.12 .13 Pam Gartland, a member of the mission effectiveness committee who is also the Division Head of grades three, four, and five, Campus Minister, and Religion Teacher at Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, N.Y., says, “The mission effectiveness process is just an extension of everything that we believe in and that we do everyday in the Holy Child schools. We have always applauded the Sisters for having the foresight to know that this mission cannot stop and for allowing us to be part of the future by what we’re doing today.”
Mission Effectiveness Process For each school in the Holy Child Network, the mission effectiveness process takes place over six years. In the first year of the process, the school’s steering committee attends a training workshop led by the members of the mission effectiveness committee and begins a community-wide reflection on the Holy Child goals and criteria that involves all those connected with the school. In the second year, the school completes a self-study evaluation, which is reviewed by the visiting committee. The visiting committee includes teachers, faculty, and staff from
The Holy Child Network of Schools is an association of 10 elementary and secondary schools educating children nationwide. These schools are Catholic, independent schools sponsored by the American Province of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. Connelly School of the Holy Child (Potomac, MD) Cornelia Connelly Center (New York, NY) Cornelia Connelly School of the Holy Child (Anaheim, CA) Holy Child Academy (Drexel Hill, PA) Holy Child Academy (Old Westbury, NY) Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus (Pasadena, CA) Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child Jesus (Pasadena, CA) Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child (Summit, NJ) Rosemont School of the Holy Child (Rosemont, PA)
the nine other Holy Child schools. Later that year, the visiting committee spends three to four days at the school meeting with board members, faculty, staff, administrators, students, alums, and parents. Their visit ends with a recommitment prayer service that celebrates the entire school community. During the prayer service, the visiting committee’s reflections are shared. Next, the visiting committee sends a report to the Society’s American Province Leadership Team (PLT), who reviews the report and the school’s self-study and then sends the final directives to the school. The school uses these directives to develop an action plan that is approved by the school’s Board, faculty, staff, and the PLT. The school spends the next three years implementing the action plan.
Mission Effectiveness Committee The mission effectiveness committee is the heart and soul of the mission effectiveness process and each member has a clear sense of Cornelia’s approach to education. For example, one of Cornelia’s directives was “to meet the wants of the age.” Committee Member Robin Beaver, who is the Technology Director at the Rosemont School of the Holy Child in Rosemont, Pa., says, “It always amazes me how timely the Holy Child approach is to education. It is very child-centered. Our desire is always to teach to the particular child we have in front of us in the particular age we’re living in using the best tools we have available in that age. It comes from our Holy Child history and mission, as opposed to what we have to change to keep enrollment up or what we have to change because of external forces.” The mission effectiveness committee meets twice a year. They also lead the training workshop for the steering committee of schools being visited and for one person from every other school who will be a member of a future visiting committee. In addition, they lead the teams of Holy Child administrators and faculty in visiting the schools. The committee has also developed a Wiki, which is a website that essentially acts as an online bulletin board. On the Wiki, the schools share best practices with one another, reflections on how their school is doing, and ideas for ways to celebrate their Holy Child heritage during the self-evaluation process of mission effectiveness. As a result, none of the schools is ever left on their own. They depend on one another in a number of ways. In addition, the Society hosts an annual meeting for the heads and board chairs of all the Holy Child schools. The schools in the Holy Child Network are truly a network of support for one another. And thanks to the mission effectiveness process, their common mission continues to bond them.
School of the Holy Child (Rye, NY)
organizations including the Women’s Bar Association, Jane Doe, Inc., and the Domestic Violence Council, Inc. Over the past 20 years, Anthony has provided education and training for law enforcement, health care professionals, lawyers, and students on the issues of domestic violence. In June 2009, the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC) recognized Anthony and Foley Hoag for contributions that improved the lives of sexual assault victims. Cameron Nutt, a 2003 graduate of Mayfield Junior School, will graduate from Dartmouth College in 2011. He has spent time working
The members of the mission effectiveness committee: (back row l to r) Rebecca Seymour, Barbara Mullen, SHCJ (M. Anthony Mary), Anne Hartfield, (middle row l to r) Robin Beaver, Maureen Cameron, Pam Gartland, (front row l to r) Marie Ursino, SHCJ, Michael Ambrose, and Shauna Kopit. Not pictured: Nonie Murphy, Emily Morgan, and Eileen McDevitt, SHCJ.
in Dares Salaam, Tanzania as a DarDar intern at an urban pediatric HIV clinic and a nearby primary school. This is part of a joint project between Dartmouth and the World Health Organization. This summer, Cameron is going back to Tanzania on a research grant while writing his thesis in medical anthropology. Annie O’Brien, a 1998 graduate of Holy Child Academy (Drexel Hill), worked for two and a half years with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Formerly the Clinton Foundation, the Health Access Initiative enabled Annie to focus on HIV/AIDS initiatives in New Delhi,
Cornelia’s Legacy More than 130 years after her death, Cornelia’s legacy continues. When you get right down to it, the importance of each and every child is at the heart of Holy Child education. Barbara Mullen, SHCJ (M. Anthony Mary), who is an at large member of the mission effectiveness committee, as well as the Director of Women’s Research at Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child Jesus in Pasadena, Calif., says, “The incarnational aspect of our philosophy is the value of the human person. It is quite a remarkable, simple reality, but it’s profound—God becoming human. When people ask what the difference is of a Holy Child education, it is often hard to describe because you do have to experience it. You have to get at it at a level beyond words. It’s about the value of the human person and the value of our world, and knowing that even with all of its challenges, God is still there.” In a time when the American educational system is facing a great deal of scrutiny and criticism, it is amazing to realize that the philosophy of one woman, Cornelia Connelly, who lived more than a century ago, is still inspiring educators and students alike, while empowering today’s youth. “We all draw inspiration from the same person, Cornelia Connelly. And we are fortunate in that she wrote a lot and we have those sayings and writings of hers that guide us as we do it,” concludes Sr. Marie.
India. This fall, Annie started a postgraduate program in Medical Anthropology at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Katie O’Connor, a 2000 graduate of the Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, works for the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and was sent to Haiti in response to the cholera outbreak. Julia Pilson, a 1990 graduate of Holy Child Academy (Drexel Hill), is a Senior Meetings and Events Manager for Carey International, a worldwide transportation and logistics company. Julia travels the
During the mission effectiveness process, the entire school community celebrates each of the goals. Here, faculty members at Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus in Pasadena, CA, undertake a student team-building activity called “Pipeline” to celebrate Goal Six.
world managing client programs and has spent many hours working with various corporations such as the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the PGA TOUR, USGA, and many others. Julia shares, “My Holy Child experience has enabled me to understand global clients, service, hard work, and dedication, which is especially challenging in some locations, although worth every effort.”