A New Chapter in Sion’s History
At 100 Year Mass New Head of School is Announced BY SHANNON LAIRD Reporter
Rewinding 100 years in honor of Sion’s 100th Birthday February 14th 1912
Arizona becomes the 48th state.
March 12th 1912
Girl Scouts was founded by Juliette Gordon Low.
February 8th 1912
The first eastbound U.S. transcontinental flight lands in Jacksonville, Fla.
March 23rd 1912
The Dixie cup is invented.
March 1st 1912
Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump from an airplane.
It’s official. Christina Broderick is our new Head-of-School. The announcement came, as is fitting, on Friday, January 20 at the beginning of our combined campus’ 100th anniversary celebration. Broderick is thrilled for the opportunity to become a part of the close-knit Sion community. “I was born and raised in Los Angeles and I now have lived in New York City and Dallas as well, so I have had my share of the ‘big city’. I love to visit all of those places, but I think calling Kansas City “home” will be a pleasure,” Broderick said. “I was so thrilled to see the cool architecture of the Plaza area and the older neighborhoods along Wornall Road.” According to current Head of School Alice Munninghoff, Broderick truly meets all the expectations of the search committee. Her credentials had to meet the accreditation standards and the candidate needed a Masters along with teaching and administrative experience. “The search committee had one goal,” Munninghoff said. “They wanted to find the most qualified candidate who fit easily into the school environment.” And a consensus has been reached. Broderick is the woman for the job. She has great aspirations for Sion, but for now she will settle for getting to know the community. “I think in the first year, my ‘first big project’ will be to learn names! My hope for Sion is for us to get to know each other,” Broderick said. “I think it is really wonderful that I am coming to Sion during the 100th anniversary celebration. I think it is really important to honor the faculty, students, and
alums who have already created a great legacy, and continue that well into the 21st century.” Broderick said she was drawn to Sion from her experiences at an all girls’ Catholic high school and an independent school from grades PreK-8. When she found out Sion was all that rolled up into one, she couldn’t wait for the opportunity. She also has experience of her own in the all-girls’ setting. “I went to a co-ed Catholic high school and an all-women Catholic college,” Broderick said. “My husband went to catholic elementary school and an all-boys Jesuit high school.” Broderick received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Women’s Studies from Mount St. Mary’s College, California. She has a Master of Science in Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. She has taught in both all girls’ and co-ed settings from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. She is currently dean of students at the Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas. Currently living in Allen, Texas, she is looking forward to living in Kansas City. Munninghoff also said the search committee looked for someone who creates a great relationship with both the teachers and faculty and the students. Broderick is certainly excited about that. She said she wants to know our own vision for the school and wants to get everyone involved. “My question back to you and the students of both campuses would be what does your wish list look like?” Broderick said. “Of course, I would really like to get started on a new fine arts center too, but I know that pacing myself and the community will really be important.”
New Semester Brings New Faces
Transfer and Exchange Students Are New Additions to the Student Body BY LAURA TRAVIS Reporter
This semester, the Sion community welcomed four exchange students from Australia. Mollie McNarma, Georgia Thomas, Caroline Bermingham, and Claire Anderson. Along with the exchange students, five transfer students joined Sion. Junior, Melanie Martin, sophomores, Molly Donahue, Sydney Popp, and Claire Shafran, and freshman Ali Gregory. Each of the exchange students from Australia stayed with four juniors, This summer, those juniors will travel to Australia, attend the Our Lady of Sion College in Australia, and stay with the girls that they hosted. In addition to the girls from Australia, exchange students from Chile and Germany will also be coming later in the semester. “We have a tendency to think of people from other countries as different, but when we get to know each other, we learn people are people. The
6
news
only way to see aspects of American culture is to be in another culture,” coordinator of the Australian Exchange Program and Academic Dean Kay Walkup said. Walkup said she believes the Australian girls are fitting right in. Some of their favorite things include meeting new people, taking new classes, the unique twist everyone puts on their uniform, the casual environment of the school, and the amount of school spirit the students and teachers have. “Everyone has a lot of pride for their school,” Thomas said. Along with the success of the exchange program, Sion gained five new transfer students. They all came from diocesan or private schools in the Kansas City area. And according to Admissions Director Sharon Radovich, the girls are doing great. Director of Enrollment Management Emily Taylor said that they try to make the admissions process as easy for girls and their families as possible, but prospective students must be academically
prepared and have three years of academic records. Each candidate is thoroughly reviewed as well before being admitted. “They put their uniform on and just look like a Sion girl,” Radovich said.
The transfer students all came from local, private schools. From left to right: Martin, Popp, Gregory, Shafran, and Donahue. (Photo by Laura Travis)
