SPIRIT. MIND. BODY. CORDECHO 7 Sister Terri Since professing her vows with the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity in 1982, Sr. Terri has been associated, in some way, with SHA. She’s worked in the guidance department, taught religion, and most recently she sits on the Board of Directors. As a member of the Board of Directors, Sr. Terri knows that her support of SHA and its mission is done mostly through strategic planning and policies. However, her favorite way to support SHA is through a ministry of presence. As much as her schedule allows, Sr. Terri enjoys showing up to SHA events, games, assemblies, and other gatherings. This development of relationships, nurturing of the family, and strengthening of the community is what she loves most about SHA, so it thrills her to be a part of that as much as she can. How have teenage girls changed or stayed the same over the years? While the essential desire for relationships grounded in respect remains constant, the mechanism by which those relationships are grown and nurtured has changed. Technology has revolutionized school and society over the many decades that separate me from the current teenagers, but not all of it is bad. New technology and social media allow for creativity and fruitful connection and collaboration, in ways that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. However, the rise of this same technology can be used nefariously to damage reputations and bend the meaning of truth. Girls are faced with new stressors on a myriad of levels that weren’t around many years ago. How do you see the teachings and values of St. Francis and St. Clare in SHA today? The Sisterhood is the teaching of Francis and Clare in action. God gives gifts to individuals for the sake of the community. The invitation to share those for the common good is a core value of Francis. So, every time a student or teacher reaches out to serve someone, to uplift someone, to add beauty or peace to the world, they are living out the values of Francis and Clare. Sister Mara Is there a name more synonymous with SHA than Sr. Mara Walton? Even though she has left the classroom after almost 30 years of teaching, students today still know her through the stories their mothers and grandmothers tell. Sr. Mara began at SHA as a student in 1955; her presence at SHA continues today. She has served at SHA in almost every imaginable role: teacher, coach, club moderator, assistant principal, principal, board member, alumnae relations, and archivist. Sr. Mara’s knowledge and love of SHA are evident in everything she has done and continues to do for the Academy. That love of SHA lived out through the members of the community is what she enjoys most about her work. There have been plenty of storms and changes over her 69 years of involvement, but the joy, care, and hospitality that the community shows to each other has remained constant. It is this enthusiasm that SHA instills in its students and community members that is so important for the continuing success of the Academy. Where do you see the legacy of the Sisters lived out at SHA? SHA’s history is entwined with the history of the Sisters of St. Francis; both share a story of dedicated women taking risks and persevering when it was most difficult. The Sisters valued education; it was evident in their assertion that all women entering the order would continue their studies, advance toward degrees, and be lifelong learners. This was a novel position for an order to take at the time; not all religious orders held the education of their Sisters as a priority. This commitment to education became the reputation of the Sisters. Other orders in Buffalo, like the Sisters of St. Joseph, would send their sisters to Rosary Hill (now Daemen University) for schooling because they knew the Sisters of St. Francis provided quality content with innovative teaching methods. This dedication to excellence in education is still clearly lived out at SHA.
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