Intertwining Vines: Why, How and for Whom
Michaela Ablon, Director of Accreditation and Strategic Planning
Rebecca Collins Jordan, Upper School Theology Teacher and Awareness (DEI) Council Member
Thomas McCarthy, Director of Institutional Advancement
Convent of the Sacred Heart, 91st Street
In 2020, our Board and Administration pledged to build “a better community at 91st Street, one that is anti-racist, fair, inclusive and welcoming to everyone.” In December, Michaela, Rebecca and Tom identified two needs: first, the need to articulate how Sacred Heart’s mission and charism guide us to fulfill this pledge; and second, a need to build a shared understanding of our commitment across the community. We wrote Intertwining Vines to elucidate the ways our distinct identities as a Catholic, independent and Sacred Heart school define and animate 91st Street’s approach to equity, justice and belonging. As we delved deeper into research and dialogue, we discovered that these three distinct identities, or “vines,” are not only linked, but intertwine in ways that make each one, and the community, stronger. This imagery of intertwining vines resonated powerfully with us; our foundress, Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, spent her childhood nestled in wine country and often took contemplative walks in the surrounding vine covered hills.
The different constituent bodies of our home communities and of the Network of Sacred Heart schools are likewise intertwined in ways that make us stronger. With the sponsorship of our Head of School, Dr. Joseph J. Ciancaglini, in February of 2021, we shared Vines with Sr. Suzanne Cooke, Provincial of the Religious of the Sacred Heart for the United States and Canada, and with Dr. Korin Visocchi, Executive Director of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. Both Sr. Cooke and Dr. Visocchi expressed appreciation for the work and opted to distribute Vines to the Network. During our February 2021 professional development day at 91st Street, we shared Vines with faculty and staff and in March with our Board of Trustees. In April we hosted a Zoom gathering to explore Vines attended by Sr. Cooke, Dr. Visocchi, Network heads of school, trustees, education to mission leaders and diversity practitioners. We have been humbled and gratified to see Vines spark dialogue and action imbued with hope and urgency.
Going forward, Vines will be the seminal document when it comes to DEI at 91st Street—and perhaps beyond. Our hope in producing and circulating Vines is to unite Sacred Heart leaders, professionals, students, parents and alumnae through a shared understanding that centers love, justice, reciprocity and the Attitudes of Christ’s Heart. We encourage Network or NAIS school colleagues who want to quote or adapt Vines for use in their community to do so freely.