May 29, 2020 Conversations with Members of the Sacred Heart Community
This month, we are pleased to feature a shining alumnus Patrick Milito H'15 in our newsletter. After graduating from Sacred Heart, he attended high school at Saint Ignatius College Prep and is looking forward to starting his sophomore year at Georgetown University. Here, Patrick shares how Sacred Heart prepared him for academic success in high school and college and instilled in him the value of being conscientious, responsible, and engaged in the world. Patrick Milito H'15 returned to Sheridan Road during his spring break at Georgetown University and visited with many teachers and staff including Mary Ann Ligon, Lower School Division Head. What are you studying and involved with at college? I am in the business school at Georgetown looking to study marketing, international business and Italian, and play Division 3 Rugby. The intellectual rigor at Georgetown is what attracted me. I am the Knights of Columbus Service Chair and have been involved in making breakfast and dinners that they distribute around D.C. to the homeless population.
How did Sacred Heart shape your choice of high school and your high school experience? Attending a Catholic school was important to me. At Ignatius, my favorite subjects were theology and Latin. I found the SHS Middle School to be more rigorous than high school. Sacred Heart gave me the building blocks of ways of thinking. I had incredible teachers and felt so well prepared for high school—with the ability to write an essay and analyze history.
How did the all-boys classroom environment prepare you for high school and college? I was unafraid to be myself. It is a blessing to be yourself. It allowed me to build strong and healthy relationships with boys and grow up and become a healthy and good young man.
How do you think your Sacred Heart education shaped who you are today? Learning in a faith-based Catholic school, I learned to ask why—to have an ethical inquisitiveness that you don't get at other places. This is a vital foundation to be an adult—this ability to engage, to be conscientious.
What does being a Sacred Heart graduate mean to you? One of my hallmates at Georgetown is a Sacred Heart 91st Street graduate. She and I sang "Coeur de Jésus" together. There is a community mindset—I have a greater awareness of my actions and their consequences, a belief in responsibility that we are called to serve. This doesn't go away. It's "on." You cannot turn it off!
If there is only one word you could use to describe what Sacred Heart means to you, what would it be? "Foundation" ... in faith, in curiosity. People should not shy away from learning for the sake of learning.
What are some of your favorite memories from Sacred Heart? We had the ability to do so many things at once! I did football, baseball, debate and the musical. My 8th grade year I was Frank Butler, the lead in "Annie Get Your Gun." How to Support Your Child's Emotional Needs During the Pandemic
Our Primary School Counselor, Josh Rodgers, MEd, LSC, was recently interviewed by Chicago Parent magazine for tips on how parents can best support their children's emotional well-being as they adjust to a "new normal." We hope you find this resource helpful.
Excerpted with permission from Chicago Parent. To access the full article, please click here.
Create structure.
Check in often.
Create a positive plan.
Provide incentives.
Find purpose. Meg Steele Named Head of Schools Sacred Heart Schools has named Meg Steele as its next Head of Schools. She will assume the role on July 1, 2021, succeeding Nat Wilburn, who has been the Head of Schools since 2009. Ms. Steele was the unanimous selection by the Board of Trustees. She had spent nearly 18 years on Sheridan Road earlier in her career as both a teacher and Primary School Head before serving as the Head of School of Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest for the last five years.
"Meg's collaborative leadership style and humble approach to building consensus among the many school constituencies will allow her to make an effective transition to the Head of Schools leadership role," said Daniel Bayston, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees. "In addition, her excellent reputation within the national Network of Sacred Heart schools and her solid relationships with the leadership of the Network and other Sacred Heart educational institutions will further benefit our school."
Ms. Steele began her career on Sheridan Road as a teacher in 1997 and took on different leadership roles before becoming Primary School Head in 2004. She served in that role for 11 years before moving north to take the Head of School position at Woodlands Academy in 2015.
A graduate of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, Ms. Steele has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, a Master of Elementary Education degree from Lesley University, and continued her graduate coursework at DePaul University.
To read more about Meg Steele's return to Sheridan Road in July 2021, please click here. Have You Seen Our New Videos?
While we are away from our campus that is our community's home away from home, we are still creating ways for you to get to know us better! Learn more about Sacred Heart and our mission by watching our new video. Today we celebrated our Preschool students on Prize Day. This year is our inaugural Prize day at the preschool, and we are so proud of our youngest students! Prize Day is a beloved Sacred Heart tradition in which we acknowledge the successes of our students—the growth they have shown throughout the year and the heart that they have put into their projects. We know this video will warm your heart! Summer Camp Update Due to current circumstances, both on-campus and remote camp classes for the first two sessions of Summer at Sacred Heart have been cancelled. However, we are planning to begin remote offerings with Session III on July 13. Register here.
Sacred Heart Activity Book Looking for some fun activities for your children? Click here to download a word search and coloring pages.
Summer Hours The Admissions Team will continue to work remotely during the summer months. If you need assistance or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at 773.681.8494 or admissions@shschicago.org. We welcome the opportunity to connect with you!
Make sure to follow Sacred Heart Schools on Instagram and Facebook! Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, PK-8 school that warmly welcomes children of all faiths. In Chicago since 1876 and
6250 N. Sheridan Road |