As March begins, the Academy launches into fundraising warp speed with the March for the Heart Alumni & Family Giving Challenge, followed by Chemin de Fer, our largest fundraiser on May 3. March for the Heart is in its seventh year, while Chemin celebrates 51 years and this year they share a connection, thanks to generations of generosity.

In 1975, Jack Drake, began Chemin de Fer, when the idea of a casino auction was a bold new venture. Chemin de Fer, the French word for “railroad,” and also the name of a casino game played on the French Riviera, set our fundraising train in motion. What began 50 years ago as an evening of casino games and lavish hors d’oeuvres has grown to an event with stunning décor, a fabulous sit-down dinner, incredible auction items and a grand celebration of our community.

Now, Jack’s daughter, Michele Drake ’78, has pledged a $10,000 Challenge Gift during March for the Heart as a way to honor her father. Michele is matching dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 total in donations for gifts to the Jane Cannon Legacy of Love and Learning Endowed Scholarship Fund. Giving back to the Academy and helping it thrive was vital to her father and he set a strong example. Jane Cannon also epitomized generosity to the Academy and Michele’s gift will help provide scholarships to Academy students.

This week Rollin and Akesha Jackson offer their reflections as parents of Rollin Jr. “RJ” ’17 and Paige. They credit the Academy for a wonderful foundation for their children and are grateful for their time at ASH.

Since our invitation to visit in 2008 with our son, we knew ASH was the right place for our family. Our family values have always been aligned with the Goals of Sacred Heart education. We are proud and blessed by the foundation built at the Academy which is rooted in faith, integrity, community, service and most importantly, the continued growth and success of our children, Rollin Jr. “RJ” and Paige.

Paige graduated with honors from St. Joseph’s Academy in 2024. She has earned the Girl Scout Trifecta Award (the highest awards, Bronze, Silver, and Gold) and her love for scouting was started and cultivated while at ASH. She is completing her freshman year at Fairfield University in Connecticut majoring in biology on a pre-medical track. She also plays field hockey for Fairfield as a goalkeeper, winning the NEC Championship in the 2024 season with her team.

This week Mrs. Mary Reepmeyer, Principal, shares the significance of Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences and how it helps students reflect on their growth, leading to a deeper understanding of themselves as learners.

Students in Third through Eighth Classes have been diligently preparing for their student-led conferences next Friday, February 28. I believe the greatest benefit of these conferences is putting ownership and accountability on each student while strengthening the relationship with their teachers and parents. When students reflect on their experience in school, celebrate strengths, and identify areas for growth with adults who care about them, they take ownership of their learning and are more likely to work toward their goals and thrive.

Last Friday, Academy Eighth Class students presented to the Board of Trustees. They shared their responses to the prompt, “What Do Connections through One Heart Mean to Me?” Network of Sacred Heart School students in grades 7-12 were invited to write an essay for the Jeanne Burke O’Fallon Essay Contest for the upcoming Associated Alumnae/i of the Sacred Heart (AASH) 45th National Conference. The contest is named in honor of Mrs. O’Fallon ’69, who was the longtime director of the national AASH Office in St. Louis.

Below are some excerpts from their essays.

Shawn Leight, Board of Trustees Chair, recently shared that the Board is delighted to extend Mr. Tim Horner’s contract as Head of School through June 2028.  “We have tremendous momentum and Mr. Horner will provide the leadership that is needed for us to follow through with these initiatives as we continue to improve our school.”

This week, Mr. Horner reflects as 46th Head of School at the Academy. 

We have been celebrating Catholic Schools Week with the Academy community. We honor our heritage as the first Sacred Heart school in this country, founded by St. Philippine Duchesne in 1818 and continue to live our mission, shared by the 25 Network of Sacred Heart schools in the U.S. and Canada and guided by the Goals and Criteria.

Goal 1 of Sacred Heart Education: a personal and active faith in God

The week began celebrating students, followed by celebrating vocations on Tuesday and recognizing the Religious of the Sacred Heart. Wednesday we celebrated the nation and today we celebrate faculty and staff, which included a Taco Bar lunch provided by the Hospitality Committee.

The gift of a Sacred Heart education is frequently cited by alumni as the best gift their parents have given them. This week, Berkeley Rebman ’17 reflects on her Academy experience. This June, she will graduate from the University of Denver with a BSBA degree in Business Information & Analytics with minors in French & Francophone Studies and Leadership Studies. This summer, Berkeley will be moving to Boston for her job as a commercial strategy associate for Wayfair.

How does one describe a gift of nine years of compassion, empathy, and advocacy? It is impossible. In fact, it is not only a gift of nine years, rather a lifetime and something that can be drawn upon years after graduation.

The gift of a Sacred Heart education is the most valuable gift I have ever received, and I thank my parents every day for the sacrifices they made to give me that opportunity. From my nine years at the Academy, I fondly remember the many traditions including Congé and Silver Tea, but more importantly, I remember the lessons I learned and continue to carry with me today.

In this week’s From the Heart, Theology and History teacher Miss Mary Furay shares the history and significance of the Jubilee Year. Three students also offer inspiring reflections on what the word “hope” means to them.

Jubilee Years hold deep religious significance for Catholics, celebrating joy and pardon every 25 years, and are rooted in the ancient Jewish tradition described in Leviticus 25, where debts were forgiven, and servants freed. The 2025 Jubilee began on Christmas Eve with Pope Francis making the 500-year-old traditional gesture: opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica to symbolize a passage from sin to grace.  When Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year, he stated, “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire…”

Relationships built through the years with classmates, and later alumni, are a significant gift of Sacred Heart education. But parents are also beneficiaries of this gift as they become friends with each other after time spent from birthday parties to basketball courts, volunteering or participating in distinctive Academy traditions.

This week, Charla Niccoli Dziedzic ’75 reflects on decades-long friendships that began when her own children started at the Academy and have flourished ever since, including celebrating New Years Eve together in a long-standing tradition.

A group of alumni parents has been gathering for many years on New Year’s Eve. This is what a quarter century of Sacred Heart alumni parent friendship looks like. As we were reminiscing that evening on our group’s longevity, the common thought was “Who knew?”

When I graduated from the Academy of the Sacred Heart (1975, Eighth Class), I knew I would remain friends with many of my classmates forever. But what I didn’t know, when my children, Rose ’04 and Drew ’07, started at ASH was that my fellow parents would become my lifetime friends also.

This week, Jillian Alexander ’18, reflects on the gift of her Sacred Heart education. Jillian began in Pre-Primary and went on to Incarnate Word Academy and is now a junior at the University of Arkansas studying Marketing. Her classmates are very close and she counts those friendships — her Academy sisters and brothers — as a true gift. 

The Academy has given me so much! I am very grateful for my Sacred Heart education. It has taught me amazing communication skills as well as organizational skills. Balancing a full-time job as well as being a full-time undergraduate student has pushed me to put my organizational skills to the test!

The Academy also gave me a strong faith foundation. I am able to go day to day feeling confident in who I am and in my faith because of what the Academy has taught me.

Coming to college I feel as though the manners, faith, education and habits that the Academy instilled in me help me stand out tremendously from the majority of the student population. I am forever thankful that my parents chose to send me to the Academy!

This week Mr. Horner shares highlights from last week’s visit with Mary Menacho, Executive Director of Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) as well as the benefits of becoming a full member of ISACS. In addition, Shawn Leight, Board of Trustees Chair, and Mary share their insights about the visit.

The school’s Strategic Plan, Embracing our Rich Heritage, Creating our Bold Future, envisions our school becoming a full member of ISACS. As a current provisional member, we are progressing toward full membership.

This past week, we were fortunate to host Mary Menacho for two days. She spent time touring our school, visiting classrooms and learning about our history and mission. In addition, Mary met with the Marketing and Enrollment Committee as well as the Board of Trustees during their retreat last Saturday.