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Alumnae News
Dear Alumnae and Sacred Heart Community,
This will be my last letter as your president and I would like to thank the inspiring Alumnae Board and Young Alumnae Council members for their leadership and creativity over the last three years. Together, we would like to once again thank our incredible and resilient alumnae community. This fall, we were able to celebrate in person after much time apart and continue to connect both in person and virtually with each other and the students at our alma mater.
Through celebrating together at Homecoming & Reunion, participating in book club discussions with students, serving our community, raising money for financial aid, coordinating Christmas cheer for our children, and reuniting on the fields and courts, the alumnae community has proven once again that the values instilled at Sacred Heart truly do last a lifetime.
I hope you enjoy the alumnae stories in this issue of Horizons. I encourage you to read the monthly issues of Alumnae Au Courant that are shared over email and reach out to me directly if you’re interested in getting more involved with the alumnae community.
With Heart,
Margot Kearney Navins ’02 President, Greenwich-Maplehurst Alumnae Association alumnae@cshct.org
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, October 15
2021–2022
Greenwich-Maplehurst Alumnae Association Board Members
Executive Committee
Margot Kearney Navins ’02, President Margot Dolce Sturz ’99, Vice-President Elise Byrnes ’06, Treasurer Jane Chapman Lodge ’04, Secretary Megan Cincotta ’11, Nominating Chair Alessandra Badioli ’11, Young Alumnae Council
Board Members
Kristina Benza ’07 Caitlyn Harrington Bertoncin ’03 Michelle Vittoria Gelinas Buford ’88, P’27 Alice Burlinson ’73 Meghan McGuinn Chew ’05 Kristin Carey Connors ’09 Jenna Hascher ’13 Shannon Cooney Johnston ’88 Gabrielle Kelleher ’96 (91st Street), P’28 Mary Lou Curran Kingsbery ’75 Alessandra Knight ’09 Debbie Busby Kunces ’73 Alexandra Lewis ’01 Claire Lorentzen ’06 Margot McCloskey ’14 Anne Gorman Randell ’86 Mary Kate Rosato ’98 Cathleen Sullivan Stack ’74 Andréa Stanford ’07
2021–2022
Young Alumnae Council
Alessandra Badioli ’11 * Francesca Libassi ’12 Alli Sciarretta ’12 Jenna Hascher ’13 * Emma Molloy ’13 Meggie Purcell ’13 Catherine Cunningham ’14 Margot McCloskey ’14* Claire O’Neill ’15 Grace Campbell ’16 Lizzie Considine ’16 Juliette Guice ’17 Helen Rail ’17 Abigail Shea ’17 Katie McCabe ’18 Nathalie Perreault ’18 Kate Ruberti ’18 Daisy Steinthal ’19 Meredith Wilson ’19 Kara Hodge ’20 Nicole Mellert ’20 Delaney Coleman ’21 Annabelle Hartch ’21 Lauren Mirando ’21 Micaela Rivera ’21
*Alumnae Board liaisons
Class of 1970 The Class of 2014 was honored with the Young Alumnae Spirit Award. Catherine Cunningham ’14 and Margot McCloskey ’14 accepted on behalf of their classmates.
Katherine Colihan Scott ’06 and Ellyn Stewart, director of Media Studies, Design & Innovation
Class of 1971 50th Reunion
Mary Bohan ’06, Joyce Khandji ’06, Katherine Colihan Scott ’06,
and Elise Byrnes ’06
Class of 2001
Members of the class of 2011
Class of 1976
Mary Frisbee MacDonald ’01, Laura Antonacci ’01, Jane Chapman Lodge ’04,
and Colby Gargano Summers ’01 Outstanding Alumna Award winner Cathy Finnegan Nix ’71, P’97, ’06 with Peter Nix, Nora Finnegan Dolce ’70, P’99, ’05 and Don Dolce
PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE:
Q+A with 2022 Commencement Speaker Emily Leitner ’08
We are thrilled to welcome back Emily Leitner, Class of 2008, to Sacred Heart Greenwich to deliver the Commencement Address during the Class of 2022 graduation on June 3. The Leitners are a Sacred Heart Greenwich family, with older sister Sarah graduating in 2007 and younger sister Maureen graduating in 2016. Emily was involved in a number of sports and activities while at Sacred Heart Greenwich before committing to the University of Pennsylvania to play lacrosse.
As a producer at NFL Films, Emily edits, writes, and directs various shows and specials, most recently working on the 2021 Hard Knocks In Season: Indianapolis Colts. Emily, along with the rest of her team, has won three Emmy Awards for her work on Hard Knocks and Game Day All Access. Her work has aired on HBO, YouTube, Showtime, Amazon, ESPN+, and the NFL Network. We caught up with Emily virtually to learn more about her path from Sacred Heart Greenwich to NFL Films and the many triumphs and tribulations along the way.
In what way did Sacred Heart impact your college experience?
The two Goals and Criteria that I felt most connected to while at Sacred Heart were Goal II and Goal V: a deep respect for intellectual values and educating to personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. At Sacred Heart, I was inspired to learn anything and everything and I took that [approach] into my college experience. I didn’t declare a major until later in college so I could have the opportunity to take many different courses that sounded interesting to me. This gave me the freedom to figure out how I learn best and what I like to learn best, which I was able to do based on the passion for learning that Sacred Heart cultivates. anthropology and cinema course on a whim as a freshman that was about mythology in movies and I really liked it. When it came time to declare [my major], I thought about how I enjoyed taking cinema classes and decided I should major in Cinema Studies and see where it goes. During this time, my older sister had an internship in New York at the NFL league office, and during her internship took a tour of NFL Films and told me, “Emily, this is the job you need.” I applied during college for a summer internship [at NFL Films] but I didn’t get it. Then, the summer after I graduated I applied again for a fall internship and fortunately, I got that internship and everything went from there.
What was the process of taking your passions and combining them into a career? How did your Sacred Heart education motivate you to take risks in college and your career?
I knew that I always loved sports — I loved that I could play three year-round at Sacred Heart and then focus on one [lacrosse] once I got to college. Meanwhile, I took an Both Sacred Heart and Penn created an environment in which it was okay to take risks and let people try things even if they don’t work or go exactly as planned. From that, I learned that you can have the confidence to learn from those mistakes. It’s a very special experience to have at two schools and now in a career. [At my job], my first cut is never 100 percent correct, ever. Sometimes just getting something on the timeline so you have a starting point to work from is important, and I think there’s bravery in just starting and trying something out. Even if it doesn’t work out perfectly, it’s okay as long as you learn from it. How did your all-girls education at Sacred Heart prepare you for your career as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field?
The smaller class sizes and more intimate learning environment at Sacred Heart allowed me to be comfortable “being me” both in and out of the classroom. Taking that baseline confidence into college and then into my career has been so beneficial, as it’s allowed me to have trust in myself to follow my instincts and do things my way while simultaneously not losing the ability to collaborate and work well with others.
As an alumna, do you still have a core group of Sacred Heart friends with whom you stay in touch?
Yes! There’s a group of us who still see each other regularly and keep in touch. Most of them live in New York — we all met up a few weeks ago. I actually only played sports with one of them, but even though they weren’t my teammates they still remain my best friends.
How did Sacred Heart’s emphasis on service influence you in college and/or your career?
Sacred Heart’s emphasis on service to others taught me the importance of listening to and being aware of other people’s perspectives. It also grounded me by making me realize how lucky I’ve been, which has made me into a more empathetic person. This idea of serving others is something I will continue to learn about and work on in my career and life, but having that foundation through Sacred Heart has allowed me to take a step back and listen to other experiences and perspectives both in and out of the workplace, which in turn has allowed my personal perspective on both work and life to evolve.
Midshipman Athena Corroon ’19 speaks to students at Sacred Heart Greenwich
Dr. Elizabeth Kassapidis ’81
SALUTING
Our Service Alumnae
While Sacred Heart Greenwich students eventually have to move on from King Street, that doesn’t mean that becoming an alumnae means leaving our Goals and Criteria behind. These highlighted alumnae in particular chose school and career paths that expanded on the mission-based and service-oriented approach of a Sacred Heart education. The common thread? These women all serve our country — whether it be through attending the Naval Academy right out of high school, working as an army physician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, flying out of Andrews Airfield as a helicopter pilot for the Navy, and more.
Midshipman Athena Corroon ’19 is currently a student-athlete at the United States Naval Academy. The Naval Academy’s rigorous course load and regimented schedule are reminiscent of her time at Sacred Heart Greenwich, which helped make her transition into the Academy easier after being commissioned directly from high school.
Another major similarity between the Academy and Sacred Heart? “Sacred Heart is amazing — the hominess and everyone being so loving is very similar to how it is at the Naval Academy,” Midshipman Corroon explained. “There’s always someone looking out for you, so going from [Sacred Heart] to [the Naval Academy] was a great transition, and even though it was an adjustment at first, I’m super thankful to have come from here.”
Despite graduating a few decades earlier, Dr. Elizabeth Kassapidis ’81 echoed Midshipman Corroon’s sentiment about the welcoming nature of Sacred Heart and the sense of service instilled in her from a young age due to her Sacred Heart education, both of which ultimately led to her career as an army physician. Dr. Kassapidis chose to do her mandatory community service hours while at Sacred Heart as a candy striper at Greenwich Hospital, where she was able to move up the ranks from volunteering at the coffee shop to aiding nurses through hands-on work with patients.
“It may sound a little corny, but it is because of that experience and because of Sacred Heart instilling that community service in us that had me pursue a career as a doctor,” Dr. Kassapidis explained.
“So I was 16 years old and I knew at that point that that’s what I wanted to do.”
Dr. Kassapidis got her undergraduate degree with a major in biology and a minor in English literature and voice studies at Manhattanville College. After a few years and other experiences, she eventually went to medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine on an academic army scholarship. After completing her residency on the civilian side, Dr. Kassapidis served active duty as a military physician.
She was stationed at Dewitt Army Hospital, which was part of Walter Reed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, as well as Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to 101st Airborne Division as their emergency medicine physician in their mobile hospital. After her active duty was over, Dr. Kassapidis enjoyed a robust emergency medicine career and is currently an attending ER physician through the Yale-New Haven Health System.
Lieutenant Commander Katie McGurty Hutter ’01 credits Sacred Heart with two major things: character development and time management, both of which served her well as a ROTC student at the University of Notre Dame and currently as a Navy helicopter pilot with plans to begin flying out of Andrews Airfield in the spring.
“The biggest thing that I will forever be grateful to Sacred Heart for is the character development I experienced during my time there,” LCDR Hutter said. “I credit the exceptional teachers that I had who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself at the time. I’m extremely grateful for gaining my own self-confidence and seeing hard work pay off and teaching me what leadership is by treating everyone with dignity and respect.
“My family set the foundation of the tradition and importance of military service, but the call to service that is embedded in a Sacred Heart education in the Goals and Criteria certainly helped cement that this was my calling,” she added.
While Ensign Chrissy McCabe ’12 had a more circuitous route to joining the United States Navy, she also found inspiration in Sacred Heart’s Goals and Criteria. After studying geology both stateside and internationally, Ensign McCabe volunteered as a math and science teacher at Yap Catholic High School in the Federated States of Micronesia. It was here that she became acquainted with a group of Marines; after talking with them, her lifelong interest in the military was piqued and she returned to the United States to complete officer candidate school and get commissioned as an officer in the Navy.
“Sacred Heart instilled a sense of needing to serve others,” Ensign McCabe explained. “For all of my research I was doing as a geologist, I found it interesting but I never found it fulfilling. I felt so filled by the act of service that I realized the path I chose academically was not the path that I wanted to follow in life. So I kept being drawn back to the idea of serving others.”
Her advice to current Sacred Heart students looking to continue serviceoriented work in the future? “Sometimes it doesn’t seem that glamorous — there’s a lot of the day-to-day grind which doesn’t necessarily amount to much in financial terms,” Ensign McCabe said. “But the sense of fulfillment it gives you can far outweigh the financial gains.”
Lieutenant Commander Katie McGurty Hutter ’01
Ensign Chrissy McCabe ’12
To all of our alumnae serving — we salute you!
SACRED HEARTgatherings
Career Morning
On October 1, alumnae
Tara Hammonds ’14,
Shelby Holland ’14, and Jennifer Esposito ’15 joined Upper School students at career morning by participating in conversation filled with advice, stories, and question and answer sessions. 1. Jennifer Esposito ’15, mechanical designer for
Water Technology Inc., joined from Madison, Wisconsin. 2. Shelby Holland ’14, content strategy and analysis associate on Netflix’s Original
Independent Film Team, speaks with Upper School students. 3. Tara Hammonds ’14, an international development professional, joined from
Gaza where she is currently working with Catholic
Relief Services.
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Alumnae Care Packages
Parents of CollegeAge Alumnae Care Package Stuffing party in October.
Sports Reunions
(below) Alumnae (and some parents of alumnae, too!) returned to the volleyball court on November 27. (right) Alumnae with current players and coaches.
Halloween Playdate
1. Alumnae gathered in the Barat Center and on our new playground for the annual Alumnae Halloween playdate! 2. Meghan Mara Ryan ’01, Katherine
Colihan Scott ’06, and their children. 3. Children of alumnae dressed up in Halloween costumes and decorated pumpkins. 4. Daughter of Vance Hynes Scott ’01 explores the Barat Center.
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Florida Receptions
1. On March 18 alumnae, parents, students and members of the Sacred Heart
Greenwich Community gathered at
The Beach Club in Palm Beach. 2. Michael Baber with Bill and Pat Phelan
P’94, ’95, GP’27,’27,’28 in Naples on
March 8. 3. Jackie Grose ’13 and Christie Huchro ’14 in Vero Beach on March 16. 4. Students at the Palm Beach reception on March 18. 5. On March 8, alumnae and members of the Sacred Heart Greenwich Community gathered in Naples at Club Pelican Bay, hosted by Barbara and Steve Sweeny P’97. 6. On March 16 alumnae and members of the Sacred Heart Greenwich Community gathered in Vero Beach co-hosted by
Janice Major Battle ’75 and Bea and
Frank Dinger P’88, ’89, ’93.
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Virtual Connections
VIRTUAL MAGICIAN
1. On February 2, alumnae and their family members of all ages joined virtually to participate in magic tricks with Johnny Wu! The night was filled with card games, tic-tac-toe, and more.
WOMEN’S HEALTH PANEL
2. Sacred Heart Greenwich welcomed alumnae Dr. Helen W. Boucher ’82,
Dr. Julen Harris ’04, and Dr. Nicole Seagriff ’03 with Dr. Sten Vermund to share their expertise in female and pediatric health with the community.
ALUMNAE ZOOM AROUND THE GALAXY
3. On March 8 alumnae and their family members of all ages Zoomed in to explore the Mother Aloysia Hardey, RSCJ Observatory and were given a live view of space.
YOUNG ALUMNAE TRIVIA NIGHT
4. On January 31, young alumnae were joined by surprise guest,
Upper School Dean of Students Karen Panarella, for a fun night of
Sacred Heart trivia. Congratulations to our winner, Lauren Mirando ’21!
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A Tribute to Pamela Juan Hayes ’64
BY MANDY DAWSON MURPHY ’85, P’17, ’23
Mandy Dawson Murphy’s roots at Sacred Heart Greenwich run deep. A alumna herself, Mandy is also the mother of Marion Murphy ’17 and Robin Murphy ’23. In the past, Mandy has served as both president of the Alumnae Board and a member of the Board of Trustees. In her many roles within the school community, Mandy was fortunate to enjoy a long relationship with Pamela Juan Hayes ’64. We are grateful that when asked, Mandy kindly agreed to write this heartfelt tribute. Our sincere thanks to Mandy for honoring our beloved Pam.
There are so many of us, across many years and Sacred Heart schools, who are blessed with personal memories of Pam and reasons to thank God for her life, leadership, and friendship. It is hard to find the best words to express that gratitude. There is no one account that could be complete. So I will highlight the three most important things I know about my friend, my teacher, and my fellow alumna. I can think of no better assistance in this than calling on the words of our own Sacred Heart Foundresses, which have been a source of help and inspiration very often for so many of us.
1. “Go on advancing, you are on the true road…remember God has placed you there…may nothing in the world be able to dishearten you. Give others your joy and the gifts you have received, give as a gift.”
—ST. MADELEINE SOPHIE BARAT
First and foremost, Pam was all about the girls — or as she often said, her girls. Pam was herself a Sacred Heart “lifer,” hence it is fitting that Pam’s ultimate post as a Sacred Heart educator was to return home to be the first lay Head of Sacred Heart Greenwich. She was perfectly placed to shepherd the School at a crucial time in leadership, transition, and transformation. Her life was dedicated to trying each day to make the most and the best for her girls — never about getting for herself — all about giving to her girls. 2. “We cultivate a very small field for Christ, but we love it, knowing that God does not require great achievements but a heart that holds nothing back.”
—ST. PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE
Second, Pam found energy and inspiration in the students. There was nothing she enjoyed more than seeing their joy, their commitment, their efforts. It gave her strength and encouragement to rededicate her own devotion to the Mission. Two memories come to mind. The first was Pam’s love of the Barat Center Christmas Pageant. She adored seeing all our youngest students, dressed as sheep, shepherds, angels, the Magi, and, of course, Mary and Joseph with the baby doll Jesus. She loved the children’s excitement, their poise, and the care and hard work they would put into their performance — which was always executed flawlessly. Pam once told me that Christmas only really began for her when she saw that play. A happy event ushering in the happiest of seasons.
My second memory: the day Sacred Heart won the FAA Field Hockey Championship for the first time in a long while. We were at
a rival school and there had been so many years that the outcome was presumed to be in their favor, not ours. Pam understood that for our community this was more than just getting a win. This was about drive, pride, and a capacity for excellence. Pam understood that the girls were hungry for and capable of the ultimate success. She read their energy and fed off their determination. Years earlier, she had committed to build a field hockey program that could not only win the day but, just as importantly, serve as a standard for all students of courage, confidence, and an expectation of achievement. I was with her that day when we won the first big title in many a season — on the competition’s turf. It was very special to watch all the members of our community who had come out to cheer and to witness this event gleefully rush the field to be part of the moment together. It was just as wonderful to see how their energetic joy was reflected in the delight on Pam’s face and in her lively, smiling eyes. 3. “All systems converge to this — to give personal worth to each child, worth of character, strength of principles, and anchorage in faith. Those that educate the students to something higher…must believe in the possibility of every mind and character to be lifted up to something better than it has already attained; they must themselves be striving for some higher excellence and must believe and care deeply for the things they teach.”
—JANET ERSKINE STUART, RSCJ
Third, Pam’s combination of a deep personal faith and her faith in others made her a uniquely uplifting spirit. Pam’s warmth and empathy mixed with a foundational strength enabled her to graciously meet many challenges confronting a Head of School while also realizing many wonderful possibilities for Sacred Heart’s students. As a Trustee serving with her for eight years, I saw firsthand the multiple times she would guide us through complex situations to the best outcome. Because of her commitment to the Sacred Heart mission and the spiritual development of the students, there are countless things she made possible, known and unknown, to make Sacred Heart a better and stronger community — to help us rise. Pam’s true calling and desire were to give to Sacred Heart all she felt she had received from it. Success for Sacred Heart and the girls in her care was her passion and her legacy.
And on that point, I will end with a memory that I will always hold on to. On a beautiful day last fall in the late afternoon, a fellow alumna and I were sitting at one of the picnic tables by the fields catching up on life. We began to talk about Pam, how her retirement was going, how we heard she was having a nice time in Florida, and how we hoped to see her at one of the alumnae receptions in the spring. The starlings were dashing and swooping against a blue sky that was turning a golden pink. A pretty day was becoming a lovely evening. We started to head back up the hill. We walked up the new path of steps that Pam so thoughtfully planned with the alumna benefactrix who was inspired to give them. As we made our way, the starlings were flying all around us — rising, soaring, leading the way as we began to ascend. The setting was exquisite, inspiring, and peaceful. As my friend and I discussed just a short while later, when she called to give me the sad, startling news of Pam’s death, it was around the very time that we were climbing up the hill that Pam was making her own ascent into Heaven. It is, I think, no accident. Once again, Pam’s guiding spirit was surrounding Sacred Heart and uplifting those in her presence.
How I shall always miss my friend and keep her memory and beautiful, bright spirit close to my heart. Requiesce in pace, dear Pam.
