8 CORDECHO SPIRIT. MIND. BODY. FRANCISCAN CHARISM AND IB MIDDLE n the late 1800s, the educational landscape for young women was vastly different from today. The rigid conventions for a girl’s role in society limited her potential for tasks outside of the home. Educational opportunities were aimed at inculcating her domestic duties: cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc. Convinced that young women deserve equal opportunity for an education in liberal arts, math, and science, Sister Leonarda Hannappel created Sacred Heart Academy, a place where intellectual and spiritual rigor knew no gender limits. Sister Leonarda believed that a holistic education could develop young women into caring, knowledgeable, and principled members of society. As a Sister of St. Francis, Sister Leonarda devoted her life to recognizing, respecting, and upholding the dignity of every human being, a central tenet of Franciscan Spirituality. A few decades later, the turbulence and uncertainty of the interbellum period in the 20s and 30s threw the world into disarray. Another woman, Marie Therese Maurette became a champion for the transformative power of education. While countries around the world held tight to nationalism and looked at others with skepticism and fear, Maurette developed a way to create unity and peace through radical acceptance of the shared dignity of humanity. She believed education was the antidote to war, and her curriculum favored communication and thinking over memorization and rote learning. Her methods demanded that students see the humanity of a person before their ethnicity or national affiliation. To do so, students needed to speak multiple languages, consider opposing opinions, learn to discuss, debate, and stretch their minds beyond their own experience. Maurette was convinced that the key to peace and ending further conflict was through developing young, caring, and capable citizens of the world. Maurette’s ideas and curriculum caught on, and global schools in Europe used her pedagogy as the foundation of their programs, including what eventually became known as the International Baccalaureate Organization. In an increasingly complex world that struggles with the turbulence of national conflicts and the rapid expansion of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI), traditional models and methods of education alone may no longer meet the needs of students nor the demands of society. Today, education is most effective when addressing the whole person. It needs to focus on students’ acquisition of knowledge, but also their use and application of knowledge. Teaching and learning are enriched when the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of students are considered at the forefront. While society has changed, Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart’s priority and mission have not; SHA continues to be an institution dedicated to providing an excellent education to young women. International Baccalaureate (IB) allows programming to be customized to meet the interests of students while integrating the foundational Franciscan values. Sacred Heart initially adopted IB’s Diploma Programme IB MISSION STATEMENT The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
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