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Welcome Administration
D R . T R AC Y B O N DAY Head of High School
Dr. Tracy Bonday joined the Ursuline family as Head of High School in the 2019-2020 academic year. She transitioned from Des Moines, Iowa, where she served as the Superintendent for the Diocese of Des Moines. She has two daughters: Cassie, a teacher in Virginia, and Gabi, an Ensign serving on the USS Chafee, and a dog named Reagan. Dr. Bonday holds a Bachelor in Business Administration, a Juris Doctor, Master of Science in Educational Administration, and has completed specialist coursework leading to Superintendent's licensure. She has served in Catholic schools in many capacities. Previously serving in roles from teacher to Chief School Administrator and Director of Development, to name a few, she has a deep understanding of the business, operational, and instructional aspects of Catholic education. In sharing her philosophy of Catholic education, she feels strongly that "each student must be a person whose intellectual growth is balanced with spiritual, emotional, and social growth. Teachers must accompany each individual child to assure that each child achieves his or her God-given talents. The balance of faith, culture, and life within our school buildings requires staff who are willing to model their faith and teach the message of social justice found in the gospels."
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SUZANNE DORSEY HEIDEL ’85 High School Dean of Students
Suzanne Dorsey Heidel ’85 returned to Ursuline Academy following 17 years of service at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans. She now serves as the Ursuline High School Dean of Students. Sue has teaching and administrative experience and served as Community Outreach Coordinator, Service Learning Coordinator, and Religion Department Chair. She has led visits and served on several AdvancED accreditation teams. Sue earned a B.A. in English Literature from Louisiana State University and a Master of Theology from Notre Dame Seminary. She has training in Design Thinking for educators and innovation in schools, completing training with 4.0 Schools, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and Leadership & Design of California. Sue and her husband David have three daughters and live in River Ridge. When asked to describe Ursuline, Sue stated: “There is no Ursuline Academy without St. Angela and her companions or the twelve women who traveled to New Orleans in 1727. Fearless women know that you can not manage the demands and concerns of daily life or realize a great enterprise alone. I cannot imagine traveling overseas the way they did, but maybe I could have done it with a few of my best friends! I believe there is not a more powerful force than a band of women joined in common purpose and virtue.”
Living the Gospel through Service Immersion
In June 2019, eight students and two high school administrators were chosen to participate in an academy service immersion mission trip to Bethlehem Farm in Alderson, West Virginia. While there, they learned the importance of sustainable living through small daily actions. They served the community, as well as each other, through living selflessly and working together to broaden their perspectives, while educating each other and the Ursuline community. During this week of service, they promised to live out the four Gospel Cornerstones of service, prayer, community, and simplicity. Throughout the week, they recorded their experiences in journals. Here are some of their memories: Service
“Next, we went to our work sites for the day. My group went to Farmer Rhonda’s. She is amazing and so determined, even in her times of defeat. I had a hard day of shoveling horse poop but it was so worth it when I saw Farmer Rhonda’s face after I told her I was finished. She was so grateful for my hard work. Her appreciation made the job not so bad after all” - Sophie Shields “I truly learned the meaning of service today while working on the farm. Today, I mowed the grass, picked berries in the garden, and worked on building the house. It is not only about doing the deeds themselves, but how they affect others and their meaning of life. Service to me is more impactful toward the person doing it, not the person receiving it. Serving others allows one to realize their self worth. Just being able to see how happy and grateful they were is incredible.” - Camille Black
Prayer
“Today after dinner, we headed over to Clayton Baptist to experience what their Church services are like. I really took in the nature that surrounded us on the walk over. The service we attended tonight was more of a Bible study. The priest read a story and then broke it down and explained it. We also sang a few songs that were different to us, but it was cool getting to experience a different type of religion and worship.” - Taylor Sontag “Woke up. Slept great! We started the day with prayer about local environmental problems like pipelines and mountain top extraction. It’s crazy how negatively this affects the community. Colleen said that one of Miriam’s classmates lives 100 feet from a gas pipeline. I saw the house. It is unbelievable what people must live through so we can have natural gas. Prayer like this is amazing. I never thought prayer could be centered around discussion of current events. I really enjoyed this topic.” - Riley Talbot
“After two days on the road, we made it to the farm! As we got out of the car, we were greeted with hugs from the summer servants, and they were saying “Welcome Home!” This made me so excited for the week to come and I felt so loved by all these people I didn’t even know yet.” - Olivia Elam “We returned back to the farm and had downtime. During this time, I got to meet Eric and Colleen's kids: Miriam, Isiah, and Claire. These kids amaze me. They are so well spoken and understanding of the constant newcomers. Claire, who is two, can speak perfectly. Miriam, who is eight, invited me (not everyone was invited) into her newly built tree house (platform). We talked, sat in sap, and ate popcorn.” - Haley Tingler
“I took my bucket shower today. I was worried that a five gallon bucket wouldn’t be enough, but with a little extra help from the rain it was the perfect day to take a shower. It’s crazy to me how a simple bucket of water could make up my whole shower and then some, but it really opened my eyes to how much water I wasted and how much I don’t need to use at home, to get a good shower.” - Isabelle Giangrosso “The authentic beauty here is something I have never seen or experienced before. It’s in the people, the farm, and nature itself. Without distractions, I am able to see organic contentment in myself and the people around me.” - Ally Veron
At this age of my life, I wasn't sure that I could have this profound of an experience. I did. I am way more aware of environmental injustices in the way that we unconsciously waste on a daily basis. I am contemplating going back to the farm as a Summer Servant for a couple of weeks. - Beth Joubert I feel challenged to use less water, compost and recycle at home, start a backyard garden, perform chores when I wake up each day, avoid food waste, embrace the joy of physical labor, cook with quality ingredients, use less energy, and to become educated about environmental injustices that exist in our beautiful country. But perhaps the greatest impact was the deep pride I felt for our Catholic Church. The
Catholic community on the farm reminded us of the importance of personal and communal prayer. - Sue Heidel
Of the many values these Ursuline girls lived while on the farm, the one they felt most compelled to bring back to the Ursuline community was sustainability. Upon their return, they created four “Scrapin’ Stations.” Each station has six bins and each bin collects specific items: food waste, trash, cups, bowls, plates, and utensils. The separation of these items spreads awareness of and lessens the waste created. In turn, it greatly assists the dining hall staff.
Cross-Curricular Learning | Cross-curricular teaching purposefully applies multiple academic disciplines simultaneously. This effective way of teaching gives real-world meaning to assignments, encouraging students to engage and learn. Cross-curricular teaching gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge – seeing the value in learning. Our elementary Ursuline girls have had wonderful cross-curricular learning opportunities so far this school year!
Red, White, Blue & YOU! By: Jenna Notarianni, 1st Grade Teacher
Our first grade leaders put the UA in USA! They began learning about citizenship in their cross-curricular course, which integrates art and technology into the classroom. In these classes, they discovered what it means to live in a community, as well as how to be great citizens in their smaller community of Ursuline. Within these classes, they used different mediums in art to create campaign posters, and were able to write speeches in tech using their iPads and Google Docs. These confident Ursuline girls delivered their speeches to a large audience that included family members and Ursuline staff. The candidates took stances on everything from new playground equipment, days off for teachers, being kind to others, and even saving the sea creatures! The greatest skill that was unexpectedly learned was finding their voices to support causes they believed in!
Georgia O'Keeffe and New Orleans Botanical Gardens By: Meghann Harney Rooney ’06, Elementary Art Teacher
Our 6th graders learned about master artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Inspired by her large floral paintings, students created their own masterpieces with watercolors and photography. As part of a cross-curricular project, the students wrote poetry in their English class that reflects the mood of their artwork. The students learned unique photography perspectives in technology before taking a field trip to the Botanical Gardens in City Park. They took pictures of nature and used their photography for their poetry. They created abstract watercolors as the background of their entire project.
Cross-curricular teaching purposefully applies multiple academic disciplines simultaneously. This effective way of teaching gives real-world meaning to assignments, encouraging students to engage and learn. Cross-curricular teaching gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge – seeing the value in learning. Our elementary Ursuline girls have had wonderful cross-curricular learning opportunities so far this school year!
2nd Grade Ursuline Timeline By: Emily Pastorek, Elementary Tech Teacher
During the first semester of the school year, the second grade students studied timelines in their social studies curriculum. As part of a cross-curricular project between social studies, art, music, and technology subject areas, the students toured The Old Ursuline Convent and researched the important historical milestones in Ursuline’s history. Each girl was in charge of making a document of a special event in Ursuline’s history –illustrating a depiction of the historical event along with an informational caption. The individual documents were brought together in chronological order and designed into an acrylic masterpiece located on the second floor of the main building to be shared with the Ursuline community. The second grade students were taught the "Hymn to Our Lady of Prompt Succor" in music class.
Charlotte's Web and Sugar Roots Farm By: Alicia Brannan and Gwen Pitre, 3rd Grade Teachers Third grade participated in a novel study of the beloved children’s book Charlotte’s Web. They began with an author study of E.B. White and then moved into observations and investigations of the story elements including character development, theme, setting, and plot. During the novel study, they completed various writing activities to show their comprehension of the story, studied different spider species in science, and designed spider webs using adjectives to describe story events. Integrated with the novel study was a technology unit, in which students learned to safely and critically conduct internet research. Students chose a farm animal, researched that animal’s role and use on a farm, and shared their knowledge through a Google Slide presentation. As a conclusion, they traveled to Sugar Roots Farm. There, students experienced a working, educational farm and spent time learning more about farm animals. Third grade teachers worked in conjunction with the art and technology teachers to guide students through a final, comprehensive project: a “web” with photographs taken on the farm.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2019-2024 RAISE HER UP - EMPOWERING TRAILBLAZERS
Institutional Stewardship Operational Vitality
• Transform main building to support 21st century project-based learning
• Ensure endowment growth for future sustainability
• Advance educational excellence through viable financial strength and fiscal responsibility
• Support optimal size and structure of the Academy
• Support maintenance and beautification of historic campus • Recruit mission-appropriate student population through visionary admission plan
• Provide robust financial assistance to support mission-appropriate student body
• Engage community partners to support Ursuline’s curricula, programs, and experiences
• Review and enhance educational strategies, curricula, and differentiation of instruction to increase student achievement
Educational Innovation
St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Order of St. Ursula, teaches us that “if, according to times and circumstances, the need arises to make new rules or do something differently, do it prudently and with good advice.” As Ursuline Academy of New Orleans prepares to celebrate her 300th birthday, we believe that now is the time to “do something differently.” While the traditions and values of an Ursuline education are timeless, the ways in which students learn are ever-changing. We believe now, more than ever, is the perfect time to heed St. Angela’s words and make plans to address the changing times
Steeped in a historic mission, Ursuline Academy of New Orleans moves forward with the strategy of a Catholic independent school, educating girls for the challenges of the future. This vision, created by the Academy’s Board of Trustees, requires strong programs in STEM and Arts, external and internal experiences, and an increase in personnel for an innovative learning environment. This vision will place emphasis on empowering and challenging girls to live out Serviam in careers, decisions, and faith.
Educational Innovation Leadership Development Global Citizenship
Integrate STEM and Arts as equal partners with progressive • Increase funds for faculty and administration professional development
Develop and implement programs that promote critical and creative thinking throughout all grade levels • Attract and retain mission-driven faculty and staff
• Review and enhance faculty and staff compensation
• Form a mission integration divisional team to support the integration of the mission into multiple subjects
• Design and implement an Academy student leadership program • Develop programs that instill a global view; celebrate and serve others from different backgrounds
• Continue to improve our Beyond Our Borders program, inserting leadership into global experiences
• Share and celebrate other cultures within our internal community
• Ensure students understand peace and social justice issues within our global society
• Instill a sense of responsibility as an active citizen
and circumstances. To succeed in tomorrow’s world, we believe girls must learn to think creatively, articulate their ideas confidently and compassionately, and solve problems collaboratively. Through highly interactive experiences powered by STEM and Arts - and a nurturing community diverse by design - we develop tomorrow’s brightest independent thinkers, innovators, and community builders. Our girls will be ready.
