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hey learn about quadratic equations, iambic pentameter and how to conjugate verbs in Latin. Although these lessons are vital to burgeoning minds, there are other teachings that inform our students’ characters and become a constant and defining characteristic in their lives. It is these lessons that will persist after students hang up their diplomas, white dresses and robes. As they prepare to embark on the next phase in their lives, whether it’s leaving San Francisco for college, entering the workforce, attending a new high school or staying on at Convent High School or Stuart Hall High School, there are unwavering values they’ll take with them into their unique futures–the guiding principles of a Sacred Heart education. Goal III of Sacred Heart education is the instillation of “a social awareness that impels to action.” Students live out this goal every day and learn that helping others is not a choice—it’s a natural facet of a meaningful life. Through community service, fundraising and philanthropic pursuits, our students transform lives, gain a tangible connection to their community and learn enduring life skills. The spirit of service permeates the culture of our community and the identities of our students. That high school students often complete far more than the required number hours of community service hours (75 by the end of junior year at Stuart Hall and 100 hours by graduation
at Convent) and elementary students routinely identify areas of need and take practical steps to help is a testament to our students’ dedication to service.
The City is Our Service Every week, Ray O’Connor (Stuart Hall High School, Community Service and Theology) and several seniors pile into the school’s minivan. They buckle up and Ray drives down busy one ways, dropping students off at their destinations. One student visits Redwood Elementary and reads with a second grade boy, another goes to the St. Vincent de Paul/Ozanam Wellness Center to create art with people who are struggling with addiction to drugs or mental health issues. One guy visits Rosa Parks Elementary to help students correctly identify U.S. states in the computer lab and two guys go to Project Open Hand to prepare meals for the critically ill and homebound. One of the many benefits of attending school in San Francisco is the wealth of opportunities for service that exist within the city’s seven square miles. For many students, Convent & Stuart Hall service learning provides an opportunity to interface with the multiplicity of existences outside their immediate communities, which takes them outside their comfort zones. According to Ray, “we have the city right here and the city is our service.” By
Convent & Stuart Hall
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