Meghan D’Andrea In her 8 years at Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, Ms. Meghan D’Andrea, MEd, MAT, MDiv, has worn many hats. She is currently coordinator of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP); teaches in the religion department; is the IB Creativity, Activity, Service coordinator; is SHA’s communications coordinator; and serves as Student Council moderator. This essay is adapted from a “TED Talk”-style presentation that Ms. D’Andrea delivered during her current pursuit of a Masters in Science in Educational Leadership/ Administration. It captures the optimism, positivity, and commitment to mission that drove our Strategic Planning process. Though Ms. D’Andrea generally prefers to stay out of the spotlight, she has graciously agreed to let us share her thoughts here, in the spirit – as you will read – of Sister Leonarda’s yes. 8 CORDECHO SPIRIT. MIND. BODY. Living Our Yes! Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart’s story begins with a no and one big, bold, daring n 1877, higher education for girls was anything but popular in Buffalo. Members of the ecclesial hierarchy felt it was their duty to warn parents against the dangers of educating their daughters beyond basic elementary skills, for it would be “the means of perverting ideas of their place and duty in the home.” When Sister Leonarda Hannappel, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, set out to establish an academy that would provide a rigorous education for girls in French and German, English literature, and the sciences and mathematics, her male counterparts at boys’ schools raised their eyebrows. They would have recommended that a girls’ school should stick to needlework, domestic skills, and other ladylike pursuits. But Sister Leonarda – a petite powerhouse – refused to accept that girls should not be challenged, stimulated, and nurtured as she had been during her childhood in Germany. Sister Leonarda heard a no, and replaced it with a powerful, daring yes. Mother Leonarda’s was a yes to innovation, a yes to challenging limits, a yes to exploring possibilities, a yes to imagining and dreaming a future beyond comprehension. Her yes to providing young women excellence in education is the very heart of Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. As founding members of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools, we join with schools around the world who boldly proclaim that a school for girls is better than a school with girls. Sacred Heart continues to innovate in all aspects of education. Through our curriculum, extracurricular activities, athletics, leadership opportunities, and campus ministry, we build the bonds of community and sisterhood, reflecting the Catholic Franciscan Tradition for new generations of SHA students. Last year we inaugurated a Strategic Plan. It was a time for SHA to reinvigorate our story – to revive our identity as innovators, trailblazers and pioneers. It was time to give the world another big, bold, daring yes. The Strategic Planning team dug deep into data, interviews, and research while simultaneously convening groups of experts. This work revealed our tremendous institutional strengths and illuminated the path to improving where needed.
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