Foundational Principles 91st Street History (2014–2022) 9

FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES

1. In the Goals and Criteria, the Society of the Sacred Heart defines the mission of the school as part of the Society ' s educational mission in the Catholic Church.

2. Each school is accountable to the Society through the Sacred Heart Commission on Goals for adherence to the Goals and Criteria. 3. Each school’ s Board of Trustees and Administration establish and uphold policies that are consistent with the Goals and Criteria. 4. The school allocates its resources to support each Goal and its Criteria. 5. The school is in compliance with professional standards as stated by accrediting agencies.

1. In the Goals and Criteria, the Society of the Sacred Heart defines the mission of the

school as part of the Society ' s educational mission in the Catholic Church.

Convent of the Sacred Heart1 is New York City’s oldest independent school for girls. Established in 1881 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, the school is a member of the Sacred Heart Network of twenty-five schools located within the United States and Canada.

The Board is committed to maintaining a strong commitment to the Catholic education of the whole child, addressing the intellectual, spiritual, social, and emotional development needs of each of our students. The Board is composed of 32 talented individuals who are deeply committed to 91st Street and its mission. It includes alumnae, current parents, former parents, educators and members of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (RSCJ). The Board of Trustees has the responsibility, in consultation with the Administration, for setting school policy, maintaining the school's financial health and selecting the Head of School. Its ongoing task is to manage the present needs of

1 Our official name is Convent of the Sacred Heart, but for the purposes of this document we use Convent of the Sacred Heart, 91st Street, and the school interchangeably.

the school while planning for the future and remaining faithful to the school’s mission as expressed in the Goals and Criteria.

The Board affirms Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s vision, as stated in the Constitutions of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat considered the service of education as the primary means by which the Society would carry on its mission of communicating the love of the Heart of Jesus. For her, education was never the end. The end was to make God' s love

known and to rebuild the fractured world in hope: the means was forming young people to intelligent faith, compassionate action and courageous hope.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for working in partnership with the school’s leadership (Head of School) to serve as stewards of the Sacred Heart mission, ensuring continuity of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s vision, and creating the best atmosphere for today’s students and the sustainability of the school for future generations.

While there are fewer RSCJ and religious comprising the instructional staff of today, each employee and trustee takes part in an onboarding process that includes an orientation to mission and education. Today, there are recently established programs for tying the 91st Street community intentionally to the Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ). For example, Women of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (WSCJ) is a group of students who meet monthly with elderly RSCJ in New York City and Albany. The school and students have taken the lead in responding to the Conference’s call for new student committees. One student is actively pursuing a project to interview elderly RSCJ to preserve the history of the order.

2. Each school is accountable to the Society through the Sacred Heart Commission

on Goals for adherence to the Goals and Criteria.

Every five years the school and our community engage in the SHCOG review process. Throughout the process, the community values the time and space for self-reflection on the Goals and Criteria and for actively seeking the involvement of all constituency groups to ensure a broad range of input. Similarly, every ten years the school engages in the NYSAIS process. The SHCOG and NYSAIS processes both generate action plans that impact the process of education at 91st Street. Ninety-first Street will effectuate the action plans generated by both the NYSAIS and SHCOG accreditation processes.

that are consistent with the Goals and Criteria.

The Board of Trustees is firmly committed to upholding the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart education. The Board implements this commitment by holding its sole employee, the Head of School, responsible for the integration of the Goals and Criteria into the daily life of the school. The Board also reviews major policy decisions and allocation of resources in light of the Goals and Criteria. School policies reflect the spirit and content of the Goals and Criteria, and the school’s administration upholds these policies within the purview of their office.

The Board works closely with the Head of School, as well as the Chief Administrative Officer and the Director of Institutional Advancement, though does not get involved in the curricular or operational issues unless asked to by the Head. Before their terms begin, each trustee attends a training orientation led by the Committee on Trustees to learn about appropriate trustee engagement and involvement. Trustees also have the opportunity to attend the Annual Trustee Education to Mission Conference hosted by the Network in St. Charles each October.

In addition, the Committee on Trustees has adopted a Trustee Code of Conduct and Guidelines for Trustee-Parent interactions with faculty and administration to guide trustees in the proper fulfillment of their roles as trustees. The school’s Code of Ethics and Policy on Conflict of Interests are important policies and consistent with board best practices. Trustees hold an annual retreat and complete yearly self-evaluations and evaluations on the effectiveness of the Board and committees. As part of its fiduciary responsibility, the Board manages and assures that the school has the resources to carry out our mission as defined by the Goals and Criteria.

As part of its commitment to the Goals and Criteria, the Board consults with religious and lay experts on important and complex issues. In 2017, theologian James Bretzke visited with the board to focus on church teaching and tradition on gender and sexual ethics. In 2020, a panel of faith leaders, including Provincial Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ, spoke on mission and religious identity. The Board also regularly engaged and continues to

engage consultants to ensure its policies and processes are equitable, including the recent head of school search.

In 2021, the Formation to Mission Committee converted to the Committee on Sacred Heart Mission & Goals to serve as custodians of the Goals and Criteria. Their purpose is to provide guidance to all board committees in delineating how they each serve the Sacred Heart mission and our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. In regards to equity and belonging, the Board and the leadership engaged Haakmat Consulting for workshops and training sessions for trustees, administration, faculty and staff.

This year, the Board intends to support the SHCOG process and the presentation of the Self-Study to the Visiting Committee to carefully assess its current understanding and expression of the mission, inform the development of the school’s next strategic plan, and transition the Head of School slated to succeed Dr. Joseph J. Ciancaglini effective July 1, 2023.

4. The school allocates its resources to support each Goal and its Criteria.

Following the last SHCOG visit, the school’s leadership implemented action objectives based on the recommendations made by the Visiting Team and the Commission on Goals. We continue to foster our unique identity as a Catholic, independent, Sacred Heart school and reinforce a commitment to institutional and personal responsibilities consistent with the Goals and Criteria. We continue to address the challenges of sustained affordability and diversity through the Board’s evaluation of revenue, costs, and tuition increases and allocation of resources. We celebrate our historic and modern facilities and the vibrant connection to our expanded campus with the addition of the Athletics and Wellness Center. Our newly constructed FutureLab is already creating opportunities for innovation, STEM learning, and cross-divisional collaboration. The school has also enhanced its onboarding process for new employees as an orientation to mission.

In 2015, the school launched two councils to support mission and culture at 91st Street. The Awareness Council is a team focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and composed of faculty and staff who are paid stipends, serve staggered three-year terms, and engage in significant external professional development. To date, 14 members of the professional community have served on the Awareness Council, increasing DEI capacity across the school. The Heritage & Spirituality Council is a standing council composed of five members from different divisions of the school, including one member of the religion department. The council creates programs that explore and deepen understanding of the heritage, spirituality, and traditions of Sacred Heart education, and of our founding order, the RSCJ.

In 2020, the school created the Director of Network Programs to ensure full support and attention to 91st Street’s relationship to the Network of Sacred Heart schools. The DEI Team was established in the 2020–2021 academic year to include two DEI coordinators, one for community life and one for teaching and learning, reporting directly to the Head of School. In 2021–2022, the Administrative Team

expanded to include the school’s inaugural full-time Director of Diversity, Equity, and Community Life, charged with coordinating efforts around equity and belonging.

The addition of the Athletics and Wellness Center at 406 East 91st Street has allowed for major expansion of curricular and extracurricular offerings around health, wellness, physical education, and athletics programs. The construction and renovation of 91st Street’s FutureLab includes a makerspace that inspires and expands student creativity and innovation and new labs that are fully equipped and dedicated to the expanding science and engineering program.

5. The school is in compliance with professional standards as stated by accrediting

agencies.

Every ten years, the school engages in the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) accreditation process. Ninety-first Street completed our most recent New York State accreditation in 2018. The SHCOG and NYSAIS processes work together to inform the school’s Strategic Plan.

91ST STREET HISTORY (2014–2022)

Since the school’s SHCOG accreditation of 2014, 91st Street has implemented and completed significant initiatives and weathered unforeseen challenges, most significantly, the COVID-19 pandemic. Major events are highlighted in this narrative and the accompanying timeline.

Leadership & Staffing

The school has undergone a number of senior leadership transitions since 2014, some anticipated, such as board service transitions, and others resulting from changes to the Administrative Team personnel. There have also been significant middle management changes and additions. Divisions have adjusted deans’ roles and responsibilities tailored to the needs of the division, and the Admissions and Advancement Offices have hired new Directors and team members to support evolving responsibilities and skill sets. In compliance with 2019 New York City and New York State mandates, all employees complete fingerprinting and multiple annual training sessions in addition to programs required by the Archdiocese of New York.

In response to the national racial reckoning catalyzed by George Floyd’s murder and the national, exponential increase in bias speech and violence targeting marginalized communities, the Board of Trustees and Administrative Team entered an ongoing relationship with Haakmat Consulting, a firm that specializes in strategy and coaching for equity and inclusion in independent schools. In July 2020, the two DEI Coordinators were officially installed. In January 2022, the Head of School created the role of Director of Diversity, Equity, and Community Life to serve on the Administrative Team. The Director is responsible for managing a growing team of DEI practitioners, supporting academic division leaders, coordinating a holistic program that touches all constituencies, and an offering of affinity spaces.

Most recently, the Head of School announced his retirement and the Board initiated a search process in January 2022. Ninety-first Street will install a new Head of School in July of 2023.

Mission & Culture

Ninety-first Street is a devoutly mission-centered organization and community. Both the school’s 2014 SHCOG and 2018 NYSAIS accreditation reports commended 91st Street for the centrality of mission in decision making, program development, and operations. Recent major initiatives include the founding of the Heritage & Spirituality Council, the Awareness Council, and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Life, concurrently strengthening our commitment to the school’s Catholic identity and to more holistically center people of all backgrounds who choose to work, learn, and grow at 91st Street.

Physical Plant, Operations, & Finance

Since 2014, the school has made major upgrades to the physical plant, most notably the completion of our best-in-class Athletics and Wellness Center and FutureLab science and technology facilities. Other improvements include refurbishing iconic spaces like the South Parlor and Libraries at 1 East 91st Street, refreshing common spaces, renovating the cafeteria, purchasing more adaptable and learning-supportive furniture, and placing greater attention on reducing our environmental footprint. Systems reviews and upgrades include all-school scheduling, technology hardware, and databases. Other initiatives include a restructuring of employment compensation and benefits, a review of purchasing policies with an eye to diversify vendors, an audit of Business Office workflow to increase productivity and upward mobility, and increased mentorship for operations, technology, and business staff and middle managers. Finally, a restructure of school debt lowered annual interest costs and made funds available for other efforts.

Strengthening Our Story

The Admissions and Advancement Offices share in their critical responsibility of marketing external expressions of the school, and increasingly have worked to improve content creation, strategy, and outreach. Both teams have new leaders and some new staff to support the evolving roles and responsibilities of admissions and advancement.

The Admissions Office adjusted evaluation and admissions processes to be more developmentally appropriate, fair, and holistic, and streamlined and greened platforms and processes. In prioritizing the diversification of the student body, the Admissions Office also broadened outreach efforts to communities across the five Boroughs and partners with access groups.

The Advancement Office completed the campaign to fund and build the Athletics and Wellness Center at 406 East 91st Street, and will complete the FutureLab Campaign for Sacred Heart by the close of the 2022–2023 academic year. To help build, connect, and sustain the community and boost school spirit, the Advancement Office also redesigned the website, increased the school’s intentional presence on social media, and increased volume and frequency of communications to families. To achieve this, the Director of Communication was promoted to head an office of Marketing and Communication and a new position of Communication Coordinator was created.

In 2018, the academic divisions implemented a six-day rotating schedule with the goal of increasing flexibility and the time students spend mastering content and skills. With the support and resources of the Awareness Council and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Community Life, all academic divisions and departments have integrated and continue to embed responsive and interdisciplinary anti-bias anti-racist content and skillbuilding.

LOWER SCHOOL, PRE-K–GRADE 4

Since 2014, the Lower School has added two deans to the leadership team and engaged in holistically reviewing and mapping curriculum; increasing DEI teaching and learning; revising service learning, social-emotional learning, and library curricula; streamlining internal and external communication; updating the faculty evaluation process; increasing regular in-house professional development; and revamping the Associate Mentoring Program. Administrators and teachers have increased anti-bias, anti-racist parent communication, education, and workshops to complement this work and share language and resources. They have also responded to increased parent inquiries about DEI and curricular changes.

MIDDLE SCHOOL, GRADES 5–8

The Middle School has expanded the wellness program to include gender diversity, revitalized the advisory program, embedded mission-aligned DEI work, and implemented a restorative justice discipline program. Administrators and teachers have increased attention on ethical discernment, critical thinking, and social justice; world faiths; technology, digital citizenship, and robotics; student leadership programs; and collaboration in building integrated learning projects. Administrators have adjusted the schedule, academic program, and wellness content and platforms to respond to increased student social-emotional needs and learning.

UPPER SCHOOL, GRADES 9–12

The Upper School has developed initiatives in response to student needs and requests, ranging from increasing mechanisms for student-led activism and feedback to adding new programs and opportunities for more personalized and advanced learning in and out of the classroom. All Grade 12 students engage in a reflective, academic Senior Capstone project that celebrates their unique journey

through the Upper School and Sacred Heart education. Advanced Placement courses were eliminated in order to offer a broader range of independent curriculum that allows for inclusion of diverse texts and resources and allows students to explore areas of interest. Faculty increased coordination of the social justice curriculum, and Grade 10 teachers examined assessment and evaluation methods. All departments conducted audits of books and course materials and made significant revisions to the curriculum. The administration mechanized student feedback, increased opportunities for students to participate in Network programs and exchanges, and provided access to Compass Education instruction and standardized test preparation for all Upper School students in the hopes of removing economic barriers.

Athletics & Wellness

With the construction and opening of the Athletics and Wellness Center, the Athletics and Wellness Division became the fourth major division of 91st Street and developed and enhanced programming, schedule, curriculum, and staffing. This renewed focus on excellence in athletics and wellness enabled the administration to be more proactive about and responsive to student wellness, including depression, eating disorders, suicidal crisis, and emotional distress. Swimming became an integral part of the physical education curriculum from Pre-K through Grade 12 and is a graduation requirement. Expanded first-class facilities and staff support and elevate student skill development, mindset growth, and performance on every level—from physical education electives to competitive sports. The current Athletics and Wellness strategic planning process will address the cultural challenges of a division that employs many contracted staff and coaches who are not at 91st Street full time and the challenges presented by diminishing access to city athletic fields.

SHCOG & NYSAIS Accreditations

To address the 2014 SHCOG and 2018 NYSAIS accreditations, the school has made deliberate efforts to build on areas of strength and streamline responsive programming.

COMMENDATIONS

Both SHCOG and NYSAIS visiting committees affirmed that 91st Street is a Sacred Heart school in

exemplary standing, citing the centrality of mission in all the school does as a key area of excellence. The school earned commendations for its progress on projects ranging from campus expansion to augmented academic programming. Both committees celebrated the leadership of the Board of Trustees and Administrative Team and the strength, hard work, and pursuit of excellence exhibited by faculty and staff. In 2018, NYSAIS commended the school and superb Security and Operations Teams’ commitment to the safety and care of the entire community, a prescient commendation in light of the unforeseen pandemic.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Both visiting committees recommended 91st Street create more community time to get to know and understand one another’s work and engage in collective reflection, silence, and contemplation. The NYSAIS accreditation highlighted the need for more formalized occasions to gather and take stock, to analyze change, and to proactively evaluate progress without the rush to move ahead. The accreditations also identified the following opportunities: ● Meeting the complex challenges of accessibility by a greater diversity of families, professionals, and educators; ● Working to define, operationalize, and expand our DEI commitment; ● Consolidating and coordinating more effective internal and external communications and marketing of the school; ● Harmonizing a fully integrated philosophy and pedagogy; and ● Reviewing technology and information technology for greater efficiency, utilization, and effectiveness throughout the school.

The Pandemic & Racial Reckoning

In July 2020, the Board of Trustees and Head of School announced that 91st Street would fully reopen in August, becoming the first school in New York City to do so after going virtual at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic necessitated massive shifts in the way the school operates in every aforementioned domain in order to stay open, robust, and safe. Across the organization, roles were redefined, physical spaces were repurposed, and entirely new schedules, processes, procedures, and methods were designed and redesigned in response to rapidly changing conditions.

Human resources were stretched to their limits. Nothing about school was the same and yet the extraordinary spirit of community and dedication to mission that are the hallmarks of 91st Street remained unchanged and even flourished.

School leadership, faculty, and staff worked without ceasing for two-plus years to maintain programmatic excellence. Parent and community communications, advancement fundraising, admissions recruitment events, and almost all external processes became paperless and virtual; the Business and Nurses Offices collaborated to manage COVID-19 prevention and contact tracing; the Advancement team communicated COVID-19 responses and resources while sustaining fundraising initiatives; and operations leaders and staff worked tirelessly to respond to state and federal mandates to maintain safe conditions for learning and work. Faculty and administrators worked together to ensure that classes and learning remained student-centered and accessible for all learners, including students struggling with increased mental health challenges. School leaders took steps to boost morale and mitigate chronic stress and burnout among employees.

As the United States confronted the racism of its past and present in summer 2020, the Administrative Team collaborated with the DEI Coordinators to increase our anti-bias anti-racist work and drew on 25 annual hours with Haakmat Consulting shared among administrative leaders, the Board of Trustees, and teams. The school responded to concerns and comments seeking greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism raised by the Black@CSH account on Instagram through listening and learning forums as well as through direct communication with students, alumnae, parents, and employees. In response to these alumnae voices, the Parents Association expanded its leadership to include a Chair of the Parent Awareness and Inclusion Committee (PAIC) and the Alumnae Association established an Alumnae DEI Council. Academic divisions adopted the Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards and they continue to anchor curriculum development and learning outcomes in identity, diversity, justice, and action.

The centrality of the mission of Sacred Heart education at 91st Street is conveyed to new members of the community through robust orientation processes and further augmented through events and programs for employees, parents, students, and trustees.