2010s: A New Home for Sports and Technology

A New Home for Sports and Technology

Maggie Chipman ’17

The 2010s ushered in intensive and intentional change at Ursuline Academy at both the physical and institutional level. The academic year 2009–2010 was no exception. Under the leadership of President Rosann Whiting and with the appointment of Ursuline’s first lay principal, Mary Jo Gorman Keaney ’82, Ursuline Academy continued to evolve to meet the times.

With Transitions in Leadership, Core Values Remained Unchanged

Ms. Keaney’s experience as an Ursuline alumna helped inform her work for six years as Ursuline’s principal, maintaining the school’s mission while helping to prepare our students for the new century. Meanwhile, other significant transitions took place; most notably, the remaining Sisters residing in the convent transitioned to other Ursuline retirement communities in Maine in 2014. After 33 years, Campus Minister Marge Costa stepped down from her role, which was filled by Mary-Kate Tracy ’94, who later became Ursuline’s Director of Mission and DEI. Serviam in the 2010s blended traditions new and old, such as

Groundbreaking for the Reynolds Family Athletic & Convocation Center

HELLO?: The landline phone is removed from the foyer. TECH: The tech game-changer iPad debuts on April 3, 2010. MUSIC: In 2012, “Gangnam Style” is the first video in YouTube’s history to reach one billion views.

2010

In January, Haiti experiences a massive earthquake. Alumna Keziah Furth ’03 is there to help provide medical support. Model UN is established to provide an outlet for open debate and discussion around politics. The locker room is remodeled for upperclassmen to include a student space with couches and a television.

2011

Robots in Plaid becomes a major club. This was preceded by the Robotics Club. The 10-year manhunt for al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden ends in May when he is killed by a group of US Navy SEALs.

2012

Marge Costa steps down as full-time campus minister after 33 years, replaced by Mary-Kate Tracy ’94.

hosting the annual Mission Day, participating in Boston’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at the Hatch Shell, embarking on spring break service trips to Camden, New Jersey, and the ongoing efforts of the SOS club. With mission in mind, Ursuline continued to adapt its administrative structure, academic offerings, and physical campus to offer the strongest educational experience for its students. Many positive programmatic changes can be attributed to beloved Vice Principal Dr. Catherine Muldoon (2012-2017) and President Rosann Whiting (2007-2018). Continuous improvement became a constant refrain for each administrator of the school, and continued with the return of current Head of School Kate Levesque ’77 in 2018.

Physical Upgrades

While the completion of the Science Wing provided much needed lab space, Ursuline was still outgrowing its original school building. In 2010, the student locker room was remodeled into a “Senior Lounge,” complete with a couch and television; lockers now lined the hallways. The year 2011 saw the Bear Cave (site of the former kindergarten) converted to a fitness space (and occasional Latin classroom!). The Tea Room also received an update during this decade, with new furniture and a fresh coat of white paint for its iconic beadboard columns. In 2015, the carriage house of the former Convent was renovated to include classroom space, later transitioning into its current role as the Music Department and Admissions building. That same year saw the groundbreaking for the Reynolds Family Athletic & Convocation Center, Ursuline’s most ambitious capital project in recent years. This 40,000 square foot facility replaced the Bear Cave, and houses a gym, technology and innovation lab, three classrooms, fitness center, track, locker facilities, student lounge, and the Alumnae Room, a meeting and event space. The Class of 2017 took a tour of the Center while under construction, where each student was invited to sign a beam of the building before it was completed. The Reynolds Center opened in September, 2017, and continues to positively impact the life of the school each day. Finally, at the end of the decade, the original gymnasium, with new flooring, sound system, acoustical panels, and projection system was transformed into Angela Hall, an arts and events space that has proven essential. As Ursuline’s programs in academics, arts, athletics, and faith formation have evolved with each decade, so too, have its physical spaces.

Art

The year 2011 ushered in multiple offerings for the fine and performing arts, including Chamber Ensemble, student-led worship band Psalm 98, Lowder News, and the very first Festival of the Arts, where student groups such as Liturgical Dance, Choral Group, and Glee Club performed, and student artwork was showcased. The next year saw the creation of the Bearitones, a student-run a cappella group, and the expansion of the theatrical season to include a fall play, a winter Shakespeare performance, and the spring musical. (One particular winter show, The Comedy of Errors, was an experimental production held in the Tea Room.) In academic year 2014–2015, the Speech Team’s increasing success paid off as Ursuline claimed its first individual state championship and three team members competed at the grand national tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With such interest and success in artistic extracurriculars, the school saw the opportunity to expand its academic offerings. Visual Art and Design (I–II), Music Theory, and Musical Theater, Production and Performance

TECHNOLOGY: iPads replace books and by 2014 all classrooms are equipped with SmartBoards.

2013

Bearitones, a student-run a capella group is established. Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and that country’s first black head of state, passes away in December.

2014

Dedication of the newly renovated carriage house, which provides more classroom space, takes place in fall 2014.

were introduced over the latter half of the decade. Fine Arts Department Chairperson Susan Glancy was instrumental in the transformation of the arts from extracurriculars to an important facet of Ursuline’s holistic education. Avery Ambrefe ’18, a former member of Liturgical Dance and Serviam Award recipient who now dances professionally, recently noted:

“Having time in the day to hone my craft at UA was such a gift and allowed me to actively pursue my passion. I’d also note how thankful I am for many of my teachers over the years who came to support me at dance competitions and recitals! That encouragement was so valuable and pushed me to make the move to NYC after graduation.”

Technology offerings grew at a similar speed, in big ways and small. This decade saw the landline telephone removed from the main foyer and SmartBoards placed in every classroom. In 2014, textbooks were supplemented by e-books, apps such as Notability competed with pen and paper, and an iPad was required for each student.The Robots in Plaid team competed in the First Tech Challenge, a mid-level robotics competition to help high school students discover the benefits of technology, science, and engineering, and soon after the club was offered to seventh- and eighth-graders. The team’s moderators offered a summer engineering camp in 2012, and in the spring of 2014, Ursuline hosted a FIRST Robotics Competition. As the decade reached its second half, computer science and other programming courses were introduced, and in 2017 the I.D.E.A. Hub, housed in the Reynolds Center, became a center for technology and innovation. The I.D.E.A. Hub introduces Ursuline students to new technologies such as 3D printing, virtual reality software, and laser cutters, and in turn, allows students to explore their own capabilities and interests in STEM fields. The 2010s were a transitional decade at Ursuline Academy, a bridge from the new millennium to the Academy we know today. New technology, more course offerings, and a larger campus changed the face of an Ursuline education, but the heart and adherence to mission remained the same. This spirit could be seen in the annual Christmas talent show and Big Sister/Little Sister parade, one student’s friendly challenge to Dr. Muldoon that black Crocs fell within dress code, and gym class Reindeer Games. It lay in the single pink rose that the class of 2017 placed in their graduation bouquets in honor of Taylor Manning, a classmate who passed away during their 7th grade year. It was in the transition from white tights to black tights on Mass days, in the refrains of “Flying Free,” in the sisterhood found within those two hallways (and then a few more hallways, too). With more resources at her fingertips, an Ursuline student had the opportunity to become more – in the classroom, on the field, and in her emerging adulthood – while remaining rooted in the heart of this special community.

The signed beam prepared for installation in the Reynolds Center.

ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE: In 2014, $115 million was raised for ALS awareness and research.

2016

In May, Ursuline breaks ground for the 40,000-square-foot Reynolds Athletic and Convocation Center. The world strikes a deal on climate change with the Paris Agreement.

2016–2017

Computer programming courses are added. Arts education program expands to include Visual Art 1 and 2, and Music Theory and Music Production.

2017

The Reynolds Center opens in the spot once occupied by the building that served as the Kindergarten, Development Office, Art Building, and Bear Cave.

Reynolds Center Dedication:

September 23, 2017

The opening of The Reynolds Center in September of 2017 expanded the Ursuline campus by 40,000 square feet, adding building space, an expansive gym, three classrooms, an I.D.E.A. Hub, and more. When students began to walk the halls, raise their hands in the classrooms, and run on the track, they brought this new campus gem to life and made it their home. Students and faculty have said many times that Ursuline Academy “feels like a true campus now.” With students moving from building to building throughout the day, they have an increased sense of independence.

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1. Mass was held in the Convent garden to celebrate the dedication of the Reynolds Center. 2. President Rosann Whiting looks on as Pat Leary Dowling ’52, Meg Reynolds ’82 and Eileen Ahearn Connors ’62 cut the ribbon.

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1. Dedication of the carriage house following its conversion to classroom space in 2014. 2. Norm Fournier speaks at the tree topping ceremony and placement of the signed beam of The Reynolds Center. 3. It is rocket science, after all. Students take advantage of technical innovations. 4. Gathering in the Tea Room. 5. Class of 2011 at their Junior Retreat.

LEAVING THE SPACE STATION: Two American women, Jessica Meir and Christina Koch, complete the first all-female spacewalk in October of 2019.

2018

Transition of President from Rosann Whiting to Kate Levesque ’77.

2019

The former gym becomes Angela Hall to showcase new performances.

2020

COVID-19 pandemic reaches the shores of the U.S. and by March we are in “lockdown.” Ursuline swiftly pivots to online classrooms.