Big League

BIG LEAGUE By Mark Pardini ’88

SHC Athletics Enters a New Era with Eastbay/Nike Pact

After over five years of courtship, Sacred Heart Cathedral and Eastbay Team Sales have formally partnered to provide the Irish Athletics Department and the schools’ teams with Nike apparel, uniforms, and equipment, as well as handling outfitting students through a revamped online Irish Prep Store. This agreement will result in not only a consistent look from the field to the court to the pool deck for SHC teams, but also in a significant step forward for the school overall in its efforts to present a unified brand to the external community. SHC and its Athletic Department both have traditionally employed various vendors to produce its uniforms and apparel, sometimes to the extent of different teams or programs having their own individual relationships. While this freedom may have originally been thought beneficial, the multiple processes involved resulted in supply chain redundancies and inefficiencies. Further, an audit of SHC Athletics showed that the majority of teams were already purchasing Nike brand from Eastbay for their uniforms and practice gear, but independent of one another. An across-the-board agreement incorporating all teams and the entire school will maximize cost savings in the form of potential discounts and credits, benefitting our school programs in countless ways. “We are excited about this partnership opportunity with Eastbay and Nike, particularly what it means for the Sacred Heart Cathedral community,” said Associate Director of Athletics Caesar Smith ’98. “By dealing with Eastbay as a single source for Nike uniforms and equipment, we will create a more cost-effective and efficient process for our students and families.” A few of these benefits are a consistent treatment of athletic teams and students, all outfitted by one, high-quality vendor with international cachet. Previously, differing vendors produced different levels of quality, both on the athletic side as well as school-sanctioned dress code apparel; now, all students will have access to the same caliber of garment. Similarly augmenting the school’s mission, a volume discount provided to the school will help economically challenged students stay supplied with dress code compliant wear. “Eastbay and I are beyond excited to kick off the SHC/Nike partnership,’ said company rep Mathew Pantazes. “We are looking forward to partnering with the school to build a brand that will generate a cultural response within the SHC community that has never been seen before.”

BIG LEAGUE

While the company has attracted criticism over the years for its overseas labor practices, they seemed to have turned the corner in recognizing their corporate responsibility to promote global equity and fairness. Nike is a member of the Institute for Human Rights and Business’ Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment and as such, works to promote fair labor practices and ensure workers’ rights. In addition, they work with many community organizations committed to advancing equality, leveling the playing field for all and making play and sport accessible to all children.

How will this agreement strengthen the school’s brand in the community? Much as SHC’s street pole banner campaign over the years has helped carve out the school’s identity in a crowded Bay

Area education market, so will a consistently SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL PREPARATORY MAGAZINE YYYY YY branded SHC community function to spread the word about the school. Sacred Heart Cathedral’s brand has been known throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for over 150 years and Nike is currently the most recognized apparel brand in the world. Partnering the SHC brand with Nike, through Eastbay, will strengthen the school brand and elevate it within the Bay Area community as a whole. To see the new online Irish Prep shop offerings, please visit shcp.edu/ shop-irish or just point your SHC|us app here for direct access. 19

By dealing with Eastbay as a single source for Nike uniforms and equipment, we will create a more costeffective and efficient process for our students and families.” CAESAR SMITH ’98 ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

By Lucie Duffort

Throughout the pandemic, we have seen creative solutions spring up in response to adverse circumstances. SHC’s Inquiry & Innovation (i2) program is no exception. “As people adapt,” i2 Director Dabney Standley says, “we make progress.” Last year’s decision to share i2 student projects and celebrate their accomplishments online has evolved into a formal shift for the program that is a hybrid of online and in-person innovation. A program website, currently under development, will serve as a legacy for archives that get updated throughout the year and over students’ full tenure at SHC as their projects evolve. This will lead to the creation of a portfolio that can easily be shared between students and with instructors, colleges, and even potential future employers. The widespread use of Zoom during the pandemic has likewise introduced new opportunity for the program. With everyone interacting live onscreen, bringing in guests to instruct and advise is far easier. This spring four outside speakers are already lined up, including leaders from the California Academy of Sciences, representatives from Google, and game developers based in Los Angeles. Where in past years students shared pizza and enjoyed direct interaction only if they were physically present, now any member with an internet connection can participate. Standley continues to praise his partner in leadership, Instructor of Science and Inquiry and Innovation Program Associate Director Geoff Hunt, saying he is deeply complementary to Standley’s own skill set. “He is the consummate maker guy … (as a kid) he built an airplane with his father. During the pandemic he has been 3D printing face shields. Students who say they were thinking about building now have a direct connection.” One student group, for example, wanted to build an electric go-cart. Hunt had the frame in his garage, and was able to get the project underway immediately. These kinds of connections and immediate responses are invaluable. Standley caught up with us the day after he and Hunt had met with their i2 sophomores, and he shared highlights of the cohort’s student work: Madison Li ’23 worked last year to create a device that took an image of your face, converted it to a digital drawing, then used an articulated arm with a pencil to draw the image. This year she is working on music to accompany the project, connecting video to music and artificial intelligence. Please use your SHC|us app here to see this amazing student work! Ellie Mullen ’23, who wants to study material sciences, is working on a project that will take foodstuffs and turn them into recyclable or compostable packing materials.

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i2 Program Adapts to

“New Normal”

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Ryan Cannon ’23 is working on a solar-powered drone, particularly challenging due to the delicate size balance between accommodating panels and allowing the drone to still actually take flight. Sylvia Du ’23 and Ashley Quan ’23 are designing an app so that women can more quickly notify the authorities in case something is threatening their safety. Using data attached to their phones, this app will work more efficiently than 911. Atessa Anoshiravani ’23 is interested in regenerative agricultural practices that save CO2 in the soil, and asks, “How can we do this in urban farms?” Finally, Standley pointed out that, as the program is accompanied by a yearlong Academic Exploration (AE) this year, it will enable a larger group of students to perhaps get involved in i2, even after their first year at SHC. Annually, additional students are invited to join the i2 program after their freshman year. The significance of this is that students are able to modify their academic progression throughout their years at SHC, and as their performance and interests develop, so too can their experience and access to opportunity.

Mary Kate Blaine ’96

Despite the fact that Mary Kate Blaine ’96 came to SHC as a transfer student her junior year, Sacred Heart Cathedral’s impact on her life was immediate and long lasting. Back in the mid-1990s, SHC students were just receiving their first school email addresses, and college applications were still filled out with pen and paper. As a student, Blaine was drawn to performing arts and participated in the choir, served as the theater business manager, and wrote for The Emerald. Looking back on her time at SHC, she holds close to her heart all of the instructors that were influential in her development as a student, a thinker, and ultimately, a lifelong educator. She reflects, “Dr. Ken Hogarty ’66 challenged De Paul Scholars to become good readers and clear, direct writers, and he helped talk me through the challenges of being a new high school teacher in my early 20s.” Blaine credits former choir director Mario Dell’Olio with inspiring her love of music and her participation in choir throughout college; she lends her curiosity about history to longtime Instructor of Social Studies Rich Sansoe ’71; and she fondly remembers former registrar, Sue Elvander ’62 as a nurturing and caring presence always ready to lend a hand. After graduation, Blaine went on to major in American Studies at Fordham University where she further explored her interest in education by serving as a resident advisor and as a tutor at a Catholic school in the Bronx. She was the recipient of a James Madison Foundation Fellowship for her post-graduate work at Columbia Teachers College which also included two years as an instructor of US History & Government. Eventually, Blaine landed at Notre Dame School in lower Manhattan, where she taught social studies. She shares, “Notre Dame had fantastic spirit, and its beautiful inclusivity reminded me of SHC.” As a young student, Blaine loved school and from an early age she recognized the joy that helping younger children brought. As she progressed in her own education, her path became clear. “My family valued Catholic education and made great sacrifices for me to attend Catholic school from kindergarten through college.” At SHC, Blaine’s relationships with committed, passionate instructors, and her participation in service-learning ultimately inspired her to consider a career in education. Today, Blaine is in the process of completing her tenure as principal at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, DC, and preparing for her next role beginning this summer as Head of School at Trinity Hall in New Jersey. To current SHC students considering a path in education, she offers this advice, “Follow your heart and talk to teachers you look up to about their professional journey. Educators are building the future — and the world is in sore need of good people to respond to the challenges and injustices of the world today. To share your own knowledge and insight with young people and to help accompany them on a shared journey of growth and faith is a great gift.”

Ebony McKeever ’13

Ebony McKeever ’13 remembers her first foray into social media, a Facebook profile created her freshman year at SHC. Soon, Instagram followed, and she could never have predicted the way in which the social media platform would spur the creation of ProjectGiveBack. Looking back on her years at SHC, McKeever remembers loving school and enjoying keeping herself engaged and busy with her involvement in student government, service learning, and track & field. “I loved my team and coaches, and I just felt loved at school in general. I enjoyed making connections with teachers and staff, and I just loved the feeling of being at SHC,” she reflects. Instructors Tricia Constantino and Pete Gresh ’72 inspired her love of math, Associate Director of Community Life Julia Rinaldi inspired McKeever’s dedication to service, and Instructor of Religious Studies Anita Diaz encouraged her to activate her inner leader. After graduation, McKeever went on to attend Georgetown University where she majored in psychology and sociology and continued running track. After earning her degree, she joined Teach for America where she discovered her ultimate passion — social work. Today, McKeever is in the process of completing her master’s in social work at the University of Houston. The dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic sent many college students into limbo, and with classes going virtual, McKeever found herself spending much of her time at home. She took up crocheting, first creating a blanket for her niece as a middle school graduation gift. Then, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, she wanted to find a way to give back, to lift her community as a Black woman, and to respond in a way that made sense for her unique talents and voice. “Protesting is not my form of resistance, and I knew I could give back by donating, but I wanted to know that my efforts were making a tangible difference, I wanted to know where it was going,” she shares. So she combined her newly discovered talent for crocheting and her passion for social work to create ProjectGiveBack, an organization that awards scholarships to college bound Black women. The scholarships are funded by blanket sales, and include a mentorship component that McKeever considers to be vital to the success of the program. “I wanted to create a scholarship that allowed me to connect with the students through ongoing mentorship. Scholarships were very important to my own college journey.” Scholarship recipients must also give back to their communities, a requirement illustrated in the scholarship’s name. McKeever says, “My hope is that scholarship recipients will do something to better the Black community. I could never have imagined that I would create my own scholarship when I was a high school student. I hope the recipients take those risks, because they’ll pay off.”

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BOARD OF REGENTS

Gerald Murphy, JD Board Chair Elizabeth Brown Parents Association President Kase Abusharkh ’00 Sr. Adella Armentrout, DC Stella Bialous, DrPH Kevin Buckley ’13 Courtney Chin ’03 Neal Corkery ’95 Richard Cutler, PhD Ed Delfs Carol Wicklund Enright Stefan Gartrell ’02 Sandra Gulli Miguel Guzman ’91 Kevin Harrigan ’74 Steve Heath Francois Hechinger Daniel Holland ’79 Janet Holland ’77 Monica Kelly ’06 John Kruger Charles Love Eileen Malley, JD ’77 Sister Frances Meyer, DC Gina Mulvey ’94 Joey Nevin ’01 Margaret O’Driscoll Jeffrey Porter ’72 William D. Rauch, JD Roman Rodriguez, MD ’68 James Ryan, Jr. Sue Sami Stacie Solt, MD ’99 Ed Wang ’90 Br. Tom Westberg, FSC Harold Wong ’77

EX-OFFICIO

Melinda Skrade, PhD President Gary Cannon, EdD Principal John Gumina ’91 VP for Advancement & Enrollment Shani Mahany Director of Finance Mark Pardini ’88 Director of Communications & Marketing John M. Vigo ’81 Director of Stewardship & Future Giving