Alumnae Update from President Wendy Hoke

Watch the video message for our Alumnae from President Wendy Hoke

Hello from this beautiful place we call Beaumont,

We are now two months into our school year and I am pleased to report that following a lot of work over the summer, we were able to open on time and in person.

This summer was unlike any other. Not only were we working on restart plans to continue education in light of the pandemic, and provide financial assistance to those hurting economically from the pandemic, but we were also dealing with racial injustices and how those impact our diverse community of alumnae and students.

In each of those three major areas, Beaumont had the help of alumnae, willing to share their expertise, experience, and resources to ensure we were responding to each challenge. You answered my call for help. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

We’ve almost become numb to the idea that we are in unprecedented times. That word somehow just doesn’t seem to suffice anymore, does it?

In the last weeks leading up to the start of school, we were able to invest in technology that allows us to livestream all of our classes. As a result, about 10% of our students have chosen to remain virtual learners for the time being. The rest of our students are here, socially distanced throughout our 140,000 square feet of space.

Based on the recommendation of health professionals, we are also making great use of Beaumont’s many outdoor spaces. I’m coming to you today from one of our outdoor spaces near the chapel. Many of you will recall walking outside to get from one building to the other.

Today, our students are changing classes outdoors to minimize congestion in the hallways. They see it as a perk, you may remember differently. They are eating lunch and using their Individual Learning Time out on the courtyard, the Commons patio and even sitting around Lake Garda.

We’re using every inch of space on our campus, including Conway Field for outdoor Masses. We’ve found that being outdoors also helps our mental well being.

Our theme for the school year is – community begins with me. We have focused on building resiliency, being adaptive and embracing gratitude. We know that students and teachers around the country are still unable to come back to school safely. We are grateful to be together in community.

It’s recruitment season and COVID has changed how we do that as well. If you haven’t already, please check out our Virtual Open House on our website. There’s a link right from our homepage. We’ve focused this year’s messaging around the all-girl advantage, sisterhood, women who change the world, IB pedagogy and, of course, our Ursuline values.

Let us know what you think. You may recognize the voices of some of your classmates in our All-Girl Advantage video.

We are searching for the learning opportunities through COVID. At the end of October, faculty and administration are participating in a virtual conference hosted by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools called “Building Inclusive, Anti-Racist School Communities.”

This is part of our ongoing efforts to build a more inclusive and equitable, diverse community. I want to thank our alumnae of color who have been instrumental in helping us in this effort. The work continues but thank you for the good conversations, for your help and for pushing us forward!

Our faculty have been amazing. They are working so hard teaching in person and virtually. This year they also are focused on incorporating the International Baccalaureate Approaches to Teaching and Learning through our entire curriculum. We believe that the IB pedagogy is simply good teaching and affords us the chance to create the best learning environment for our students.

With their incredible support, we’re building a hopeful school community through solution-focused decision making. What is a school of possibilities?

It’s one with:

1) A Student-centered curriculum

2) Learning that is relevant to today’s world and tomorrow’s skills

3) Faculty focused on innovation

4) Spaces conducive to creativity, collaboration, curiosity and problem-solving

5) Students who are encouraged and unafraid to take intellectual and creative risks

6) Connections between what our faith teaches, how it impacts the world and how our students can put their faith in action

7) And opportunities to learn from and engage with students across the globe

Speaking of possibilities: some of you have participated in our campus master planning process with Bialosky Architects. We are nearing the end of that process and our board is looking forward to seeing the plan in November and prioritizing where we will make future investments in Beaumont’s campus. We look forward to sharing this with you in 2021.

We have some new faces as well. Some of you may have heard that our Alumnae Relations Director Christy Salata has moved into the position of 9th and 10thgrade guidance counselor here at Beaumont. We are glad that Christy is able to put in educational background and training to use here at Beaumont.

I am excited to announce that Theresa Day will be joining us as Director of Alumnae Relations and Reunion Giving later this month. She will be reaching out to our Class Reps pretty quickly to introduce herself. Theresa comes to us from Magnificat, where she was assistant director of development. Please give her a warm Beaumont welcome.

We were saddened to have to postpone Reunion Weekend in October, but we look forward to celebrating those who graduated in years ending in 0s and 5s on June 11-12. In the meantime, our Merici Challenge led by Rita and Peter Carfagna, is underway. Our Reunion Giving goal is $50,000. Last year, we exceeded that goal. Thank you to all who have already made a gift and to those who have set up recurring gifts.

Beaumont’s tuition this year is $16,500. About 60% of our students receive either academic scholarships or tuition assistance. Your support of the Merici Challenge is critical to helping students receive a Beaumont education. If you have questions, please reach out to Chief Philanthropy Officer Kim Epley from the Class of 95.

Unfortunately, due to COVID, we will be celebrating our annual Mass honoring Deceased Alumnae virtually. However, we will be able to livestream the Mass from St. Angela Merici Chapel with Father Tom Fanta as our celebrant. We will send that link out to all who would like to join us at 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday, November 18. We will record it and post to our alumnae pages so you can also watch at your convenience.

We have been collecting names of those classmates who we have lost over the past year. But please help us by sending names to make sure we have them. You can send those names to Kim Epley.

Fr. Tom will help us to commemorate the 40thanniversary of Sr. Dorothy Kazel’s martyrdom in El Salvador at Mass on December 2. We have a variety of things planned in the weeks leading up to the anniversary, including a podcast with Sr. Martha Owen, a social media campaign about Dorothy and a virtual performance of the play, “A Way to Service: Dorothy Kazel, a Biodrama.”

Do you remember Sister Dorothy? Were you a student here in 1980? Send me your memories to share.

And while you’re at it, we’re always looking to fill in gaps in our database. Have you moved, changed jobs, joined a board, started a business? You can update your information on the alumnae section of our website. If you have missing information about classmates, please let us know.

Finally, we hope to be able to get back on the road to visit alums later in 2021. In the meantime, let us know if you’re in town. We’d love to meet with you. Drop me a line any time. You can email me at whoke@beaumontschool.org or give me a call at 216.325.7324. I can also be found most days on Zoom if you prefer to “meet” virtually.

Stay connected by following us on social media. We’re building up our alumnae connection on our LinkedIn page. You can find a lot of what’s happening at school on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Our Twitter feed will keep you updated on events and athletics.

Until we see each other again, I will pray for your health and safety. Thank you and God bless Beaumont women!