Dalhousie Atlantic High School Tournament

I am very pleased to report on the success of our debating teams at the Dalhousie Atlantic High School tournament this weekend.

The Sacred Heart team of Sabrina Secord and Anya Friesen won the final round with a unanimous decision over a Halifax West team.  In addition, Sabrina was 1st overall and Anya tied for 2nd place (although she placed fourth when the tie was broken).  Alexander Sapp  tied for 6th.

This marks only the 3rd time we have won the Atlantic Championship in the 11 years we have entered.  It is all the more remarkable because Anya is a grade 9 student. 

In the junior high category, the Sacred Heart team of Catherine Burke and Maria Samman placed second, losing a close decision to a team from Halifax Grammar School.  Individually, Caraid McGinty placed 1st in the junior high category and Catherine Burke placed 2nd (tying Caraid, but behind her on standard deviation).  Close behind, Keegan Martin was 5th,  Aristides Milios  was 7th, and Maria Samman placed 10th.

Two of our junior boys, Andy Samman and Robert Sapp were obliged to compete in the senior category to make the numbers work, where they performed very well indeed against much older students.

In total, sixty-two debaters from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick took part, twenty of them from Sacred Heart and Fountain Academy.  Congratulations to them all. 

Brian Casey
Coach

Friday, February 1st is "Bring A Friend to School" Day at Sacred Heart

Friday, February 1st is "Bring A Friend Day" at Sacred Heart.  If you have a friend who wants to experience Sacred Heart School for the day, please get in touch with Robyn Erickson, Admissions Director, at 422-4459 or rerickson@shsh.ca

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award & Debating News

We are pleased to say that Gillian Crosby, Grade 12, has received the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. This is the fourth student we have had achieve the award in the school's history - all in the last two years! Congratulations, Gillian!

 

The tryouts for the Nova Scotia debaters to attend the Team Canada selection took place this weekend. We are pleased to report that Mattea Roach was selected to represent Nova Scotia at the try outs in Calgary in April. Way to go, Mattea!

 

 

ACIS Basketball Tournament hosted by Sacred Heart Jan. 18-19

Sacred Heart School hosted the senior high boys and girls divisions of the annual Atlantic Conference of Independent Schools (ACIS) Basketball Tournament this past weekend.  Armbrae Academy was host to the junior girls and Halifax Grammar host to the junior boys. Participating schools included Rothesay Netherwood School, Kings-Edgehill School, Shambhala, Armbrae Academy, Halifax Grammar and Sacred Heart.  It was a busy weekend with 40 games on schedule. As always, when the Independent Schools get together for competition there is lots to cheer about.

Information Session Preschool to 12 Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Information Session for Preschool to Grade 12 on January 24, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart.  Please join us for this session for prospective parents and students.  All are welcome.

Headmistress Letter, Jan. 17, 2013

Dear Families and Colleagues,

Do you know the saying: Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it make you soft?  I lived in NYC from 1989-92, and in SF from 1996-2012. I went soft. Around 6pm yesterday, I couldn't imagine we would have school today. Now, it is gorgeous - looks like Vail, Colorado. This softie is lucky (and grateful) to live on campus!

Two weeks ago, we returned from Christmas Break and we have had a breathless stretch of activity. Rory Flynn and Mattea Roach went to Queens University for the National Tournament to compete against 216 other outstanding debaters. Our Grade 9 team overpowered the Grade 12 team from Upper Canada College for the Top Place in both Junior and Senior divisions. They qualified to compete at the International Level in Cambridge, England in May! Individually, Rory is #1 in both divisions, Mattea placed #5 for Seniors, and Rory is the Top Speaker.

I am grateful so many people were able to be here last week to celebrate Marilyn Hinch who served our Sacred Heart community for over 40 years. Last spring, while in San Francisco, I received word that Marilyn had suffered a heart attack. Like many of you, I hit my knees in prayer for her recovery. Late in the fall, Marilyn made the difficult decision to retire from her job as Receptionist. We were blessed to be able to celebrate Marilyn's service as well as her steady recovery. Presentations were made to her at the Elementary Epiphany Liturgy, and joining me to honour her at the Open House were Ms. Scott, Mr. Marchand, high school boys and girls, Alumnae/i Executive President and representative Nicole Ferguson and Meaghean Richardson, Angela Surrette spoke on behalf of the Board of Governors, Parents' Guild VP Jody MacDonald read a letter from President Mark James, and Sr. Sally Mahar, RSCJ, Headmistress in Marilyn's first year at SHSH, spoke from her heart for the Religious community.

Taking it to the ice ... our Gr. 9-12 students enjoyed the semi-formal Ice Dance last weekend, and today students in grades 3-6 will head to The Oval. On Saturday, Hockey Night in Canada will allow me (finally!) to enter into an important dimension of my cultural orientation - drop the puck and let's play!

For the 2013-14 Admissions, we have been identifing siblings in order to process their contracts on the same time-line as current student re-enrollment. If you still need to let us know about a sibling who could join SHSH next year, please contact Robyn Erickson, Admissions Director (422-4459 or admissions@shsh.ca / rerickson@shsh.ca).

May this year be filled with joy and peace,
Sr. Wachter

Rory Flynn & Mattea Roach - Top Debaters Qualify for Cambridge, England Debate!

Rory Flynn and Mattea Roach were the top debating team at the Queen's University Debating Tournament this past weekend whose members were under 15 on September 1st, so they qualify to represent Canada in Cambridge, England in May.  A team from Crofton House School in BC and a team from UTS in Toronto will accompany them to England in May.  

We wish Rory and Mattea all the best! 

Charlotte MacDonald, '09 - published in Atlantic Business Magazine

Charlotte MacDonald, Class ’09, and a 2009 D & R Sobey Scholarship recipient, wrote an article which was published in the January/February 2013 issue of the Atlantic Business Magazine.  The D & R Sobey Scholarship is awarded to qualified Grade 12 students in Atlantic Canada for entry in to the Queen’s University Business Programme.  We are proud of Charlotte and we were very pleased to see her at our Alumnae/i Wine and Cheese event in December.

National Champions - Rory & Mattea

"I have a team of 18 year old boys and they're all afraid of a 15 year old girl." ... So began an email I received from Brian Casey, and which I copy here with permission. Outstanding performances, by Rory Flynn and Mattea Roach led to the results:

Sacred Heart - Top Team, Senior
Sacred Heart - Top Team, Junior
Mattea Roach - Fifth Place, Senior
Rory Flynn - Top Speaker
Rory Flynn - Top Junior
Rory Flynn - Top Senior

I am extremely proud of our girls, Coach Casey, and the fact that at Sacred Heart we have the best debating program in Canada (throughout the world? - this is not an exaggeration!).

Hip Hip Hooray!
With Admiration, Sr. Wachter

The full text of the email Mr. Casey received:

"I have a team of 18 year old boys and they're all afraid of a 15 year old girl."

With reason. The fifteen year old girl --Rory Flynn, with her 14 year old partner Mattea Roach,-- polished off the teams from all other schools at the Queen's high school debating tournament this weekend (including the young gentlemen from UCC).

116 teams from across Canada travelled to Kingston for a weekend of debate. The topics were all impromptu meaning that the teams had no more than fifteen minutes to prepare their debate on a range of topics --

Criminalizing the payment of ransom
Giving docotors the right to refuse to perform procedures they have religious or ethical objections to
Not publicizing the details of mass murders
Stopping research on artificial intelligence

Three days and nine debates later, one team had won every round they entered.

Rory was the top individual debater at the tournament, defeating 231 others. Mattea was 5th. If being so young was a disadvantage in their debating against senior high students, it was not obvious.

While Rory and Mattea were pleased to win the tournament outright, in going there they had a more modest ambition: the top team whose members were under 15 on September 1st would qualify to represent Canada in Britain in May. They wanted to be one of those teams.

Ultimately, they qualified. They just won the senior category in the process. A team from Crofton House School in BC amd a team from UTS in Toronto will accompany them to England in May. A team from Upper Canada College in Toronto were the runners up in the senior high category.

Rory is the fourth Sacred Heart student to place 1st individually at Queen's in the last 10 years.

Rory has placed first this year at McGill, Dalhousie, St FX (a tie), and the Nova Scotia Provincials. She and Mattea won the junior high nationals and she any Anya Friesen won the junior high category at McGill and the Provincials. She is looking forward to tournaments in the rest of the year.

Brian Casey
BOYNECLARKE LLP
Debate Coach

Jan. 24 @ 7pm - Information Evening PreSchool to Grade 12

Prospective parents and students are invited to join us at Sacred Heart for an Information Evening. This event welcomes interested families for Preschool to Grade 12.  We hope to see you on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.  Please use the circle entrance on Spring Garden Road. You are welcome to call with questions (902) 422-4459, or to send an email to Admissions Director Robyn Erickson:  rerickson@shsh.ca or admissions@shsh.ca.

Waking Up ... Epiphany!

Good Morning Sacred Heart!
I am writing on Saturday Morning, January 5, 2013.

Though in the swing of school life again, we are still singing Christmas songs! Tomorrow is Twelfth Night, or Epiphany, so next week we will remember the kings who navigated via stars to find our humble God in an unlikely place. And we will celebrate the ways God leads us or is made manifest in our lives. On Friday, Marilyn Hinch will join the elementary children's Liturgy; following it we will honour her retirement. Marilyn was employed at the Sacred Heart for over 40 years, and she certainly has many stories ... including (no doubt) special times of encountering the presence of God in our community during the last quarter of our long existence in Halifax!  I hope you can join us in the Parlour on January 11th between 2-5pm to celebrate Marilyn.

I want to let you know that Marilyn's health continues to improve. Also, Dr. Ata-ur-Rehman Quraishi who underwent lengthy emergency heart surgery last month is now recovering at home. And, we are celebrating that Jessica Hawkes has a new son, born on December 31st!

As we ease back into ordinary time and put away decorations, I hope each of us will take time to reflect on God-moments we recently experienced - personally or as a family. What difference did this Christmas make?  What will continue to twinkle or give light after the tree is down and the trappings are out of sight?

You are in my thoughts and prayers for a
New Year blessed with peace and joy,
Sr.  Wachter