Headmistress' Address
September 12, 2013
(Abridged Text)
Thank you for joining us tonight. And profound gratitude to all who worked hard to make the event so beautiful.
We are beginning our 165th academic year at Sacred Heart school of Halifax. The person who in 1800 founded our order - the Religious of the Sacred Heart - is Madeline Sophie Barat. She would enjoy our theme this year: "We've got Spirit." In fact, Sophie Barat said "If I had my life to live over again I would seek only to listen to the Holy Spirit." As we live this year, may we do the same - create moments of silence to consider what the Spirit is inviting us to embrace in this new year.
I have said this before, and you'll hear me say it again: at Sacred Heart, it isn't enough to teach the children to be smart - we want to sow seeds of wisdom. For us, it's not enough for our students to become successful, we want them to become significant.
To become wise, one needs to listen and experience some silence along the way. People who are significant are inspired by a Source of Love that is beyond and within - we want to awaken this in our students.
Our mission is deeply rooted, and there is nothing small about our mission. I want our children & our students, to become women and men who make significant contributions here in Halifax, in Nova Scotia, across Canada, and throughout our world. Sophie Barat consistently encouraged the sisters to have courage and confidence, and to pass this spirit on to the students. Today, we want to empower our young women and men with the same "Courage et Confiance" that led to our foundation 165 years ago.
This spirit of courage and confidence brought me to Halifax.
When I was in town in September of 2011 … I interviewed for this position, poked around on Spring Garden Road, climbed the Citadel Hill, and jogged down to the waterfront. I went into Lawton’s to buy something and at the register the person asked me if I had an Air Miles card. I said: “What is it?” She said you can accumulate points and such. “Should I do this?” I asked. “Well,” she said, “that would be a personal choice.”
I learned two things from this encounter.
1) In the States, the person would have tried to talk me into signing up
for Air Miles.
2) I learned that Canadians like their choices.
Sacred Heart is a choice.
You chose Sacred Heart for your child because we are a good fit. You need not justify this to neighbours, friends or people at the Wag. You do not need to be shy about making a choice that works for your family. There is a place for a school that offers a very strong academic program and rests on a solid spiritual foundation – a Catholic school with a respectful Interfaith Community. You should and DO have this choice here in Halifax.
I give you permission to own your choice,
to share your choice, to enjoy your choice, and
to show your school spirit.
Please do not keep this choice a secret!
What is this choice all about?
We have 5 Goals and 31 Criteria that help us to live our mission.
Our Goals are to educate to …
A personal and active faith in God;
A deep respect for the intellectual life;
A social awareness that impels to action;
The building of community;
Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
Our strategic plan consists of four main pillars:
1. Enrollment
We want to grow the school to 525 by 2017, adding sections along the way to keep classes small.
2. International/ESL
We want the international program to serve 50 students, and will work to have them balanced across the grades. To accomplish this, we will eventually need more home-stay families. I think Parents of ALums (PALs) can be helpful in this regard. The vision is that every SHSH student/family will know a student from another country, host an exchange student or be a home stay family, go on exchange to another SH school, or serve with a school group in Africa.
3. Finance
Our goal is long-term financially sustainable through stable enrollment and more sophisticated advancement efforts. We want to grow our endowment in the long-run, and in the short term I will be looking for our parents to join our employees and Board Members in achieving 100% participation in our Annual Giving Fund. With our finance and advancement committees we are in very good hands.
4. Technology
We need to grow the infrastructure and ensure our technology is supporting all five of our Goals - especially serving the educational program.
Guiding the 2012-17 Strategic Plan are the members of our Board of Governors, faculty, staff, administration, and the Parents’ Guild. We are grateful to this team that collaborates on a regular basis to make the program fantastic for your children. Sacred Heart is a choice, and our community is strong. I look forward to sharing this year with you and your children.
