Sacred Heart Schools Welcomes Ursuline Education Network (UEN) to Ursuline Campus

This week, Dr. Karen McNay, President of Sacred Heart Schools, and the Office of Catholic Identity and Ursuline Charism, comprised of Mia Cooper, Vice President of Mission and Community; Jane Cruthirds, Director of Mission and Formation; and Andrea Hoback, Campus Minister and Catechetical Program Manager, welcomed the Ursuline Education Network (UEN) Board to Ursuline Campus for an assessment of our four schools.

The Ursuline Education Network fosters collaboration among educational institutions founded by, sponsored by, or affiliated with Ursuline congregations. UEN promotes the preservation and development of the Ursuline charism and fosters educational excellence, innovation, and global connectedness.

All four Sacred Heart Schools—Sacred Heart Academy, Sacred Heart Model School, Sacred Heart Preschool, and Sacred Heart School for the Arts—are proud members of the UEN. Eighteen other schools/districts make up the UEN, serving students all over the United States and in the United Kingdom in early childhood, elementary, secondary and collegiate education. According to their mission statement, "The goal of UEN is to ensure the charism of St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursuline order, remains an integral part of the educational experience from preschool through college."

We are proud that Sacred Heart Academy Assistant Principal Carrie Wentzel, SHA '97, is the incoming Chair of the UEN Board and will serve in this position for two years.

Carrie Wentzel SHA '97

The Ursuline Assessment is an opportunity for UEN schools to spend time in self-assessment on two of the eight Ursuline Essential Characteristics of Education (listed below). Sacred Heart Schools has been preparing for this assessment since 2022, focusing on the characteristics of Service/Social Consciousness and the Spirit of St. Angela Merici.

Nurture the Individual: An Ursuline education fosters respect for the uniqueness of each member of the community and encourages the spiritual, mental and physical growth of each person.
Form Community: An Ursuline education forms and supports a nurturing family/community spirit.
Develop leaders who serve the community: An Ursuline school fosters servant leadership.
Academic Excellence: An Ursuline education inspires academic excellence and intellectual curiosity.
Service/Social Consciousness: An Ursuline education regards service as an integral part of mature Christian living.
Attitude of openness and optimism: An Ursuline education instills an attitude of living in hope and trust in a loving God.
Christian spirituality: An Ursuline school, based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nurtures spiritual formation, cultivating faith development and Catholic Christian identity.
Spirit of St. Angela: An Ursuline education emulates the spirit of St. Angela and instills Ursuline values.

The UEN Board team visited campus for two days, celebrating Mass, touring all schools, meeting school leadership, observing classrooms, and conducting a student panel. Special thanks to Rosann Whiting, outgoing Director of UEN; Peggy McCormick-Platz, incoming Director of UEN; Joni Mullen, Director of Mission Integration and Global Education at Ursuline Academy St. Louis; and Lisa Wolfer, Director of Mission Integration at St. Ursula Villa in Cincinnati for their visit and celebration of the Ursuline Sisters' legacy and mission. Board members remarked that “The spirit of St. Angela is alive at Sacred Heart Schools” and “The core value of community is embodied on this campus and it is palpable.” Sacred Heart Schools is proud to be “a model for how to carry the Charism on an Ursuline campus.”

Mia Cooper, Jane Cruthirds, and Andrea Hoback of Sacred Heart Schools' Office of Catholic Identity and Ursuline Charism; Dr. Tim Adams, Principal of Sacred Heart Academy; Leah Mullen, Principal of Sacred Heart Model School; Austin Nikolich, Director of Sacred Heart Preschool; and Kathie Davis, Executive Director of Sacred Heart School for the Arts are grateful to have hosted the UEN Board in their respective schools. Our entire campus looks forward to continued collaboration to ensure that St. Angela's legacy lives on in our schools.

Sacred Heart Schools, a Catholic community rooted in the Ursuline tradition, inspires diverse learners to become globally minded, compassionate leaders.

REVERENCE - SERVICE - LEADERSHIP – COMMUNITY