The Ridge

Report

The SHCOG initiates, oversees and officially responds to a process

of institutional self-reflection, by which each school at regular

intervals is able to determine not only where its strengths lie in

relation to the Goals and Criteria, but also to express the concerns

it has regarding how well it is living the vision expressed in them.

The process aims to enable each school to formulate a plan for what

it intends to do to deepen the life of the Goals and Criteria within

its community.

The mission of the SHCOG stems from the belief that a community

of educators can renew itself by means of reflective self-evaluation

that yields fresh insights and recommitment. Forest Ridge

completed its self reflection in the fall of 2011, and in November

hosted a visiting team of Sacred Heart colleagues from across the

country charged with engaging us in conversation on the successes

and challenges of our self-reflection. Once the visiting team report

and recommendations are considered by the Commission, the

provincial issues a letter from the Province that comments on our

reflection and gives us direction in forming an Action Plan for

addressing the challenges we have named.

For the past two months, an Action Plan Committee led by Sara

Konek and Cindy Murphy has worked with a dozen faculty, staff,

trustees, alumnae and parents to form our overall Action Plan,

which will be sent to the Commission in April. As we await the

approval of the plan, I wanted to share with you the three major

items we have committed to working on for the next three years:

communication — both personal and institutional; community

— participation in, responsibility to and for, and expectations of;

and a deepening appreciation of our Catholic identity as a Sacred

Heart school.

Once the Commission responds to our plan, I will make the

complete document available to members of the Forest Ridge

community and will share more of the concrete steps we will take

to put this plan into action. All of us on the Action Plan Committee

are excited for our future and committed to seeing this plan

become a part of our daily life for the next three years.

Our genuine desire is for this to be less of a plan — something we

have to do — and more of a way to celebrate our gifts and build

community together — something we continue to want to do. I

look forward to working with all of you in making Forest Ridge as

the premiere educational community for girls. They deserve

nothing less.

Celebrating our gifts

April 2012

For the past 18 months, we have been engaged in our “SHCOG” (Sacred Heart Commission on Goals)

reflection, visit and action plan with the provincial of the U.S. Province of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

The SHCOG facilitates a system of accountability for the 23 schools carrying out the mission of the Society of

the Sacred Heart in the United States. The Commission is composed of RSCJ (Religious of the Sacred Heart of

Jesus) and lay educators and trustees in the U.S. Network of Sacred Heart Schools, together with a member of

the provincial team; this process is accountable to the provincial team.

Mark Pierotti Head of School

2 The Ridge Report

What connects those and other daily interactions is the theme

of relationships. Everything we do is built on the value of

relationships. When our alumnae speak of their high school

education at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, they

consistently speak to the value of relationships that have been

formed, between students and faculty; student to student,

students and community.

This value of relationship propels alumnae to reach out to our

current students. Last fall, and again on March 30, we hosted a

Career Luncheon attended by the class of 2012 and alumnae. In

the fall, table conversations focused on career opportunities. This

spring, seniors benefited from an alumnae panel with a focus more

on seniors’ upcoming college experience. Even though this is our

first year offering Career Luncheons, nobody was surprised by the

animated level of conversation that marked the fall event. The

luncheon on March 30 was marked by equally vibrant exchanges.

But the relationship building extends to other areas of school life

as well. Whether it is the leadership exercise during the 10th-grade

winter trip or our parents’ dedication to their daughters’ school

experiences, what distinguishes Forest Ridge culture is the value its

community places on these relational interactions. And here it is

important for all of us to keep in mind that mutual engagement

does not necessarily mean agreement. Rather, the foundation of

relationship is what allows for community discourse, for sharing

ideas and for respectfully disagreeing with one another.

Clearly, our daily interactions are not only supported by these

tangible currencies; in addition, we rely on specific value

propositions to guide our conversations and debates. So the focus,

for instance, might be on assuming good intent, even in the midst

of a passionate exchange. When discussing these values with

students, I frequently liken them to an invisible backpack,

describing the assumptions, realities and experiences each of us

brings to the relationships we strive to form. And given our

uniqueness, we are fortunate to be guided once again by the Goals

and Criteria. Their message helps us bridge our differences and

provides a mutually agreed upon platform from which to begin the

conversation and enter into relationships whose goal it is to

“promote[s] a safe and welcoming environment in which each

person is valued, cared for and respected” (Goal IV, criterion 2).

Dr. Carola D. Wittmann Director of the High School

relationshipsThe value of

Conducting admission interviews; attending student events;

following the Peace and Reconciliation blog; touching base

with students throughout the day; conversing with colleagues;

meeting with current and prospective families.

Seniors speak with alumnae at the Career Luncheon March 30.

The Ridge Report 3

Who

Dean Shoemaker said it best when, as an invited speaker at our Alumnae Board retreat in February, he said, “I like the women our girls become.” As a teacher who has taught Forest Ridge students for 39 years – almost the entire time we’ve been at the Somerset campus – Dean should know.

I couldn’t agree more. Alumnae I have met include: Jenny Durkan ’76, U.S. Attorney for Western Washington; Siobhan Malone ’93, program officer in the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Kaliswa Brewster ’00, Shakespearean actress; Krysta Svore ’97, Ph.D., research scientist at Microsoft; Karen Patterson Gradilla ’93, project manager at Fred Hutchinson on international HIV prevention clinical trials; and Kendee Yamaguchi ’95, executive director of the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.

These women spent their formative years at Forest Ridge developing their minds, bodies and souls. At Forest Ridge, their classical training in writing, literature, history, religion, math and science allowed them to move effectively through their college years. With their preparation as critical thinkers, these women have valuable opinions and skills to offer and the confidence to lead. Forest Ridge has helped them be ready to work and to be serious about their endeavors. And through their religious studies, these women have learned to think beyond themselves.

One of the unique aspects of a Forest Ridge education is that your daughter will become part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart alumnae and alumni. We will hold a very special Induction Ceremony and Spring Luncheon in May, when the senior class will be formally inducted into the Forest Ridge Alumnae Association. We also will honor a Distinguished Alumna, one who has loyalty to the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria and a strong commitment of service to others. The event makes the seniors aware that they are part of a larger family who will be there for them throughout their lives, and it drives home the message that their Forest Ridge education offers friendships and connections around the world.

These connections are typified by the experience of Amber Gmerek ’09. Amber attends Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. She obtained an internship last summer with WAVE, Women Against

Violence Europe, in Vienna. With no affordable place to live and at risk of losing her internship, she wrote to me desperate for help, hoping she could find a Sacred Heart connection. And she did!

Through the Sacred Heart Alumnae Network, Amber was able to connect to our sister school in Vienna: Sacre Coeur Wien. It welcomed her with open arms, found a staff member who had an available apartment for the summer and invited Amber to take part in its school festivities. Amber got to know the community and made friends immediately. One of the English teachers even invited her to speak to her students about her work with WAVE. What other school can offer such a far-reaching network, where one is treated as family around the world?

In answer to the question, “Who will your daughter become?,” I can offer that my daughter, Annie Lundgren, spent seven years at Forest Ridge. She graduated last year and attends Loyola Marymount University. Because Annie is shy in nature and a homebody, my husband and I weren’t sure what her transition to college life would look like. Now, in the middle of the second semester of her freshman year, I can tell you that she has made the adjustment better than my husband and I could have imagined. She was prepared for college. Armed with discipline, leadership skills and the ability to advocate for herself, she was mentally ready to take the next step in her life. After all, isn’t this why we send our children to a college preparatory school? I know that there are many factors that go into raising a daughter, but I also know that because of Forest Ridge, Annie was prepared to go out into the world and be successful in whatever it is that she wants to do.

Julie Lundgren Alumnae Relations Director

will your daughter become?

Who will your daughter become? Will a Forest Ridge education make a

difference in her life? As the alumnae relations director, I can tell you that

working with Forest Ridge alumnae is inspiring, because Forest Ridge alumnae

are confident, smart, well-spoken, interesting, passionate and kind.

4 The Ridge Report

Alison MohrbacherBrigida Swansonand Mandy Underhill Middle School Faculty

As a middle school faculty, we strive to provide daily opportunities for girls to become creative and

innovative thinkers. While this occurs across the curriculum, we believe that within our Fine Arts

Program intentional engagement allows girls to practice creative problem solving, flexible thinking

and risk taking.

The arts provide an opportunity not just to answer questions but to create new questions. As art

teachers, we give our students problems to solve in an innovative manner while remaining within a

materials-based structure. As a result, middle school girls go beyond passively looking for solutions

to seeing the beauty in a problem’s intricacies and contradictions. Art students interpret global ideas,

challenges and historical innovations through visual and performance-based means, connecting

universal themes to their own lives. In Eighth-Grade Visual Art, each girl explores her identity

through mediums of clay, photography, collage and drawing. She reflects upon her past, dreams and

the pieces of her present life that make her who she is. In doing so, girls learn art skills and think

deeply while articulating their burgeoning personal identities in a safe environment. Creative

problem solving within the frameworks of materials, time and themes, challenges girls to express

themselves as learners while experiencing the same thought processes, setbacks and successes as

professional artists, performers and designers.

Flexible thinking occurs naturally in the fine arts classroom when students are asked to imagine and

embrace several possible outcomes for a project. In Seventh-Grade Ceramics, students regularly

encounter unexpected structural roadblocks during the forming process and must determine an

alternate approach in response to these challenges. Due to the procedural nature of ceramic art,

starting over is rarely an option. During the initial kiln firing, pieces can shatter, crack or break due

to uneven forming, air pockets or weak clay attachments. The final glaze results can contrast

dramatically with a student’s original vision. The healthy challenge of some unpredictability offers

girls an invaluable opportunity to practice release, embrace surprise and celebrate an unexpected

in the MS Fine Arts Program

Creativity and imagination

“What is the good of teaching various subjects, of wasting time in learning them,

if at the same time we cannot teach children the words of life and touch their

hearts and their consciences?”

–St. Madeleine Sophie

The Ridge Report 5

outcome. The middle school fine arts classroom is a place

where correcting, amending, altering, adjusting, tweaking and

making creative enhancements are all a part of the fun!

Teachers offer specific, positive and realistic feedback

throughout the girls’ creation process in an effort to model

flexible thinking. Our hope is to inspire girls to work with

mistakes, accept a lack of precision, create a realistic plan and

celebrate the process over the final product.

The commitment to risk taking is an integral aspect of personal

growth and happens best in the atmosphere of wise freedom

we foster in fine arts classes. These classes hold the unique

possibility for the girls to lead and direct the progress of the

class in a way that matches their passions and talents. In

Eighth-Grade Literary Magazine, students guide the

publication process and are asked to trust each other as a team

and to trust themselves in creating a personal writing piece

that will be shared with the larger community. Throughout the

fine arts, we develop a safe environment in which students feel

comfortable taking risks and owning their personal opinions,

struggles and creations in a manner that respects those of their

classmates. Cultivating a communal space that minimizes a

fear of failure teaches girls to trust themselves and their fellow

artists. This respects the messiness of the creative process and

encourages a lifelong commitment to innovation. A girl who

has embraced her fine arts education will discover that, often,

our best and most creative successes develop out of a long

process of experimentation, perseverance and refinement; to

discover this in middle school gives students a great advantage

in all of their endeavors.

6 The Ridge Report

a Forest Ridge education?

Gina’s words captivated the room filled with new students and

their parents, as well as the faculty and staff who were gathered

there. Her infectious enthusiasm for Forest Ridge and her firsthand

experience answers best the question, “Why a Forest Ridge

education?”

A graduate of George Washington University, where she earned

both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, Gina currently

works at the University of Washington in the Office of the

Architect. She aspires to design a kind of university and eventually

become a university president. To that end, she recently gained

acceptance into several Master of Architecture graduate programs

to which she applied, including Rhode Island School of Design.

Reprinted here is Gina’s speech to these incoming ninth-grade

students; it offers insight into what a Forest Ridge education did

for her and what it can do for your student. I hope you enjoy it

as much as I did.

“I spent a great deal of time reflecting on the question, “Why

Forest Ridge for high school?” The art of reflection comes

naturally to me. It is something I have been practicing since

I entered Forest Ridge in the fifth grade: [It’s] a time to sort

through and analyze thoughts, experiences and feelings that

will provide me with a conclusion, a decision ... an answer.

However, I am still struggling with this “Why” question because

I simply knew that the education I would receive at Forest Ridge

would help me become a phenomenal woman. To give you some

context, I visited Forest Ridge when I was seven, and while I

vaguely remember a vacuum chair surfing across Mr. Fenoli’s

classroom, I vividly remember the feeling of certainness, the same

one that I have right now as I tell you that the four years you will

spend in the Forest Ridge High School will change your life

forever. To be fair, my parents had me look at other schools while

I was applying (in fourth grade and again during 8th grade). They

wanted to make sure that my gut feeling was based on fact. And

they were right: on both occasions, looking at other programs and

comparing them to Forest Ridge solidified my confidence in my

decision to come here.

So what happened to me in high school? Well, I met one of my best

friends, Talyn, at high school orientation. She was joining Forest

Ridge from another school, and we’ve been best friends ever since.

I engaged in debates on politics and history with Mr. Shoemaker

and Ms. Turner, spent countless hours stage prepping for our

musicals, explored new art mediums with Mr. Manion, uncovered

the mysteries of the world through science with Mr. Fenoli, learned

about who I was becoming with Ms. Palin and Ms. Boerth and

struggled but finally achieved a strong five-paragraph persuasive

essay for Sr. O’Dea!

Then there was planning for congé and senior skip ... dreaming

up the perfect senior prank (we “borrowed” all of the chairs across

the high school and locked them in a giant horse trailer, which we

parked across the head of school’s parking spot) ... baking bread on

Diana C. Wall, RSCJ, ’82 (Broadway) Director of Advancement

Why“I recognize how much my time in high school shaped who I have become.... [I]t strengthened my

passion to learn and ... discover and my courage to change the world ... in short, to become the

phenomenal woman I dreamed of becoming when I was a young girl,” Gina Fernandes ’04 shared in

her speech at the high school welcome party for newly admitted ninth-grade students last February.

The Ridge Report 7

the 10th grade retreat ... the library that lived in the back of my Volvo

... countless Junior State of America conferences ... Kairos ... volleyball

matches ... flash mobs at Copper Jesus ... my amazing senior (who, to

this day, is still one of the coolest women I know) and that one time

that a classmate and I got into a HUGE green-paint war in the newly

redone Commons during a basketball game, and we scrambled to

clean up our mess before anyone realized we made one.

When I reflected on these experiences I recognize[d] how much my

time in high school shaped who I have become.... [I]t strengthened

my passion to learn and ... discover and my courage to change the

world ... in short, to become the phenomenal woman I dreamed of

becoming when I was a young girl. My choice for college was easy....

I ended up at the George Washington University in Washington,

D.C., after looking at a mix of both coed and all-women’s colleges.

We live in a world made up of people of different races and

ethnicities, sexual orientations, social backgrounds and religious

beliefs. I knew I wanted to attend a school that would expose me

to the world, and my Forest Ridge education provided me with

the confidence, vocabulary and open mindedness to either embrace

new ideas or comfortably, and, sometimes, rather vocally, disagree

with them.

In college, I varsity lettered in women’s rowing, actively participated

in student government, served as an orientation freshman leader and

explored the political and cultural histories of East Asia. In graduate

school, I created a new administrative program for my university,

served as a university ambassador (I met Jon Stewart and Kerry

Washington! And I stood an arm’s-length away from Henry

Kissinger.) and researched how the physical space transforms how

college students interact with one another. Now, I’m anxiously waiting

for acceptance letters to Master of Architecture programs. I aspire to

design a new-style universit[y] and eventually become a university

president. And my classmates from high school? Well, they are

doctors, lawyers, corporate managers, rock climbers, social advocates,

actors, teachers and scientific researchers. And each one of them is

doing her part to change the world, just as we dreamed about when

we were in high school.

In my effort to find you the answer to, “Why Forest Ridge for high

school?” I pulled out my yearbook last night from 2001. I flipped

through the pages of my class and looked at these smiling young

women with “Coeur de Jesus” ringing ·in their hearts and a gleam

of mischief in their eyes, and I reflected on the awesomeness of my

classmates, my sisters. So I will answer, “Why Forest Ridge for high

school?” with a question for each of you to reflect on.

Each of you has a phenomenal woman inside who anxiously awaits to

change the world. Will you let Forest Ridge nurture her spirit, give

her a voice and support her as she becomes who you want her to be?

I did, and it was the best decision I have ever made.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you today.

I wish you the best on your journey.”

“I knew I wanted to attend a school that would expose me to the world, and my Forest Ridge education provided me with the confidence, vocabulary, and open­mindedness to either embrace new ideas or comfortably, and, sometimes, rather vocally, disagree with them.”

8 The Ridge Report

As a part of our Lenten devotion this year, we installed a labyrinth in the Sacred Heart Chapel. A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that has been adapted over the centuries. People have walked labyrinths for thousands of years. They have been used in many faiths and cultures, from places as far apart as China, Greece, India, Ireland, Spain and Scandinavia. The labyrinth was on campus for three weeks. Students walked the labyrinth with their religion class, as well as on their own before or after school or during lunch. In a world filled with noise and distractions, the labyrinth is a way to quiet our hearts and minds to hear what God might be trying to say.

The labyrinth is a metaphor for life’s journey. Over the past few weeks, I have had the time to ponder this as I sat in the Chapel with the girls as they made their labyrinth walk.

The path doesn’t always seem clear: Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has one path. When watching the girls, I noticed that girls would look frustrated when they were trying to figure out the path. The girls that surrendered to the experience and allowed the path to take them where it would, seemed to enjoy the experience more. What a marvelous lesson for us: Sometimes we need to surrender to the experience and not worry about trying to figure everything out.

Take time to pause in the middle: Just as the path leads to the center, we move slowly to our center as well. When walking the labyrinth, there is an opportunity to pause in the middle for reflection. A number of girls relished this part of the labyrinth walk: lying down in the middle, closing her eyes, even falling asleep. My experience of being in the middle of the labyrinth is that there is a sense of safety and security. It feels comfortable in the middle, so much so that it is hard to leave.

At times our friends are close, and at times they are far away: Watching others walk the labyrinth is almost as rewarding as making the walk yourself. One student described it as a dance. This was especially powerful for our seniors, as they begin to grapple with the reality that their days as a class at Forest Ridge are dwindling rapidly. When walking the labyrinth in community, it is easy to see how we can support one other by our presence. Likewise, it is easy to see that at times we walk close by one another’s side, and at other times we are far away from each other, all the while on the same path.

This was our third year of welcoming the labyrinth to campus. It has been a blessing to watch the girls grow in their understanding of this spiritual practice and in their appreciation for the value of silent reflection. May you and your family have a blessed Easter season!

LabyrinthLeSSonS fRoM the

Tanya Lange Campus Minister

The Ridge Report 9

JourneyMy Lent and leadership

During this time of Lent many around me have been vocal about what they are forgoing in their spring ritual of cleanse and renewal. I listen to these things: chocolate, meat, sugar; the list of food items to give up during Lent is lengthy. But this Lent for me presented an opportunity to reflect on the mental or physical behaviors that may affect my ability to lead and discern authentically. This means questioning my automatic responses and fasting from engagement without intentionality. This is hard. It’s similar to deciding to always tell the truth; great in theory but often uncomfortable for myself and others when actually practiced.

I began this Lenten observance on Ash Wednesday while in Bethlehem with the Peace and Reconciliation team of 2011-12. As various members of the team discussed the significance of Ash Wednesday and the 40 days until Easter eve, I reflected on the power of self-restraint from automatic response. We had been travelling together since the previous Thursday, on long flights and bumpy bus rides and rain-drenched walks along the cobbled corridors of the Old City of Jerusalem. During those few days, I found myself responding differently to small daily things. The rain that sours my mood in Seattle made me feel hopeful in Jerusalem. The woman who bumped into me as she rushed to the bakery didn’t automatically annoy me; she made me curious: “What’s her rush?,” I wondered. In my journal I noticed the difference geography can make in automatic responses and how easy it can be to revert to automatic pilot in certain moments of the day as they become routine. But what could happen if I work not to do this? How will I be changed if I start with questioning my automatic response and making a conscious choice?

And so I began my Lenten journey. The first two days after Ash Wednesday presented themselves as challenges. Every question asked of me was met with deliberate silence; every thought I had was immediately followed with, “Why am I thinking this?” While this presented physical tension for me, as though I were holding my body back from the starting line after the pistol had been fired, I noticed something shift in the landscape around me. Potential problems, like a closed garden when the guidebook said it was open, or a missing bus driver when the group was hungry, or even a surly guard telling me, “No,” when the answer was supposed to be, “Yes, of course,” became opportunities for creativity.

As I faced these minor obstacles with internal curiosity and an intention to examine my responses, I recognized that there is a vital connection between curiosity and creativity, and this relationship is inherent in every leadership function. I made the decision to write down my Lenten discipline accomplishments every day, and the entries read like a shorthand casting list for a low-budget movie:

–Unfriendly guard - curious, not annoyed

–Weird hotel clerk with wrong rate for room – curious, not irate

What has the impact been on my daily life as I continue my practice back home? I’d have to let you read my journal for that, but so far I am leaning towards understanding the need to infuse leadership with a willingness to engage from a place of intentionality, curiosity and creativity. The automatic response is a good fight or flight impulse, and one could argue it saves brain space for other more meaningful activities, but in the conversation of leadership, isn’t every detail important?

Kisha Palmer Program DirectorWomen As Global Leaders

4800 139th Avenue SEBellevue, WA 98006-3015

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDSeattle, WA

Permit No. 259

Spring has officially arrived; the leaves are popping, and the flowers are blooming. The days are getting longer, and we all have the opportunity to get outside more often. One of the best things about spring on the Forest Ridge campus is the opportunity that it lends for students, teachers and volunteering parents to spend some time out of doors, enjoying the beautiful setting up on ”the Ridge”!

The Parent Association hosted a competitive evening of bingo for the middle school mothers and daughters early in March, an exciting night of laser tag for the high school fathers and daughters at the end of January and an inspiring week of events in the library in February to celebrate Love your Library Week. Once again, many thanks to all of our generous parent volunteers who lend their time and energy to organizing these fun-filled events for our community, all the while reinforcing Sacred Heart Goal IV, the building of community. Thank you!

Believe it or not, the Parent Association is beginning to recruit volunteers for the 2012-2013 school year. There are many opportunities to get involved, support Forest Ridge and get to know other parents.

We are looking for parent representatives, event chairs, and support for these coordinators. Please be on the look out for the volunteer form that will soon be coming your way. Take some time to read it over, and let us know what you might like to do! In the meantime, if you would like more information about getting involved, please contact our PA Volunteer Coordinator, Luann Desautel, at frvolunteer@gmail.com.

Following our April 5 Parent Advisory meeting, the Parent Association posted the slate of PA officers for the 2012-2013 school year. Please join me in thanking members of the Nominating Committee for the considerable time and attention they have devoted to this process.

We are excited to have so many dedicated volunteers who enjoy working to support the Parent Association, faculty, staff and, ultimately, the students! Thank you and Happy Spring!

Arrival of spring prompts call for 2012-2013 volunteers

Amy Anderson and Cynthia Seely Parent Association Co-Presidents