnae board and association. To have her by my side these last three years has been a real blessing. My thanks to Kathleen Feeney ’98, who as Alumnae Relations Director is a most valuable asset to the office. She brings a professionalism and enthusiasm to everything she does and always goes above and beyond for her fellow alumnae.

And I convey my deepest appreciation and esteem for Pamela Juan Hayes ’64.

Words cannot adequately express the pride, admiration and affection I feel—indeed all alumnae feel—for her as a leader and as a fellow alumna. It has truly been a gift to work with her.

Very importantly, I want to thank my fellow alumnae board members. You are such a dynamic, smart and devoted group of women who truly embody the spirit of Sacred Heart. Working with you all is one

of the real reasons I have loved my experience these last three years. I know you will go on to accomplish so many terrific things on behalf of us alumnae and our School. It will be wonderful to see!

Ultimately, the privilege and blessing of being able to call myself a Sacred Heart alumna and to be in the company of all the alumnae—a group of superb, spirited and inspiring women—is what has formed the most precious memories for me. I will always and forever be thankful to you all and to this most precious place.

Here’s to the days ahead and all we can look forward to together!

With love and gratitude,

Mandy Dawson Murphy ’85

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2011–2012 Greenwich-Maplehurst A l u m n a e Ass o c i at i o n B o a r d President: Patreece Williams-Creegan ’84 Vice President: Shannon O’Leary Pujadas ’87 Treasurer: Lisa Burke Fallon ’89 Secretary: Magee Finn King ’93

Board Members: Vanessa Arredondo ’87 Alyssa Keleshian Bonomo ’86 Dreux Dubin Claiden ’77 Lucy Coudert Conrod ’89 Katie Phelan Contino ’95 Ellen Feeney ’02 Carli Garcia ’01 Sarah Grogan ’97 Hope Houston Hirshorn ’82 Sarah Jorquera ’79 Barbara Linsenmeyer Malone ’85 Susie Callagy McCloskey ’84 Colleen Mara McLane ’91 Katie Molloy ’99

Cathy Finnegan Nix ’71 Sarah Quick ’04 Nicole Seagriff ’03 Ex Officio Members: Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 Director of Institutional Advancement Joan Petersen Director of Alumnae Relations Kathleen A. Feeney ’98 feeneyk@cshgreenwich.org (203) 532-3545

Visit us at www.cshgreenwich.org and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CSHSacee

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acred Heart alumnae have had a busy winter and spring.

College 101 on January 4 was a huge success with 40 young women from the Class of 2010 speaking about college to Upper School students. The Upper School girls loved seeing their old friends and hearing all about how well Sacred Heart prepares students for college. On January 9, alumnae enjoyed a lovely Washington, D.C. Alumnae and Friends Gathering graciously hosted by Robert and Ellen Shafer at their home in Georgetown.

Twenty alumnae attended along with Pamela Juan Hayes ’64, Michael Baber and Kathleen Feeney ’98 from CSH. The Très Bien Fun and Cocktails on February 3 was attended by more than 45 alumnae and guests. This event was a “thank you” for all alumnae who donated early to CSH’s Annual Fund. The second Conge of the year was held in New York City on the evening of March 10. More than 70 alumnae attended. It was a great event and alumnae are looking forward to more Congés! Sacred Heart continued its regional receptions with two fabulous events in Florida. DeDe Mannix Burke ’59 and Jack Burke hosted more than 30 alumnae and friends for a wonderful evening at their beautiful home in Vero Beach. Then, past parent Carol Crowley hosted an hors d’oeuvres and cocktail reception at the elegant Bath and Tennis Club in Palm Beach for alumnae and friends.

The annual Alumnae Generations’ Tea on April 14 was attended by more than 80 alumnae, associate alumnae and their daughters and granddaughters. At that traditional English afternoon tea, tea and scones were enjoyed by all! The annual New York City Sacred Heart Alumnae Gathering at 91st Street on April 19 was a great way to kick off spring with more than 150 alumnae and guests in attendance. Thank you to everyone who attended these events and came out to support Sacred Heart.

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6. Katie Molly ’99, Brennan Joyce ’03, Sarah Grogan ’97, Julia Shullman ’99 7. Jaime Straub ’04, Danielle Decina ’04, Ali Hines ’04 8. Mame Moran ’10, Beth LaBossiere ’10, Katie Randolph ’10, Carolyn Toner ’10, Grace Strmecki ’10, Jenny Traver ’10 9. Kate Mahoney ’11 and Bissy Rail ’11 10. Katherine Colihan ’06, Kelly Whipple ’06, Meghan McGuinn ’05 11. Livia Angiolillo ’00 and teacher Ana Maria Neuman 12. Sarah Quick ’04 and Ellen Feeney ’02 13. Stacey Kuch ’85 and Mary Susan Farley ’85 14. Laura Antonacci ’01, Sara Wallace ’01, Kate Stuebe ’01, Meghan Mara Ryan ’01 15. Markey Pullen Burke ’56 and Anne Buckhout Chase ’51 16. Cricket Telesco Burns ’82, Katie Keogh Weidner ’84, Gigi Becker Rhodes ’79 17. Lisa Burke Fallon ’89, Rosemary Sheehan, RSCJ, and Lucy Coudert Conrod ’89 18. Jane Riley ’83 and Shannon Cooney Johnston ’88 19. Alyssa Keleshian Bonomo ’86, past parent and teacher Ban White, Shannon O’Leary Pujadas ’87 20. Gillian Burkett ’10, Tory Bensen ’10, JoJo Golden ’10 21. The Alumnae Generations Tea in April

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22. Christine Murtha Coogan ’92, Rosemary Sheehan, RSCJ, Melissa Egbert Sheehan ’93 23. Odessa de Castro Bourne ’59 and Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 24. Delia Mannix Burke ’59, Joan Egan Mendelson ’59, Dolores Cox Agnew ’59, June Dolce Heffernan ’59 25. Patreece Williams-Creegan ’84 and Katie Phelan Contino ’95 26. Adelaide Shafer Barrett ’91, Katherine Shafer Coleman ’92, Ellen Shafer 27. Emily Hirshorn ’15, Hope Houston Hirshorn ’82, Sarah Hirshorn ’13, Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 28. Megan Heanue ’97 and Christie Devlin Furman ’97 29. Jennifer Pittman ’03, teacher Ann Hitchings, Jennifer Einersen ’03, Nicole Seagriff ’03 30. Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 and Karen Hendricks ’72 31. Ellie Denson ’15, Erinn Laragh Denson ’85, Alex Dimitri ’16, Lili Lawry Dimitri ’85, Grace Sutherland ’16, Mary Vouté Sutherland ’85, Marion Murphy ’17, Mandy Dawson Murphy ’85 32. Kathy Williams Dunn ’73, Rosemary Sheehan, RSCJ, Magee Dunn ’11 33. Marcella Lilly Dresdale ’77, past parent and grandparent Marcella Lilly, Beth Dresdale ’06 34. Molly Donius Boscarino ’91, Barbara Farrell Smith ’91, Katherine Shafer Coleman ’92, Adelaide Shafer Barrett ’91 35. Clare Verrochi ’12 and Tricia Davis Verrochi ’79 36. Cathy Finnegan Nix ’71, Sarah Grogan ’97, Dina Cortese Urso ’95

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Alumnae Career Morning: Nonprofit Leadership At “Career Morning,” Upper School students learned about the many and varied opportunities available in the nonprofit field. Several alumnae, who went on to establish leadership roles as nonprofit executives, returned to participate in a panel discussion and respond to students’ questions on careers. Panelists included, bottom, left to right: Margaret Feeney ’00, executive director of Feeney Farm; Ali Hines ’04, family services associate and communications manager for Autism Speaks; Elissa Forstmann Moran ’66, president and program director of Friends of Nick; top, left to right: Patricia C. Aragonés ’85, president and executive director, Fundación Fabretto (Spain), who is also the vice president and advisory board member of Fabretto Children´s Foundation (USA), and Beth LaBossiere ’10, a student at Yale University who is active with Community Health Educators in New Haven.

To submit information, please contact your class agent or Kathleen A. Feeney ’98 at feeneyk@cshgreenwich.org.

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Virginia Beach Coudert vcoudert@optonline.net 44

Renee Holt Bigler continues her laudable work for Pathways, Inc., an organization devoted to assisting those who are seriously mentally ill. Pathways maintains four residences in Greenwich for clients and has a Fellowship Club which includes other clients in the community.

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Genevieve Lawson-Johnston St. George continues to live in the Boston area.

She travels to England every summer to reunite with her two sisters, and then they go to Italy.

Louise Meière Dunn is helping to perpetuate the works and memory of her mother, the noted Art Deco artist Hildreth Meière, a graduate of a former Sacred Heart school and Manhattanville College.

Louise is president of the International Hildreth Meière Association, Inc., (IMMA) which is exhibiting Hildreth’s work. (See related article on page 45).

Virginia Beach Coudert: “I stay busy, oddly enough, serving on the boards of Pathways and the IHMA. Board service, along with seven children and twelve grandchildren, keeps me very busy.”

1952

Mary V. Seitz Gallagher eddirg3@optonline.net Condolences to Macy Finn Doherty on the death of her son, Edward, in November. We will continue to keep him in our prayers. Macy continues her interest in art and is taking lessons.

Sissy Lamm Haskell is adding a new room to her Hilton Head, S.C., home, where she loves to garden.

Rachel Vuono Jensen has 14 grandchildren and enjoys having her daughter and family back in Connecticut from Brazil.

Aileen Mannix Schaefer and her family are doing well. Two new grandchildren have joined the other nine. The oldest is a freshman at Boston College living on the Newton campus where Aileen went to college.

Jeanne McNamara Eckrich recently moved from Darien to New Canaan, Conn. where their home overlooks a park.

She is close enough to church to walk.

Jeanne continues as a clinical social worker and family therapist and is part of a book group in existence for 30 years.

Barbara Hunter Latu and her family are all happy and healthy.

Jeanne Eckrich and Mary Gallagher agree that Mother Heide was their favorite teacher.

I, Mary V. Seitz Gallagher, and my family are all doing well and I enjoy visiting with my 13 grandchildren scattered throughout North America. I am looking forward to summer when we all visit at the beach.

1955

Cynthia Crump Crimmins cynthiacrimm@optonline.net Meg Dealy Ackerman and her husband, Bob, joined an April trip to Chile organized by the Nature Conservancy.

After a stay in Santiago, they traveled to the coastal Cordillera mountain range, vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley, and the Valdivian Coastal Reserve, a temperate rain forest where 3,500-yearold alerce trees related to North American giant sequoias are found. Meg documented the successful conservation efforts undertaken to protect these lands.

I, Cynthia Crump Crimmins, joined my children and grandchildren in Boca Grande, Fla., for an Easter vacation.

This summer, my husband and I will be sailing along the New England coast, and hope to see the Ackermans in Marion, Mass.

Judy Ollinger Depontes is busy in Florida helping with her four grandchildren there; she has 15 grandchildren! She teaches preschool music at her church and is in the adult choir. She says she has never been so busy, but that is what keeps her young!

Joanne O’Connor Hynek still lives in Lowell, Mass., and enjoys going back and forth to Falmouth. Her grandson is at McGill University in Canada. They visited Austin, Texas, at Christmas.

Sheilah Lane Malafronte’s son was married in October. She is lucky to have her two sons living in Manhattan so close to her.

Ann Diner McKenna went to her husband’s 50th reunion at St. Michael’s College in Vt. On the way, they stopped at Niagara Falls and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Kim Smith Wayne has retired, allowing more time for her politicking, especially single payer healthcare and clean money.

She is working on improving her Spanish.

She will be traveling to the East with two grandchildren, staying near Philadelphia with her nephew and in McLean, Va., with her son.

highlight Convent of the Sacred Heart is privileged Louise Dunn ’48 to have two Art Deco woodcarvings and Hilly Dunn ’77 designed in 1946 by noted muralist and with a Hildreth mosaicist Hildreth Meière, the mother of Meière illustration Louise Dunn ’48, grandmother of Hilly behind them.

Dunn ’77 and great-grandmother of Kim Kupik ’05. The artist (1892–1961) graduated from a New York City-based Sacred Heart school that eventually became Manhattanville College.

In 1956, Mrs. Meière became the first woman to receive the Fine Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects. She is known for the classical touch she brought to the Art Deco walls (mosaics, murals, metals, gesso-reliefs, wood carvings, tapestries) she created for many famous buildings, including Radio City Music Hall, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan and the Nebraska State Capitol.

“Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meière” is a major retrospective of her work on exhibit at the National Building Museum until November 27, 2011. The museum is located at 401 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Thanks to Mrs. Meière’s family, her work is enjoying a renaissance and it has gained excellent reviews from the New York Times and Washington Post.

Her daughter, Louise Dunn, founded the 300-member International Society Hildreth Meière, and her granddaughter, Hilly, has traveled the country photographing the artist’s work for the official 112-page catalogue available at the exhibit and from the society. Even great-granddaughter, Kim Kupik is involved, serving as an editorial advisor.

“Walls Speak” opened last year at St. Bonaventure University near Buffalo, N.Y., and the New York Times praised it. Don’t miss a chance to see it if you are in the Washington-area.

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Sue Sughrue Carrington has joined the community of grandparents! She and her husband, Bill, have been studying the Old Testament. Please contact her for more information.

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1956 55th Markey Pullen Burke markey.burke@comcast.net First of all, hope everyone saves the weekend of October 1 as we have our 55th (can you believe it???) reunion. Hopefully, everyone who came for the 50th and some who did not make it, will attend in October. Now for the news: Muffie McKeon Cosnard des Closet’s life in France has been changed since we saw her at the 50th as her husband has had Alzheimer’s for the past five years so her time is spent at home with him. She says she reads voraciously, practices yoga and sings (for fun) as often as she can—sometimes walking to the grocery store! She hasn’t been to the U.S. since 2008.

Susan Marechal Scully has two new knees, but it hasn’t kept her from going on two cruises. She will host a dinner for our class after Reunion on October 1.

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Suzanne Kenney Gaetano has moved to Amesbury, Mass. She and her husband, Len, spend half their time there and half in Phoenix with their daughter and her family.

was the photographer and Molly was the ghostwriter for Denise LeFrak and Roberta Amon.

Patricia Maguire Murray has moved to an independent living facility. Her oldest son and family moved East, enabling her to visit often.

Ellin Pear Royds says she is a happy widow living an active life in Houston and has happy memories of Greenwich.

Margi Brown Gregory said her oldest son and his family are moving to Michigan this summer so it will mean lots of trips to visit. She will still have three children and their families in her small town so feels very lucky. Her daughter lives in Maryland.

Mary Ann Skelly Tragresser says there is nothing new to report, but she hopes to get to the Holy Land and Rome soon.

Mary Grady Keith and her husband are still traveling between their homes in Connecticut and New Hampshire. They visit their son in San Antonio. Their daughter, Tricia, who married in 2008 and is a stepmother of two boys, lives in Connecticut so Mary has five grandchildren! Mary took a cruise in September to Nova Scotia and Quebec City.

Dolores Cox Agnew doloresagnew@hotmail.com

Molly Wade McGrath retired from classroom teaching of ESL and enjoys working with a few interesting clients.

She and her husband, Norman, produced a book, Rooftop Gardens, published in April by Rizzoli about the world above the streets of New York City. Norman

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Rita Murphey Cleary’s grandson, Alexander John, now known as A.J. in English and Alex in German, was born on Dec. 14, 2010. She spent three weeks of January in Zurich to help out. As the clan gathered, languages were flying—English, French, Spanish, High German, and Swiss German. She’s learning how to play bridge until the golf season starts.

Hilary Carr Jones was in Tasmania in January, where she camped for 10 days with daughter Bronwyn and her husband, Brad, and their two-year-old daughter,

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Nanette Mouradian Dickman spent 16 days on the Mediterranean this spring, then will travel to Pennsylvania for the summer, where she sees a lot of her children and grandchildren.

Kathy Dolan, RSCJ, is enjoying a year off from her busy ministry in Atherton, Calif. Kathy began her sabbatical on the East Coast, reconnecting with family and friends, as well as taking extra time for prayer and workshops. She also serves on CSH’s Board of Trustees.

Class of 1956: Markey Pullen Burke, Patricia Maguire Murray, Margaret Brown Gregory, and Kathleen Dolan, RSCJ gathered last fall for a luncheon reunion.

Anne Kinney Duffy ’59 (back) celebrating the 70th birthday of her husband, John (middle). At left is their daughter, Hilary, with (front row) daughter-in-law, Hilary, and son, Kevin, and their children, Charlotte, 5, and Patch, 7.

Anne Kinney Duffy visited Europe, spending time in Val Gardenna, Italy and Lech, Austria. She invites other skiers in the class to join them next year.

They celebrated John’s 70th birthday on February 13 in New Jersey and her 70th on March 7 in Tucson.

1961 50th Pamela Raymond rskeywest@yahoo.com Valerie Moore O’Keeffe is excited about our class’s 50th Reunion on the weekend of Oct. 1. She hopes all of her classmates will come back to Sacred Heart for a wonderful day!

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Pamela Wall Madden topamad2@yahoo.com

Carol Patrick Breslin is doing much better after her major back surgery. Her family lives nearby so she sees them often.

Pat Meyer is back skiing and sailing after leg surgery. Her constant companion, Bob, went into assisted living in November.

Sheila Hickey Cameron works in the Development Office of Greenwich Hospital.

Anne Haigney Roome is working hard at the travel business and feeling healthy.

Chris Donovan works with Citizen Pruners and is active with an emergency preparedness group. She spends time with her niece, Laura Dodd, who is publishing a book soon.

Sandra Steinthal Powell loves living in Delray, Fla.

Marita O’Hare also works in the Development Office of Greenwich Hospital. She is happy to have her son, Patrick, back in the area. Marita had a cancerous brain tumor removed on Feb. 25.

She will be going through radiation and she and her family need all your prayers.

Elizabeth King is adjusting to retirement and has made many friends in her neighborhood. She and Anne Haigney Roome met with Anne Harris Majic for lunch during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Jackie Paterno Kirby’s husband, Frank, passed away in November after a long battle with cancer. We send her our love and prayers.

My (Pam Wall Madden) daughter, Maura, was featured in Martha Stewart Living (February 2011) and my son, Andy, will be married at Sacred Heart, 91st Street, in November.

Cis Keller Sperling sent me a message.

She has developed Parkinson’s disease and is trying to cope with the frustrations of that disease. I am very aware of this since my husband, Tom, was diagnosed a few years ago. The good news is that the team I work with at Pfizer (Neuroscience RMRS) is working with the research group on biomarkers and other areas of Parkinson’s.

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Morgan. The fact that the camper was small and weather-beaten was the first challenge. The fact that Bronwyn was eight-months pregnant was another challenge. They wandered the east coast of Tasmania enjoying pristine beaches, a rugged coastline and friendly people.

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Ursula Moore Smith ursie@comcast.net Pam Powers Prokop lives in Port Washington, N.Y. Her daughter, Patty, has two boys, David, who plays lacrosse, and Ned, who plays trombone. Her husband is a math professor at St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia. Pam’s son, Michael, is a retired army major working at the U.S. Strategic Command. Her daughter, Gillian, works for Tweezerman.

Pam’s mother is 91 and lives in Vero Beach, Fla.

Classmates had a very impromptu dinner in NYC on Dec. 22. Marita O’Hare and Sheila Hickey Cameron came in from Greenwich.

Anne Harris Majic spends much of her time visiting with her family all over the country and the UK.

Hilly Carr Jones ’59 and her husband, David, in Tasmania

1962 Classmates: (left to right) Sheila Hickey Cameron, Christine Donovan, Pam Wall Madden, Elizabeth King, Anne Haigney Roome and Marita O’Hare enjoying a NYC dinner together.

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Stephanie Beaudouin Piper spiper@utk.edu Joyce Garvey Bray and husband Geoff came to 2010 Reunion from New Britain, Conn. Joyce is a marketing consultant and president of the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative Foundation. Son Brad and granddaughter Madeline are in Newton, Mass. Son Jamie and family (grandson Will and a new baby on the way) are in San Francisco. Said Joyce: “I absolutely loved seeing the wonderful women that my classmates have grown into.”

Liz Betts Leckie made the trip to Reunion from Venice, Italy, where she and Geoff have lived for 10 years. She enjoys accompanying Geoff on painting trips throughout Europe and cruised to Croatia last fall.

Patty Powers Woodlock and her husband, Douglas, are proud grandparents of Anne Woodlock Egleston. Patty’s husband has completed 25 years as a federal judge.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with Cathy Collins McCoy, whose husband, Neal, died in September.

I, Stephanie Beaudouin Piper, am the director of development at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and write a monthly newspaper column. We have four grandchildren and enjoy visiting our family up and down the East Coast.

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Sept. 31–Oct. 1

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Cathleen Joyce Egan cashie@optonline.net Mary Brady says: “I can’t believe I’m doing this—it’s so not me. I’m wondering if anyone else out there remembers when the senior class had to stand in the hall at night and do the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ with all the moves, and how incredibly funny it was. ‘Five golden rings’

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We missed Susie Craig Conroy at Reunion because she was attending her twin grandchildren’s first birthday party.

She and Dan live in Coral Gables, Fla., but spend a lot of time on planes visiting their daughters and six little ones.

We were all delighted to see Jane Beattie, who attended Greenwich from second grade through eighth. Jane is retired and divides her time among homes in Idaho, Florida and Greenwich.

still makes me want to throw out my arm and spread my fingers. That was the only one we ever got in synch. Good times.”

Several years ago, Mother Ann Conroy, RSCJ, suggested I, Cathleen Joyce Egan, take on the responsibility of being class agent and you can see where that got us … don’t think we have had any notes posted since the day she asked. What happened to that responsible, energetic person? I believe wife, mother and now “grandmotherhood” got in the way and what a ride it has been.

Tommy and I have been living in Rye for 27 years and I still call our home the Gillespie house (remember BJ, Class of 66?). I am still fortunate enough to see Kerry most mornings at Mass where we are able to get one another caught up on life’s events, usually revolving around activities of our children.

Shannon Brown will soon have three of her four children married. Hooray!

Shannon and her husband live in Larchmont, Allie and Pat in Rye and Kevin and Courtney will be in Boston, leaving Scott, her brilliant godchild the lone ranger, as of this printing. Kerry and Tom recently moved within Rye and are thrilled, allowing more time for Florida?!

I spoke with Natica del Valle von Althann to get the true class updates. Her oldest son, Charles, is engaged to Sarah Mills, both attorneys and graduates of Georgetown where they will be getting married this June. Caroline is at Emory Medical School and Robert works for a financial firm in Greenwich. Natica stays in touch with Lynne McGowan Wheat, Louise Parent and Shelaghmichael Condon Brown.

Lynne McGowan Wheat has been traveling a great deal, most recently to India with daughter, Lindsay, over Christmas and now Palm Beach, Antigua, with some skiing in between. Should we all consider coming back as Lynne?

Cashie Joyce Egan ’68 and Tom in Sea Island, Ga. with their children, John and Tommy, Annie and Chris Nugent and grandchildren Tommy and Lucy (91st St. ’25)

Louise Parent is general counsel of American Express, where she has had an illustrious career in charge of the legal department, compliance and government relations. Louise and her husband live

DESPAIR! … there is always next issue.

So, do not hesitate to send me info during the year at cashie@optonline.net.

Shelaghmichael Condon Brown is still in Texas and is considered among the top 50 most influential women in banking. She is executive vice president of BBVA/Compass Bank and frequently featured on CNBC. Having five children and a very demanding job, she manages to keep sane through exercise. Having seen her interviewed on television I can tell you first hand that she looks terrific, the kind of terrific that you really want to hate! But we know better...

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Sharon Rice Sklansky is still on Long Island and from what I hear spending a great deal of time playing bridge and golf. I think she is one of those Florida “snowbirds”!

Cathy Egan Cronin is working in media.

After 11 years as senior vice president with ABC, she decided to move closer to home and is in White Plains working as senior vice president for an agency specializing in radio. She and Bill have two married daughters, Cammie, living and working in London, and Caley in Manhattan. Their son, Ted, graduated from Fordham.

I just returned from Sea Island, GA, and there is never a time when there that I do not think of our dear Sheila McBride James, that is where we met when we were eight-years-old, not knowing that we would one day be classmates, teammates and roommates. Her daughters are doing well. Michelle is in medical school in California and Katie is graduating from Georgetown this spring.

As for me, I am enjoying seeing my granddaughter, Lucy Nugent, in her 91st Street uniform. She loves prekindergarten. Tommy, a second grader at Ignatius Loyola on 84th Street, is eight and received First Communion in Rome in April. Annie is a terrific mom and married to Chris Nugent, “the son-in-law from heaven.” John and Tommy are both working for brokerage firms. John in Baltimore and Tom in Manhattan.

For all of you out there who have not contributed this time DO NOT

Marion O’Grady ogradmm@nytimes.com For several years now, the class has been invited to celebrate at various autumn gatherings in Nantucket shared between my house and Morgan Barry Morton’s house. Renewed friendships have been the hallmark of these events. Among those attending at various times have been Gloria del Valle Christopher, Barbara Banks Schwam, Joan McAnaney Fay, Marie Gerli, Ingrid Cronin Packard, Joannie Wooters-Reisin, Cathy Maloney Claflin, Lee Rodriguez Schneider, Barby Teichgraber, Rylee Routh Ruley, Suzie Cole Johnson, Christine di Scipio and in spirit (signed on, but kept away only for weather reasons), Gina Riley Latcheran and JoAnne Stevens Carter.

A wonderful holiday dinner in December in New York drew a similar group of friends, along with Jean Morton, proving that the ’69ers remain committed to keeping our hallmark identity as “the class that celebrates!”

News from Stealey Jenkins Ashley: “I’ve sold the house we’ve owned since 1986 on the water in Edgewater and am now— temporarily—in a one bedroom apartment in Annapolis. I hope to find a small home close to Annapolis and my office. I get to see CSH occasionally through my niece, Nola Jenkins ’15, who is a student there.”

JoAnne Stevens Carter: “I continue to have my educational consulting practice in Essex, Conn., and still love what I am doing. All three of our sons and daughtersin-law now live in Connecticut. It is really fun to have access to all of the grandchildren. Bill and I are having fun supplying them with soccer camps, tap and ballet lessons and music camps—and enjoying family Sunday dinners at our house!!!!”

Last August I visited Ellin Malloy Christensen in her home town of Downer’s Grove, Ill. We had a great time catching up and I spoke with her recently; she is doing well in her valiant fight against brain cancer. She appreciates the power of your prayers and friendships, and sends her love.

Anne Correa has joined us on several dinners in New York and sings every other Sunday evening at a restaurant on the Upper West Side. As always, Anne looks great, sounds great and we’ve enjoyed her CDs on more than one CSH occasion! Joannie Wooters-Reisin who moved recently to the Upper West Side has gone to hear her.

Georgina Aballi de Alba checked in with wonderful news from Panama: “This will definitely be a special year for me: I have decided to retire after working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama for 34 years! But seeing my granddaughter, Olivia, 2, growing up very quickly I realized it was time to be able to devote more time to her and my other interests. This June, we will be going to Africa to celebrate my 60th. I always think fondly of my Sacred Heart years, particularly of my classmates and teachers.”

Christine di Scipio has two grandchildren, Molly and Jackson. Her son graduated from Emory College (Atlanta) this year. Chris’ Dad passed away after fighting leukemia on Jan. 6, 2011, on the very same day her aunt died. Chris says “as far as myself all is great on the job and home front, I am very blessed.”

Marie Gerli, Morgan Barry Morton and Joan McAnaney Fay completed a three-week trip to Asia to celebrate their 60th birthdays.

Marie Gerli continues her catering business and spent April in Florida. Morgan Barry Morton tells us: “My youngest daughter, Polly, got married this year which means all three girls are now married. We had our third grandson, which means even split: three granddaughters and three grandsons!” And Joan McAnaney Fay’s family announced that both of her daughters are now engaged!! Congratulations!

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in Manhattan. She recently had lunch with Natica where they discussed their upcoming trip to Telluride to be hosted

by Shelaghmichael.

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Continuing along the globe-trotting group theme this year, Gloria del Valle Christopher, Cathy Maloney Claflin and I headed to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, to a gorgeous spot tucked between Positano and Sorrento and then on to Madrid.

My life at the New York Times continues to be exciting and challenging! Gloria del Valle Christopher continues her career as managing director at Guy Carpenter & Co. LLC and Cathy Maloney Claflin devotes her days to her career at BJ’s, as vice president of investor relations.

Mary Anne Weeks Mayo of Littleton, Mass., writes that after 25 years in publishing, she took a voluntary layoff in ’06 to start freelance copy-editing. The rest of her energies go into her bracelet business. Mary Anne says, “I’ve been dealing with ovarian cancer for which I had surgery last October. Finally past chemo, hair is growing back (white!), and I’m feeling darn good; just dealing with some nerve damage in one leg from the surgery, but the doctor says it should be okay in a couple of months. My husband, Dwight (married 20 years this year), has been wonderful through this. I would love to have visitors.”

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Ingrid Cronin Packard is a new grandmother as of late last year! Her first grandchild is a boy. Congratulations, Ingrid!

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Joannie Wooters-Reisin is doing very well with her documentary film/video company and we have the opportunity to catch up frequently!

Rylee Routh Ruley writes in from her home in Charleston, S.C., that she is doing well and has “the most loving and amazingly generous friends here.” She still regularly goes to her bridge games and watches tennis. She misses her Yankee friends and is hoping to see Morgan, Joan, Marie, and Lee soon.

A very special note of thanks to Barbara Banks Schwam, who has kept us informed so well over the past years as our class agent! Barbara checked in from Fort Myers, Fla., where she and her husband were dropping their daughter Kristin off to join her college softball team.

So everyone, you are each remembered and thought of and mentioned at every CSH gathering. Let’s celebrate this year with the number 6 in our donations! Be it a multiple of 6, 60, 600 or more, every bit helps and it’s yet another great way to celebrate the Class of 1969s 60th birthday year!! All ’69ers, make a special wish as you blow out the candles!!! Happy Birthday to All!! Dee

1970

Lisa Gowdey Dotson lisadotson@live.com Joyce Gorman jgormanesq@gmail.com Susie Baker Bell has become an accomplished artist who lives in Philadelphia and loves spending her summer in Maine. This summer she is very proud to have arranged a one-woman show at the Shaw Gallery in Northeast Harbor, and she sells her paintings at the Carry All in Prout’s Neck each July and August.

Mary-Therese Braun continues to enjoy her job as the administrator for the Studio Art Department at Dartmouth.

It is a highly coveted job on campus, so her primary concern is that none of her colleagues throws her under a bus so that they can fill any ensuing vacancy.

Teresa Cassone ’70 and daughter, Chiara, with Santa

Teresa Cassone lives in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., with her daughter, Chiara. Teresa is a certified dog trainer, dog-sitter and

newspaper deliverer now, having retired from the Westchester Medical Center in June 2008. Her dream is to start a center for training and caring for dogs.

Nora Finnegan Dolce’s biggest news is her granddaughter, Carolena. She was one-year-old in May and is the daughter of Margot Dolce Sturz ’99 and Christian Sturz. She sees Rosemary Sheehan, RSCJ, almost every week at CSH, where she volunteers in a program that Sr. Sheehan directs for the preschoolers of the Carver Center. Volunteers include alumnae and past parents. They meet at CSH most of the time and it’s great to see how the school has grown and how vibrant the community is.

I, Lisa Dotson, love living in Clarksville, Tenn., my home for the past 31 years, where I sell cars, hug babies, have a beautiful 16-year-old granddaughter, who looks strikingly like the Lisa Gowdey we knew when I was 16, but who gives me heart palpitations. I lead the music at Mass on Sunday with my incredible voice, which I attribute in part to the wondrous teachings of the glorious Ms. Faiella who suggested that I seriously consider opera, advice that I sometimes wish I had pursued.

Beth Collins Forbes lives in Boxford, Mass., about 20 miles north of Boston, and works as communications director at St. John’s Prep, a boys’ high school in Danvers. She recently visited her daughter, Margaret, in Denver, who just started nursing school.

My husband, Joe Fanone, and I, Joyce Gorman, live in Alexandria, Va., and are attorneys at large firms. Our 18-year-old son, Pete, graduated from Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, Md., this spring. My stepdaughter, Kathleen, is a social worker at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and my stepson, Michael, is a narcotics detective who was married in June 2010. I am a partner with Ashurst LLP, a London-based firm. I enjoy the international aspects of working for a global firm.

On a business trip to Paris I wished I had learned more conversational French with Mme D’Auriac, although I was pleased that I understood enough from our language lab days to know what clients and other lawyers were saying about me in French.

Jimmy O’Donnell, husband of Liz Luders O’Donnell (whom she began dating as a sophomore at CSH), has been kind enough to let us know that “[his] jewel died on Jan. 17, after a very, very long struggle with breast cancer and many other maladies that followed in its wake.”

Jimmy created a website in Liz’s honor, www.prayersforlizzie.com, and he wrote a book in 2004, Letters for Lizzie. Liz is sorely missed by Jimmy, their three grown boys and granddaughter, Zoe, 4. Last year (Liz’s 15th year out of treatment for advanced breast cancer, and her 14th year of life and health with a heart transplant from a 21-year-old donor), Liz commented for our alumnae magazine that “life is good— busy, complicated, always surprising, and precious.” She encouraged all of us to take nothing for granted and to make the most of every day—as she had done all her life.

Condolences to her family.

Jan Madeleine Paynter is a writer who lives and works in Charlottesville, Va. She is producer, writer and host of Politics Matters shown on Charlottesville Public Television. She is vice president and director of communications for the Charlottesville chapter of an international nonprofit organization. She is working on

a collection of prose poems and a biography concerning Dutch resistance fighters during World War II. Priscilla Campo Press lives in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and commutes to work in New York City. She jokes that she is a veritable cliché for our age—a big fan of Nora Ephron’s books and practices yoga.

Meg Corroon Sheridan lives in New York City with husband, Tom, a lawyer in commercial litigation. Meg prepares grant requests as a professional fund-raiser and consultant for nonprofits that focus on social services. They have three boys—their oldest, Thomas, is in Boston working in private equity; their twins are college freshmen, Colin at Colgate University and Patrick at Davidson College. Meg keeps in touch with classmates Carla Hall Friedman and Heather Hirson Long and she is the proud owner of a necklace designed by Erinmaura Condon, president of Not Your Mother’s Pearls.

1971 Robin Clark robincrjc@hotmail.com

Megan Greenawalt ’81, Amanda Smith ’75, Christine Hunt ’74, Deborah Knight ’68 and Kathleen Fentress ’66 celebrate their father’s (G. M. Sanford) 90th birthday.

Monica Dursi Cimina let us know that all is well with the Cimina family and she is looking forward to seeing everyone at our 40th.

I, Robin Clark, recently spent some time as a senior vice president assistant with the Corcoran Group at their Madison Avenue offices and has happily returned to my previous job as an agent with Coldwell Banker in New Canaan, Conn.

Maryanne Bardwil Lynch is back at work in sales for Gartner, Inc., a leading information technology research and advisory company. She and Kevin are proud to announce the birth of their first grandchild CJ (Christian Junior) Amantea, on July 26, 2010. Maryanne’s daughter and mother of CJ, Jennifer, works in the search business, and the family lives in Greenwich. Maryanne’s daughter, Stephanie, 26, lives in New York City and works at Goldman Sachs.

Constance McKenna is busy working for the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, D.C. She is planning to come to Reunion.

40th

Cathy Finnegan Nix cnix@ryeprinting.com

Hi Everyone, Please save the date for our 40th Reunion on the weekend of Oct. 1.

Kathy Carey Strom spends time between New York City and the Hamptons. She has two grandchildren, Cora, 2, and Grace, 1. She does a lot of babysitting and loves it! Kathy sees Maryanne Lynch and Cathy Nix often and loves to compare notes on our little grandbabies.

Maryanne Bardwil Lynch ’71 (right) with daughter, Jennifer (middle), and grandson CJ, and Maryanne’s mother, Nadia Bardwil Gerrity (91st Street and Manhattanville), holding the baby.

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Missy McHugh lives on 10th Street in New York City and enjoys working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she is chief advisor to the president and has had the opportunity to use her writing skills.

She met for dinner with Meg Corroon Sheridan and Joyce Gorman and shared memories and lots of laughs.

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Cathy Nix: “Peter and I are loving grandparenthood and spend any free time visiting our kids, who live all over the country. Molly Nix Scioli ’97, Phil Scioli and Finn, 1, live in Houston, Texas. Catherine Nix ’06 is enjoying life after college working in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Billy lives and works in Washington, D.C., and Mark is in New York City. I had a fun lunch with Nora Finnegan Dolce ’70 and Chris van Eyck Lattin ’70 last fall. Chris is living in the Boston area, where both her children have settled after college. Nora is a very busy grandmother of Carolena, daughter of Margot Dolce Sturz ’99 and Christian Sturz. When she is not babysitting you can find her on the golf course or squash court.”

The Class of 1975 celebrated its 35th Reunion last October and had a wonderful time at Mike Morgan Clark’s house.

Many of you may want to know that Nancy “Nell” Dubuque is recovering from a stroke. She is home and improving every day. Some sad news to report— Diane di Scipio Driscoll’s dad died in January. Please keep Nell and Diane’s family in your prayers.

We were saddened to hear about Jane Macdonald Caruso’s daughter, Kate Judith Caruso, 26, of Conyers, Ga., who died on March 9, 2011, following a long battle with cancer. Our deepest sympathy goes to Jane and her family.

35th

Our thoughts and prayers were sent to Liza Janco. Her mother, Patricia Helen Scantlin Janco, died peacefully on Feb. 12, 2011.

1975

Joanne Kaufmann josie.kaufmann@yahoo.com

1976 Kathryn Grainger Hobbins kghobbins@verizon.net Lisa Roman LisaMRoman@aol.com Annie Hall Collins lives in West Bloomfield, Mich., and reports, “Oh my, it has been decades since I’ve seen many of you! You wouldn’t recognize me anymore because I’ve been working out for years, and grew my hair out, about 15 years ago!!! Twenty years ago I was relocated to Michigan with my ex and two kids, Megan and Rusty. Megan has since graduated from Michigan State with a degree in interior design, and took a job in Anchorage, Alaska, two years ago. Rusty is living locally and working while going to college part-time. I continue to work at

Katherine Crowley lives in Leonia, N.J. Her late arrival to marriage in 2006 resulted in one wonderful husband, Clif Eddens, and two terrific stepchildren.

Lauren, 19, and Clif Jr., 16. Katherine is the co-owner of K Squared Enterprises, a management consulting firm based in New York City that specializes in helping people navigate workplace relationships.

She writes, teaches, lectures, gives workshops and counsels both individuals and groups. Katherine has co-authored two books: national bestseller, Working with You Is Killing Me (2006) and Working for You Isn’t Working for Me (2009).

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Kerry Murphy Maloney Kmm2@optonline.net

For the next Horizons, we hope to have better news—and more input. Please share updates by sending Josie an email. This is one way for us to keep in touch.

Ford Motor Co. as a senior paralegal and litigation supervisor. I went to work there after getting divorced, and have enjoyed stints in government affairs and WWII reparations research with the company.

“My kids are out of the house, although I can’t say the same about all their stuff!

Now I am preparing to sell my house and get married this summer to a retired General Motors counsel I met almost four years ago. We visit my dad in Greenwich several times a year. I lost my mom to cancer last year and he refuses to downsize or leave the New York area!

“So all is well with me, and I still recall Sr. Joan Magnetti’s and Mrs. Thorman’s positive influence in ‘redirecting’ my energies! I’d love to attend a reunion of sorts.”

The grandchildren of Kathy Carey Strom ’71: Cora and Grace

Annie Hall Collins ’76 with her fiancé, Dean.

The children of Kathy Grainger Hobbins ’76

Kathy Grainger Hobbins: “I live in Rye, N.Y. John and I have been fortunate enough to adopt two beautiful girls, Samantha, 4, and Tori (Victoria), 3. We are foster parents and have been truly blessed; that is how Samantha and Tori came to us. Samantha was with us since she was two weeks old. Her adoption was relatively quick, a little over a year, and Tori’s was just finalized in December after having been with us since she was a month old! We continue to serve as foster parents, which is a lovely way to help these children. I am a real estate broker with Coldwell Banker International and have loved helping people find homes.”

Lisa Roman Johnston: “I am shocked we are looking so far back to reminisce about our graduation. It seems like yesterday we were ringing bells, sneaking up to the cloisters and ‘borrowing’ the school’s station wagon. I look at my girls at 14 and 16 and can easily picture myself back at their ages, although who knows how we would have handled Facebook and texting! I am living in Wilton, Conn., so I have not ventured far from Greenwich, although there was a 10-year period of living in New York City with fellow graduate Laura Fox and Nancy Resch Cleary ’74! But that we can talk about at the Reunion!!! My husband, Mac, and I have been married almost 17 years and we have two girls, Nicole and Lizette, both

The children of Lisa Roman Johnston ’76: Nicole and Lizette

involved in music and sports. I have been coaching them in field hockey since they were in fourth grade. Nicole was named captain for next year and Lizette will be the starting goalie, and, yes, she has met Josie Kaufmann ’75! I am still working full time at Breitling and traveling around the U.S. and to Switzerland.”

Liza Kerrigan lives in Sierra Madre, Calif., and reports, “I have a small, thriving residential design practice located in Pasadena. I have managed to make it through the worst of these economic times with some really great clients. I have a 12-year-old son, Lukas. I took Lukas to Paris last summer. I am divorced and never remarried but who knows …? I live in a tiny house, at the top of a hill, on a big lot, in our small town. It feels more like the East Coast, which I miss.”

Eileen Lynch lives in Leesburg, Va., with her daughter, Grace, 10. “I’ve been thinking a lot about some of my high school days. I bet some of you don’t know I was suspended (with others from the great class of ’76) after a wee fib about where we were after hours. How did those nuns know when Baskin Robbins closed?

Great memories from those days boarding at CSH! I’m so impressed by the accomplishments of the Class of ’76.”

Annie Johnston Marchetta passed away after a long battle with cancer a few years ago. She was always optimistic throughout her battle. Her joy in life was her husband and two children. Annie found out just before she passed away that she and her husband had given one of her daughters her own birth name, the one her birth

Leslie Hoyt McKellar ’76 with her son Trevor and husband Mark

mother had given her—which happened to be one of her favorite names. She rejoiced in small miracles as always. Our deepest sympathy to her family.

Sheila McKee lives in Brighton, Mass., and reports, “For 25 years I worked for an advertising agency in Boston, and now I am a print production consultant with the support of many creative teams. Change is good and I am enjoying the flexibility and challenges and still loving the Boston area.

LOL (laughs & love) to all.”

Leslie Hoyt McKellar lives in Melbourne Beach, Fla. She says, “My husband, Mark, and I have been married 30 years and were blessed with two wonderful boys, Douglas (1986–2002), and Trevor, now 21 and a junior at the University of Arizona studying physics and planetary sciences. We lived in Rhode Island where Mark was a custom builder for 20 years before semi-retiring to Florida 11 years ago. For many years I volunteered at schools, church and worked with reading disabled children. Now, when we are not traveling, I can be found working with ceramics and fused glass, crafting and showing my work!”

Chris D’Andrea McNeil lives in Brewster, N.Y., and owns Country Kitchen located there. She invites friends to drop by and say hello. Chris would like us all to come for a party. We’ll work on that! Her daughter Kelly was married last year in Florida.

Robin Craig Piebes: “Thirty-five years!

How is that possible? I have seen very few of our classmates over the years.

The grandson of Vicky Roschen Van Leight ’76

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Joanne Rodriguez Custer lives in Stuart, Fla., where she has a successful business selling vitamins. She and her husband have a new addition to the clan, a German wirehaired pointer puppy.

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With Facebook, I have reconnected with a few and enjoyed catching up.

Chuck and I have been married 29 years and have two daughters, Sarah, 27, an athletic trainer and teacher at Milton Academy, and Meghan, 25, a teacher at Green Chimneys in Brewster, N.Y. I have worked for 20 years for a family-owned hardware store in Danbury, Conn., where we live. It started as a part-time job when the girls were young and grew with them. Managing a hardware store as a woman has been challenging (there still are male chauvinists in the world), but I have to admit, a lot of fun too. A lot has happened in 35 years; maybe we can catch up at a reunion. I stay in touch with Betsy Mulderig and Clemency Wethered Stimpfig. Betsy got married this past year and Katherine Crowley and I went to Bermuda for her engagement celebration, which was fabulous.”

Lilly Shiland Shoemaker: “When I was 25 I decided New York wasn’t for me, so I used graduate school as an excuse to move West. I settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, married and had two children.

For the last eight years, I’ve co-owned All Ears Audiobooks, Inc., an audio book rental business in San Jose. Stan and I will be empty nesters soon so we are savoring every moment with our children, but looking forward to time together. My mother has not been well this past year, which has meant that I visit New York frequently. If a get-together were arranged, I would love to see everyone. As I watch my kids negotiate their high school years, I am reminded of the lessons learned (oh that sainted Sister Sheehan!) and fun had during our high school years.”

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Sally Barnum Siegler is moving to Atlanta, Ga. “Dave and I are in the beginning phase of relocation from Charlotte, N.C., to Atlanta following his promotion to vice president at Cox Communications.

I will continue to work remotely for Time Warner Cable on accounting software development projects.”

Vicky Roschen Van Leight lives in Bonita Springs, Fla. “Peter and I have been fulltime Florida residents for eight years. Peter is retired and I run an active marketing

business from home. We especially love our beautiful Gulf sunsets and visits from grandchildren, Will, almost 3, and Mary Catherine, six months.”

1978

Margaret Diefenbach Gray Mgray2@optonline.net Mary Raho Julian julianstm@aol.com “How much fun it was to track down so many people for this edition of Horizons.

Many thanks to Mary for giving me the opportunity. I have officially become the Class of ’78 Internet stalker and it certainly has paid off.”—Margaret Diefenbach Gray Eileen Andreassi writes that she is glad to be back in New York after raising her two children in Michigan. She’s shocked her daughter is graduating from SUNYOneonta because she’s certain she just gave birth to her. Her son is attending SUNY-Maritime. Eileen works at Helen Hayes Hospital, a rehabilitation facility in Rockland. Since we’ll all need new hips or other body parts soon, she suggests that we keep her contact info close so she can get you the room with the river view.

I found Ginger Cushing on Facebook and what fun it is to live vicariously through accounts of her travels. She keeps me laughing and writes: “You can probably tell from Facebook that I’ve lost my soul to my job. I spend the vast majority of my days dragging myself around the globe trying to develop technology for flexible packaging. The rest of the time I live quietly with my husband and two pugs in Monroe, Conn., and Ponte Vedra, Fla. My goal is to spend more time at home, less time in airports and play more golf.”

Maryanne Douglass French writes, “My oldest is getting ready for college at Virginia State University. I am celebrating 22 years of marriage to my college sweetheart and still madly in love. I am still with the DOE assistant principal at a local high school. I love my job and my children and I have started tracing my family tree.”

Lisa Maguire Foley is living in Darien

with her husband, Donald (Brunswick ’79), and their three sons, Tyler, a rising junior at Loyola University, Sean, a sophomore at Darien High School, and Dillon, a seventh-grader at Middlesex Middle School.

Mary Raho Julian, our faithful class agent, provided me this update: “Our oldest, Sarah, graduated from Sacred Heart in 2008. It was so nice for me to be back in the hallways of the school. The place has grown beautifully yet retains so much of its old feeling. Best of all was running into Sister Sheehan, sitting on the trunk by the front desk; I’d feel like I was back in ’78! Sarah is attending Brown and spent a semester in Paris. Michael, our next in line, is a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon studying biology and fine arts. After that is Peter who is a senior at Rye High School anxiously awaiting his college letters. And finally, there is Christopher, the “baby” who is quickly growing up and is a seventh-grader at Rye Middle School. I’m splitting my time between the gang, working part-time in the family business in Rye, and volunteering.

I’ve spent the last 10 years assisting the Rye Nature Center. My proudest accomplishment there was starting a summer partnership with the Inner-City Scholarship Fund. My mom passed away six years ago so I see my dad for lunch at least once a week and frequently after Mass on Sunday.

He turned 90 this past Thanksgiving and is doing well! I also have the periodic lunch with Karen O’Brien and Margaret, which keeps me laughing and sane. Thank God for their support through tough times.

Please contact me at julianstm@aol.com or (914) 921-2547.”

Elizabeth Lamont Alesio responded to my Facebook plea with: “I am living in Malibu, Calif. I have two beautiful twins! I own a store called Room at the Beach and a design studio. I have not been very good at keeping up either. Life gets in the way, but did hear from Anne Krieg Levis and Joyce Rodrigues.”

I have to say that I am totally nostalgic now for high school after hearing from so many people. I just received this note from Anne Krieg Levis: “Gracie, our daughter, just turned eight and is in second grade.

My cousin Lynn Diefenbach Lynch lives in Roswell, Ga. with her husband, Brian, and three boys, Kevin, 17, Patrick, 15, and Sean, 12. She specializes in special education at the local high school.

Karen O’Brien lives in Harrison, N.Y., with her husband, Steve Lichtenauer, and their four sons, Andrew, 20, Daniel, 18, Charles, 18, and John, 14. She is happy to report that she is still close to her old friends from Sacred Heart. She regularly sees Mary and Margaret and is in touch with Isabelle Vita Williams. Karen is studying for a master’s degree in library science.

Lydia Panulas-Zelinsky writes, “I am living in West Chester, Pa., and have three children, Danielle, 20, Nicholas, 15, and Micaela, 8. I work as a public relations consultant and have clients that represent the banking/ finance, entertainment, real estate, restaurant and software industries. When schedules allow, we love to travel, especially spending summer vacations out West.”

Sarah Griffin Peck (aka Sally Peck) writes: “I am currently living in Martinsburg, W.Va., after a successful escape from high-tech corporate America six years ago.

After college, I helped raise adolescent young women at Notre Dame Academy in Middleburg, Va., and became admission director after teaching social studies for six years.” She moved on to technology companies, and then, as a break from corporate life, began working in a garden center. “It brought me to my current state—working as a private consultant for a family-owned stone yard in Falls Church, Va., as well as consulting for several landscape design firms and a horticultural company. Having already helped raise 30 plus young adults, I have chosen to

have canine kids, Tippy and Gigi, who will most likely be seen at some point on America’s Funniest Videos.”

Joyce Rodrigues sparked my initial search for classmates online because she had quite a few from the Class of ’78 as Facebook friends. Joyce writes, “I have relocated to Georgia and resumed my career in banking. Should anyone wish to contact me, I may be emailed at joyceLrodrigues@ att.net, or become a friend on Facebook.”

It was fun to hear from Theresa Levins Walker who challenges us to try for “35 of us for our 35th,” which inarguably would be quite a feat. Theresa shared: “Patrick and I live in Durham, N.H., in a 280-yearold house we bought in 1986. One son, Will, attends Savannah College of Art and Design. Our other son, Tim, is an eighth-grader and as a member of 4-H is the catalyst for our family business selling yarn from our sheep at farmers’ markets.

I continue to work as a natural resource planner, consulting with communities in New Hampshire’s seacoast region.”

Before I finish up, a little bit about what I have been up to. I am living in North Stamford with my husband, Stuart, and our 19-year-old twin boys, Taylor and Alexander, who attend Bucknell University and Landmark College respectively. One of my sons, Alex, has Asperger’s, so I took a break from my career in marketing to work with him and supplement what support we received from the school system.

Considering the prevalence of autism today, I am sure many have been touched by it in one or way or another. Being a mom and an educational advocate is certainly a full-time job and I have found it to be very gratifying. They are both doing great and that, in itself, is my reward. With an empty nest eight months a year I am pondering what to do in this next stage of life, especially after this recent milestone birthday that I dare not mention. Happy Birthday to all by the way!

Again, I am so pleased to have heard from as many of our classmates as I did. It was great catching up.

1981 30th Meghan Williams Hess dmhsehess@aol.com Teresa Pica LeRuo picaleruo@yahoo.com Teresa Pica LeRuo writes, “I did not work for the two years following the birth of my twins Raymond and Daniel. I returned to work as a Clinical Social Worker on inpatient psychiatric unit at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx in November 2010.

I enjoy being back to work. The boys adjusted very well, probably better than I did. I am field supervisor for MSW students and loving giving back to the next generation. Thanks to Facebook I have been able to keep in touch with many of my friends from the Class of 1981!!!

Looking forward to a great turnout at our Reunion the weekend of Oct. 1. I cannot believe it’s been 30 years!!!”

1983

Jane Riley jwriley@optonline.net Maggie Heffernan Trimble magtrimble776@hotmail.com Laura Gudelis Boehmer lives in Westport with husband, John, and their two children, Lina, 14, and Matthew, 10. She is a pediatric physical therapist and enjoys horseback riding. She is frequently in touch with Michele McNulty Finnegan.

Theresa Graham Laughlin lives in Nebraska. Her daughter, Erin, attends Duchesne Academy in Omaha. She still has a family house in Cape Cod and says, “I often think about our fun senior trip to Cape Cod. It was worth the trip!” She has returned to teaching as a college psychology professor, after a 10-year sabbatical.

Michele McNulty Finnegan and husband, Dan, and their two children love the Pacific Northwest, where they

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We live in Gaithersburg, Md. I stopped working in 2003 when Gracie arrived from South Korea at six months old. She has been the blessing of our lives. I am back working part-time for a Swiss chocolatier.

Michael and I have done some traveling for business and for fun and Gracie had her first exposure to Disney World last year. Just like her mother, Gracie loves the beach, so in the summers you can still find us at Ocean City, N.J.!”

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moved to after England five years ago.

Michele’s daughter, Kiera, attends Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, Wash. Kiera is a third-generation Sacred Heart girl.

I, Jane Riley, live in Rye during the school year and in Saratoga, N.Y., for the summer with my husband, Rich, and our children, Lucca and Emmy. I am still working as a doctor of physical therapy. “Can you believe out of 38 girls, two in our class became pediatric physical therapists!”

1985

Megan Cassidy Foley Meganf920@gmail.com Barbara Linsenmeyer Malone reports, “I loved catching up with old friends at Reunion. It was a wonderful night and we had a great turnout. I am living in Riverside, Conn., with Tom, my husband of 21 years. We have two children, Ian, a sophomore at Boston College, and Barbara III, a fourth-grader at Riverside School. I am currently serving on the CSH alumnae board which is wonderful because it allows me to see firsthand all the fantastic things the school does for its students, alumnae and the community.”

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Mandy Dawson Murphy is currently very active also volunteering on the alumnae board for Sacred Heart, Greenwich and enjoying being back in the company of fellow alumnae. Mandy has two daughters at Sacred Heart— Marion, Class of 2017 and Robin, Class of 2023. She and her husband, Tim (Fairfield Prep ’85), live with their family in Cos Cob. Mandy writes, “The best part of being back is seeing old friends, some of who are now fellow parents—including Mary Vouté Sutherland and Lili Lawry Dimitri. It was a blast to see so many of our classmates back at our 25th Reunion too (along with English teacher Kaye Cherry, RSCJ, ’53!!!).”

I have also been in touch with Cristin Haight Barnett who is married to Patrick and lives in Westchester with their two girls.

We were able to reconnect with each other at the Alumnae Family Picnic in June 2010, which was really wonderful and are hoping to make plans to get together soon.

1986 25th Alyssa Keleshian Bonomo Alyssa@kinvestmentsinc.com

1991 20th Molly Donius Boscarino mollyboscarino@yahoo.com Please hold the date for our 20th Reunion on the weekend of Oct. 1. It should be a terrific time; the more of us that attend the better. CSH is thriving and I am looking forward to returning and seeing all the growth, as well as taking a trip down memory lane.

Nicole Peluso nicolepeluso@gmail.com

Barbara Farrell Smith lives in New York City and works for JP Morgan Chase. She has an adorable little boy, Charlie, who was two in March.

1990

Susie Sheppard Steidl enjoys teaching and last year gave birth to a baby girl, Charlotte.

Jennifer Cole Haughey is living in New York’s Hudson Valley with her three children. She is looking forward to sending her oldest daughter to Sprout Creek Farm where Sr. Morris and Sr. Rogers run educational programs.

In January, I met up with Adelaide Shafer Barrett in Washington, D.C., to attend the alumnae event at Ellen Shafer’s home in Georgetown. It was great to catch up with Adelaide and her family.

Adelaide lives in Bethesda, Md., and has three kids, Peter, 7, August, 5, and Ellen, 4. CSH Head of School Pamela Hayes ’64 attended the Washington reception and provided great insight on the School.

Megan Lahey Sibley megsibley@yahoo.com

Laura Treanor gave birth to a boy, Steven Elie Coury, Jr., on Feb. 7 at 7:05 a.m.

Steven weighed in at 6lbs, 15ozs and 21ins.

Nicole Peluso ’86 with her children. The oldest, Lexa, started college in 2010 with sophomore standing. In 2010–11, Tristan was a freshman in high school and Ava was in seventh grade.

role. She and husband, Erik, live in West Hartford, Conn., with their children, Juliet and Theodore.

Sophie Barat” pilgrimage. Following the trip, my husband will join me and we will visit Provence.

I, Molly Donius Boscarino, enjoy living in Pittsburgh and looks forward to seeing everyone at Reunion on Oct. 1.

Alicia Mulhern-Elyadri is living in Orlando, Fla., and has two children, Connor, 10, and Aidan, 5. She is back in school for a second nursing degree.

1992

1993

Lindsay Carroll Kinkead, her husband and their three children recently moved from Boston to Baltimore. They are loving life in Maryland, especially the weather! Lindsay’s brother, Brad, serves in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Lindsay asks for your prayers for Brad and the other soldiers.

Katherine Shafer Coleman ksc96@alumni.princeton.edu Christine Murtha Coogan christine.coogan@morganstanley.com Nathalie Abejero has been based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the past five years working in international health. She and her husband, Keith, welcomed a baby boy in Bangkok, Thailand, in January.

Nathalie and Keith are taking several months off to travel in Southeast Asia and to the U.S. before returning to their home in Cambodia.

Pamela Esposito was happy to report that her work as head of business development for cancer therapy developer BioVex Group was successful. She found an investor and negotiated the acquisition to enable BioVex to proceed with latestage clinical testing a new drug. Pamela enjoys the ability to apply her science and research background in a business

Margaret E. King magee.king@gmail.com Congratulations to Michelle Alexiou who received her national board teaching certification last November and is now licensed to teach anywhere in the country.

Michelle is also writing for children.

Erin O’Keefe Cooney welcomed son Christopher Michael Cooney to the family on Dec. 17, 2010. Christopher joins older siblings, Brennan and Will.

Melissa Heanue recently moved back to New York City after spending almost 10 years out West, in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

I, Magee Finn King, am in my third year as assistant director of admission at CSH and is also an eighth-grade advisor.

This summer, I will travel with other CSH faculty and staff to France on the “Walking in the Footsteps of St. Madeline

Carin Kemper Moeder and her husband, Chris, live in Boston and welcomed their first child, Cassandra Mary Moeder on Sept. 2, 2010.

Kate Webber is living in San Francisco where she owns her own photography company. Kate writes, “For those that don’t already know, I have played an integral role in family histories as the photographer for the last five years or so!

I have even had the pleasure of shooting at CSH’s gorgeous Flood Mansion, here in San Francisco, where I’ve been for eight years. It has been a good experience to reconnect with old CSH friends on Facebook.” Kate loves to travel and has visited Thailand and other parts of Asia.

1995

Dina Cortese Urso dinacortese@hotmail.com Katie Phelan Contino is the New York advertising sales manager at Parenting Magazine and Parenting.com. She and her husband, Mike, have two children, Michael, 4, and Caroline, 1. They are moving to Harrison, N.Y., this summer.

Katie keeps in touch with several ’95 graduates and hopes to see even more of you at our next Reunion!

Kelly Fitzpatrick Dattulo writes that she is married, living in Chicago and working as a marketing communications consultant for TransUnion.

Michael and Caroline Contino, children of Katie Phelan Contino ’95.

Luke, son of Dina Cortese Urso ’95, celebrated his first birthday on March 10, 2011.

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We were saddened to hear that Claire Ballard Fields’ mom passed away in March. Our thought and prayers are with Claire and her family.

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1996 15th Rebekah Goodhue rcgoodhue@gmail.com Erin Tiernan tiernanerin@hotmail.com Ann Teass Hubbard and her husband, Jon, welcomed another baby to the world on Dec. 27, 2010. Margaret Claiborne Hubbard weighed in at 5lb., 10oz. and was 18 inches long. Their first, Henry Teass Hubbard, turned three in November.

They’re currently living in Richmond, Va. Erin Joyce is living in LA and expected to graduate in June with a doctorate in clinical psychology. Next year she will be doing a fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Alexis Maffei Montemaggiore and her husband, Vincent, welcomed the birth of their son, Brice Vincent, on Jan. 13, 2011.

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Suzanne Dunleavy McDonough welcomed her son, Coleman Patrick, born on Aug. 28, 2010. Their daughter, Cara, is his proud big sister who was two on March 3, 2011.

1999

Kristen Joyce Kevorkian and her husband, Haik, and their two sons, Thijs and Ryker, moved to Rye, N.Y., from San Francisco. They expected a new addition to their family in May.

Katie Molloy molloy.katie@gmail.com

Clare Heffernan Mulcahy and her husband, Mark, daughter, Emma, 4, and son, Brendan, 2 welcomed with love Nora, born Feb. 22, 2011.

Dr. Roxana Maffei Burciago recently received her Ph.D. in biomedical informatics from the Texas Medical Center at UT Health. She also holds a B.S. in nursing and a master’s in healthcare management, both from the University of Pennsylvania. Roxana has published on health information technology in academic journals. She and her husband, Dan, are excited to be returning to the Conn./N.Y. area, where she has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University.

Samantha Geary samantha.geary@baml.com

Molly Nix Scioli, Phil, and baby Finn are living in Houston, Texas. They are looking forward to the arrival of a new baby sister or brother in late July.

1998

Kate Heffernan HeffKate@gmail.com

Margot Dolce Sturz margotsturz@gmail.com

Mary Kate Rosato is married to the love of her life, Michael Galt. Their wedding was in June.

Ali Gilbert is the director of golf performance at Elite Health Services in Old Greenwich. Having graduated in 2003 from Springfield College with a degree in exercise science, she is certified at the highest level by the Titleist Performance Institute and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. She currently presents at national seminars.

Her experiences as an athlete and an educator provide effective approaches to sports performance training.

Lauren Nemnom Tartaro ’99 and her husband, Pat.

Jess McGurty Nye ’99 welcomed Laura Ann Nye on April 23, 2010.

Elizabeth MacKinnon ecmackinnon@yahoo.com Kate Lavin Phillips kate.lavin.phillips@gmail.com Nikki Capellupo is engaged to Mark Koehnlein.

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Marina DeScenza Walker is living in San Francisco. She is the manager of sponsored content at Epocrates, Inc., a medical software company that provides mobile drug reference tools to healthcare professionals and interactive services for the healthcare industry.

1997

Clare Heffernan Mulcahy’s ’97 daughter, Nora

Elizabeth Sartori graduated from Villanova University School of Law in May 2008, and works at Bingham McCutchen LLP in Boston, Mass.

2002

Lauren Nemnom married Pat Tartaro on Sept. 25, 2010, and they live in Head of the Harbor, Long Island, N.Y.

I, Lindsay Smith, am looking forward to completing my master’s degree in elementary education this year and was so excited to see everyone at our 10-year reunion last October.

Jenny Raymond jennifer.raymond@post.harvard.edu

2001

Kate Jewell earned her juris doctor from St. John’s University School of Law in 2009, where she was editor-in-chief of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review her third year. She is currently an associate with the New York office of Baker Botts LLP in its corporate practice. She was admitted to practice in New York and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Molly O’Gorman and Garrett Penistan were married on Sept. 19, 2009, in Long Lake, N.Y. Garrett, a chef, and Molly, a senior communications specialist with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), live in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

2000

Margaret Feeney margaret.m.feeney@gmail.com Lindsay Smith lsmith1211@hotmail.com Noel Ausserlechner was married on Sept.

11, 2010, to Scott Gilbert. Noel lives in New York City and is a sales specialist at Absolute Travel in Soho.

Erica Carpiniello lives in New York’s East Village and works for Bloomberg LLC in the mobile department. Erica is also a freelance photographer for the Village Voice and various music blogs.

10th Cynthia Bouvet Heraty cbouvet@gmail.com Kate Kretschmann KKretschmann@gmail.com Cristin McGuinn cristin.mcguinn@gmail.com Margaret Shafer margaret.shafer@gmail.com Eileen Hartigan married Eric Barendse on Feb. 26, 2011, in Waitsfield, Vt. Meghan Mara Ryan gave birth to two beautiful girls, Elizabeth Sheridan and Claire Cassidy, on Dec. 1, 2010.

Elizabeth Durfee Hook is working in regulatory affairs at Human Genome Sciences. Elizabeth lives in Maryland with her husband and two-year-old daughter.

Ellen Feeney ellen.feeney@gmail.com

Shannon Fallon is engaged to Luke Doherty and they plan to wed in summer 2012.

Abby MacKinnon received a master’s degree in special education from Fairfield University in December 2010.

Marla Gage Woulf and her husband, Michael John Woulf, welcomed a baby girl, Leilani, on Sept. 14, 2010.

2003

Jennifer Einersen einersenj@yahoo.com Nicole Seagriff nicole.seagriff@gmail.com Carrie English became engaged to Adam Wuellner last fall. The two are getting excited for their upcoming wedding in Chicago.

Nicole Seagriff: “I am is currently working as a critical care nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital and is due to graduate as a family nurse practitioner from Yale University School of Nursing this May.”

Molly O’Gorman Penistan ’99 and her husband, Garrett

Elizabeth Sheridan and Claire Cassidy, daughters of Meghan Mara Ryan ’01

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Meaghan Moy Mugnier and her husband moved from NYC to Paris, where he is originally from, and she has enjoyed the change.

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Jennifer Weldon graduated from New York University Law School in May 2010 and is awaiting admission to the New York and New Jersey bars. She is pursuing her LLM in real estate law at New York University Law School and plans to receive her degree this May.

2005

2004

Meghan McGuinn meghan.mcguinn@gmail.com

Danielle Decina danielle.decina@gmail.com Lorena Ferrara lf57@georgetown.edu Alexandra Hines alexandra.hines@gmail.com Emily van Buitenen got engaged on Jan. 29, 2011, to Mike Anderson. They plan to wed in 2013.

Liz Raske got engaged to Marcus Cohen in February 2010 and they married on May 14, 2011, in New York City.

Among her bridesmaids were her sister, Sarah Raske ’02, and classmates Nadia Marzouk and Danielle Decina.

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Katie Gojkovich kgojkovich@gmail.com

In New York City, the group that prays together stays together.

Louise Chapman, Hallie Delaney and Molly Breene are holding down the fort together in the West Village. Louise is works in advertising for Vanity Fair while Molly is an account executive at Young and Rubicam. Hallie works as an associate brand manager for LFUSA. Meghan McGuinn: “I live on the Upper East Side, teach first grade, and I am studying for a master’s degree in early childhood education. You’ll often find me out to dinner with fellow classmate Kristina Marantz, who is currently studying the classics at the New School and living in Chelsea.”

Roommates Annie Dolce and Caroline Rosato are working in the fashion and restaurant industries. After culinary school, Annie took a job with an Internet dining service, VillageVines. While Annie is busy writing restaurant reviews, Caroline is

As roommates in Murray Hill, Jackie Costas and Maggie Connors are living the New York City dream. Jackie works in human resources for a investment bank and often sees Calista Quintalti, who lives in Greenwich Village and handles global sales for Varonis, a data company.

Many of the West Coast Sacred Heart girls couldn’t make the distance for their five-year reunion in Greenwich last fall so Kate Abate, Liz Mackell, Cuyler Bell, Mackenzie Flight and Whitney Potter had their own get-together that same weekend in LA. Living in Santa Monica, Kate is teaching yoga, enjoying the beach and looking forward to a California summer. She is also embarking on a gluten-free baking venture—“Kate’s Bakes,” while studying for her personal trainer’s certification and building a clientele base for yoga cardio sculpt lessons. She often visits with fellow classmate Cuyler, also living in California. After graduating from University of Texas, Austin with a master of science degree in environmental engineering Emily Grubert got a job at McKinsey in San Francisco.

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Emily Voge married Ben Hester on Dec. 18, 2010, in Laguna Beach, Calif. In attendance from CSH ’04 were Emily van Buitenen, Ali Hines, Megan Hannigan, Danielle Decina, Colleen Purcell, Lorena Ferrara, Amanda Brown and Lauren Gulley, who was a bridesmaid.

Annie Dolce annedolce@gmail.com

heading up public relations for a British clothing line, All Saints. You’ll often find Caroline and Annie cooking together with Madeleine Sullivan, fellow classmate and good friend. Living in Chelsea, Madeleine is rising through the ranks at furniture design company Knoll.

Celebrating at Emily Voge’s ’04 wedding: Emily van Buitenen ’04, Ali Hines ’04, Megan Hannigan ’04, Danielle Decina ’04, bride Emily Voge ’04, Colleen Purcell ’04, Lorena Ferrara ’04, Amanda Brown ’04

Lizzy Connor ’06, Michelle Chieco ’06, Mary Bohan ’06, Joyce Khanji ’06, Kelly Whipple ’06, Katherine Colihan ’06 at Conge in New York City

2010

5th

Beth LaBossiere elizabeth.labossiere@yale.edu

Katherine Colihan katherine.colihan@gmail.com

Jenny Traver jenny.traver@gmail.com

Erin McInerney elm304@nyu.edu

Since arriving at Wellesley, Maria Brusco has been spending too much time in class, doing far too many extracurricular activities, and not sleeping enough. She joined an a cappella group, the Blue Notes, and the college choir, and the chamber music society. She is enjoying the experience of college and landed a room with three girls who are now her best friends. She also makes time to see Julie Ertl (at Boston College) every so often to go on a strange adventure. She sends her love to everyone at Sacred Heart (especially the little Bruscos).

Liz Purcell epurcell2@gmail.com Kelly Whipple kelly.e.whipple@gmail.com Katherine Colihan: “I joined a number of CSH alums working at Coach.”

Joyce Khanji is toughing it out through her first year at Columbia Medical School, breaking every so often to see fellow CSH classmates in the NYC area, like Elise Byrnes, Mary Bohan, Lizzy Connor, Mary McGuire and Hilary Hebrank.

Maureen Kitson is back at CSH Greenwich teaching preschool and supporting the school where she was a “lifer.” Maureen spends time with Caitlin George and Michelle Chieco, who work in Stamford and White Plains respectively.

Maggie Malloy loves living in San Francisco working for Gallo wine.

Katie Mullen is working on the PGA Tour in sports marketing in New Jersey, continuing her love of golf.

Catherine Nix is living in Jackson Hole, Wyo., working for Teton Mountain Lodge and Teton Valley Ranch Camp. She is enjoying the wild West.

Kelly Whipple: “I am living in New York City working as a recruiter at a law firm.

I live in the same Murray Hill/Gramercy neighborhood as Liz Purcell, who is living with two friends from college.”

Also back in Greenwich teaching is Hannah Walker, who is at the Stanwich School. She is working on her master’s degree.

In her freshman year at the University of Notre Dame, Julia Giorgio was named to the Dean’s List.

Heather Grehan loves University of Southern California so far. She is a film and television production major and is adding a minor in business. Outside of classes she is on the club lacrosse team and the club ski team. Heather is also a senior producer for the entertainment news show at the school television station, meaning she books interviews for the show with celebrities and gets the group access to events like movie premieres or backstage access at concerts.

Heather loves being in Los Angeles because the weather is amazing and it is such a diverse and exciting city that it is hard to get bored.

I, Beth LaBossiere, could not possibly be happier at Yale. Classes, friends, extracurricular activities and living independently have all been fulfilling experiences for me. I am thinking about majoring in economics and going to law school to study bioethics, a topic I was first introduced to by Mrs. Lori Wilson in my ethics class junior year.

In March, Chloe Mackell and Victoria Niche traveled to Italy and were lucky enough to be able to see the original Mater Admirabilis. It was such an amazing experience!

Alex McNulty has had a crazy whirlwind at Miami of Ohio University, but an amazing one at that. She is an initiate of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, which makes her so happy because so many of her Sacred Heart sisters are a member of this sorority, so now her sisterhood is on another level. Alex is doing a radio show with her friend Shannon called “Shannon and Alex Before Dark.” She has really enjoyed that opportunity and is hoping to do something along those lines in a communications career. She has participated in Habitat for Humanity, the Club of Fashion and Design, and a breast cancer fashion show fundraiser. She misses everyone dearly and cannot wait to hear about the collegiate successes of her sisters!

Katie Randolph has survived her first Hanover, N.H. winter (now Greenwich weather seems temperate) and loves Dartmouth. She is considering a major in government with a minor in international studies. On campus, she is a tour guide, sexual abuse peer advisor, member of a presidential committee on sexual assault, and she mentors a third-grader. She is looking forward to coming home and visiting Sacred Heart!

Jenny Traver: “I love Notre Dame. I am a psychology major and I am also taking biology for a career in neuropsychology. I am in Notre Dame’s Best Buddies chapter and a member of Society of Mind, Brain, and Behavior. I love meeting new people at ND, especially other Sacred Heart sisters from around the country, and I enjoy participating in my dorm’s events.

Although I love the Midwest and all Notre Dame has to offer me, I am very excited to come back to the East Coast and visit everyone at CSH!

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2006

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MARRIAGES: Dina Vavlitis ’81 to Allan Schwartz Martha Harper ’95 to Kevin Fitzgibbons Alexis Maffei ’96 to Vincent Montemaggiore Erin Tiernan ’96 to James Patts Jr. Lauren Nemnom ’99 to Pat Tartaro Molly O’Gorman ’99 to Garrett Penistan Noel Ausserlechner ’00 to Scott Gilbert Kristin Brophy ’01 to Travis Middlebrooks Eileen Hartigan ’01 to Eric Barendse Sonia Nash ’01 to Vinay Gupta Jennifer Gillis ’02 to Joel Dreiling Casey Mahoney ’02 to Ryan Parrish Annie Mara ’02 to Tobin Whitman Emily Voge ’04 to Ben Hester

BIRTHS: Steven Elie Coury Jr., born to Laura Treanor ’90 on Feb. 7, 2011

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John Becker, father of Lisa Becker Edmundson ’77

Elizabeth Sheridan Ryan and Claire Cassidy Ryan, born to Meghan Mara Ryan ’01 on Dec. 1, 2010

Robert B. Davis, father of Mary Davis Stanton ’77 and Patricia Davis Verrochi ’79 and grandparent of Anne Verrochi ’10, Megan Cincotta ’11 and Clare Verrochi ’12

Leilani Woulf, born to Marla Gage Woulf ’02 on Sept. 14, 2010

D E AT H S : Ruth Slattery ’30 Elizabeth Healy Bonner ’40 Anne Cotter Coles ’67 Catherine de Bary Sleight ’69 Elizabeth Luders O’Donnell ’70 Kim Bruns Strobis ’71

I N L O V I N G S Y M PAT H Y :

Jack Thomas Demetrio, born to Christine Hayes Demetrio ’92 on Jan. 13, 2010

Jerome K. Chase, husband of Ann Buckhout Chase ’51

Beatrice “Bixie” Dolce, born to Siobhan Hammer Dolce ’92 on Dec. 30, 2009

Laura Healy Jewell, daughter of Patricia Bainton ’53

Willa Farrell Kaplan, born to Catherine Farrell Kaplan ’92 on May 13, 2010

Frank Kirby, husband of Jacqueline Paterno Kirby ’62

Christopher Michael Cooney, born to Erin O’Keefe Cooney ’93 on Dec. 17, 2010

Neal McCoy, husband of Catherine Collins McCoy ’65

Raela Polanish, born to Jessica EnrightPolanish ’95, on Feb. 20, 2010

Attilio Alfred Di Scipio, father of Christine di Scipio ’69 and Diane di Scipio Driscoll ’75

Coleman Patrick McDonough, born to Suzanne Dunleavy McDonough ’96 on Aug. 28, 2010

Rita E. Guarini, mother of Elizabeth Guarini Herguth ’69

Andrew James Pajak, born to Christina Grant Pajak ’96 on Sept. 13, 2010

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Padraig Casey Heraty, born to Cynthia Bouvet Heraty ’01 on May 31, 2010

Peter Carey Ryan, born to Alison Carey Ryan ’96 on June 20, 2010 Michael Cook Furman Jr., born to Christie Devlin Furman ’97 on July 27, 2010 Mia Praveen Sachdev, born to Megan Heanue ’97 on March 15, 2010 Nora Clare Mulcahy, born to Clare Heffernan Mulcahy ’97 on Feb. 22, 2010 John “Finn” Finnegan Scioli, born to Molly Nix Scioli ’97 on April 1, 2010 Laura Ann Nye, born to Jessica McGurty Nye ’99 on April 23, 2010

Joseph Quattrone, stepfather of Mary Therese Braun ’70 and Elizabeth Braun ’72 Helen G. Hirson, mother of Heather Hirson Long ’70 Patricia Helen Scantlin Janco, mother of Liza Janco ’71 and M. Patricia Janco Tupper ’79 Kate Judith Caruso, daughter of Jane Macdonald Caruso ’71 Jean Zaloom Zrike, mother of Joanne Zrike Huntley ’72 and mother-in-law of Sara Docal Zrike ’70 Gerard C. Thormann, father of Johanna E. Thormann ’74 and Kathryn Thormann Craven ’77 Brian Thomas Macken, son of Laura Fox ’76

Patricia Major, mother of Janice Major Battle ’75 and Lauren Major Baber ’79 and motherin-law of Michael Baber, CSH assistant head Jane Bohan, mother of Elizabeth Bohan Becker ’79 Patricia Holmes Clark, stepmother of Carolyn Clark-Tenney ’79 and Lauren Clark Kenny ’82 Yvonne Marandino, mother of Yvonne Marandino Breen ’81 James G. Carr, stepfather of Mandy Dawson Murphy ’85 and step-grandfather of Marion Murphy ’17 and Robin Murphy ’23 Robert William Hawthorn, father of Lizzie Hawthorn ’87, Anne Hawthorn ’89, Mary Hawthorn Kmetz ’91 and grandfather of Eileen Rooney ’09 and Lizzie Rooney ’11 Lisi Devlin, sister of Jennifer Devlin Burke ’90 and Christie Devlin Furman ’97 Lydia McKeon, grandmother of Jennifer Esposito ’90 and Pamela Esposito ’92 Grace Cowan Ballard Lachicotte, mother of Claire Ballard Fields ’91 Lawrence F. Hickey, grandfather of Kate Lavin Phillips ’98, Meg Lavin ’00 and Jane Lavin ’08 Dorothy Hines Robey, grandmother of Ali Hines ’04 Kathleen McBrien, mother of Molly F. McBrien ’04 Marie Theresa Chieco, grandmother of Deanna Chieco ’05, Michelle Chieco ’06, and Jennie ’13 Vivian Grehan, grandmother of Megan Grehan ’07 and Heather Grehan ’10 Helen K. Hagan, grandmother of Megan Morelli ’09

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C onvent of the S acred H eart

Behind the Door

by Jenna Nobs ’11

Jenna Nobs ’11 posed with Head of School Pamela Juan Hayes ’64 at the AASH conference.

The following essay by Jenna Nobs ’11 was selected as the winning entry in the 2011 national essay contest, sponsored by the Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart (AASH). Jenna was introduced at the AASH conference (April 7–10) and read her essay at the Cor Unum Luncheon.

Jenna will attend Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in the fall. In 2010, she won a Gold Key for her poetry from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. She was a National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar and a member of CSH’s chapter of Cum Laude.

In her senior year, she was editor-in-chief of Voices, the award-winning, multilingual literary magazine.

A

ll morning my attention kept returning to the student in the middle row.

She sat quietly with her head bent over her desk, her brow furrowed in concentration as she diligently filled a lined page with neat, slanted cursive. As I watched her, she paused with her hand in midair, as though suspended over a thought that she could not quite translate. Suddenly a look of surprise crossed her face; inspiration glimmered, and the fervent scratch of her pencil resumed.

It was my first day as a fourth grade teacher’s assistant at Girard College, a Philadelphia boarding school for students, largely minorities, from single-parent families with limited financial resources.

On the way to school that morning, as we drove past a green Jeep riddled with bullet holes, I felt like an alien

transplanted from the idyllic Sacred Heart hilltop that had been my second home for fourteen years. How could I relate to these kids when I came from such a different place? What did I really know about violence, poverty, or families torn apart? It was seeing a glimpse of myself in one particular fourth grader that brought my Sacred Heart education to life and bridged the gap I had subconsciously created between the class and me.

For one week, I helped students compose written reflections on their three favorite writing assignments that they had completed during the school year. As I helped the lively, talkative fourth graders, the girl I had been watching with such curiosity, Tianna, worked without saying a word. Instead of asking me how to spell words she didn’t know, she meticulously looked up each one in the dictionary.

At first I thought that she was afraid to ask me questions, or perhaps she was reluctant to accept advice, but I quickly realized that she was more than open to my encouragement and suggestions to her already sophisticated reflections. The more I observed her dedication, the more I came to understand that she was simply an independent and passionate writer.

As I watched Tianna, I was suddenly nine years old again. While my sister

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chose to spend her summer at day camp, I retreated into the cool quiet of my father’s study, where I filled the room with the click-clack of computer keys and the imagined adventures of young witches named Myra and Ruby. I was intensely frustrated by periodic knocking on the door: my mother pleading with me to eat something for lunch, my sister begging me to come outside and play, my father needing his desk back. I did not stop until I had 99 pages stacked beside our sputtering old printer, and aptly titled my finished product Behind the Door.

I saw the enthusiasm and persistence of my nine-year-old self in Tianna. For the rest of the week, I gave her the space to be independent, and she was comfortable enough to approach me if she needed help.

Although our conversations were few and brief, we built an unspoken connection based on this mutual understanding.

Somehow, inner-city Philadelphia no longer felt like the alternate universe I had entered five days earlier.

The following summer, I was able to return to Girard and attend the fifth grade graduation of my former fourth graders. I picked out the familiar faces from the crowd like those of old friends, each one more mature but distinctly reminiscent of my year-old memories.

As the ceremony began, I overheard two teachers whispering about one of the graduates, a student who that November had reached her goal of writing an entire novel in one month. I did not need to hear the student’s name to know precisely who had achieved this feat.

I swelled with pride to see Tianna beaming from the auditorium stage, her smile just a little bit wider than I remembered. Looking back on that moment, it occurs to me how much has changed since the day we first met. The Sacred Heart values of social awareness and building of community have led me

Jenna Nobs ’11

to understand the importance of being involved in global society, where I saw for the first time how my love of writing could help children find their own voices. I realize now that I do not want to spend my life lost in my own world, my words never reaching beyond the closed door of my father’s study. Rather, I want to write with a deep understanding of the compassion and global awareness that compelled St. Madeleine Sophie and St. Philippine Duchesne to make education possible for independent young women all over the world.

And still, I feel my dreams for the future inextricably linked to those of the one fourth grader whose quiet determination wedged open the door to my global consciousness. In a few years, I like to think that Tianna will recall the dusty manuscript beneath her bed as I often do now, and perhaps picture her own creation perched in a Borders Books display window. I have no doubt that if this remains her dream, I will see her name there someday.

I saw for the first time how my love of writing could help children find their own voices.

I realize now that I do not want to spend my life lost in my own world, my words never reaching beyond the closed door of my father’s study.

from our

Prize Day (June, early 1960s) The photo represents one of the oldest Sacred Heart traditions: Prize Day, an award ceremony adopted by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat in France. Prize Day certificates, some of which are in our School Archives, were awarded at the end of each school year.

Grades were awarded in precise numerical figures and the students wore pristine white gloves to receive them. What captures our attention are the neat ranks of students, the older ones at the sides of the photo, the younger ones in the center, all dressed in their finest white dresses, tidy black shoes and white socks, and the white gloves! White gloves were worn at other times, too: on feast days, at weekly Primes, and when students went to visit Reverend Mother.

Gloves were an old custom dating back to pre-Revolutionary France, symbolizing respect. Although the gloves have long since gone, the respect, joy and love for School remain with us.

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Image by Joe Vericker/photo bureau

Prize day All over the world, students at Schools of the Sacred Heart hear these words, “Honor and Glory to God alone,” as they celebrate Prize Days at the closing of another school year. Prize Day is our educational heritage as a member of the international family of Sacred Heart schools. It is a day of celebration, gratitude and well wishing. St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, the foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart, knew that the one certain thing in life was change and that in order to grow, one had to embrace it and not fear it.

Prize Day celebrates change and all that has happened in the school year. It encourages us to …

embrace the future.

View photos of Prize Days as celebrated by the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools on our website, www.cshgreenwich.org. Visit HeartNet.