Sacred Heart Academy faculty, staff, and students have welcomed several new staff members into the SHA community. Positive feedback has been gathered from the students in regard to these new teachers, as each is doing a wonderful job on their new vocation at the Academy. The Alethea will be doing several articles in honor of these new additions to the Sacred Heart family. In this edition of The Alethea, two new teachers, Mr. Kelley and Mrs. Santiago will be formally introduced to the student body.
Mr. Kelley is the new addition to the SHA history department, as he teaches the junior class in AP United States History, as well as the freshman class in the subject of Human Geography. Mr. Kelley decided to become a member of the SHA faculty after retiring from teaching at Stamford Highschool in 2021. Shortly after retiring, the beloved teacher was asked to return to the high school due to a shortage in the teaching profession, where he continued to teach for the next three years. Mr. Kelley always wanted to return to his Alma Mater, Stamford Catholic High School to teach, but sadly the school closed. However, due to his desire to teach at a private, Catholic high school, Mr. Kelley took up an opportunity for an interview at Sacred Heart Academy. Mr. Kelley originally spoke to Sr. Kathleen on the phone in regard to establishing an interview and getting to know more about the school, as he did not know much about the Academy. When the day of the interview arrived, Mr. Kelley was impressed by both the architecture of the campus and how friendly and welcoming Sr. Kathleen was. He could tell, as he states, “that she cared a lot about the kids,” due to this interaction, Mr. Kelley was certain that this was the place for him, as he was very impressed by the atmosphere of Sacred Heart Academy, which was apparent from his first visit to the Mount.
Certified in both English and social studies, Mr. Kelley enjoys teaching history more as he knows a lot about history and is a self-proclaimed “history nerd”. Mr. Kelley had primarily taught English in his past teaching professions, especially as a new teacher fresh out of college. When teaching literature, he would always provide his class with the historical background of the text in order to allow them to think more critically as to why the text was written, what influenced the author in writing the text, as well as to share his love of history with his students. However, due to his double certification, Mr. Kelley would often fill in when a social studies teacher was needed, whether during the customary school year, or in summer school programs. Along with teaching, Mr. Kelley was also a coach for a wide variety of sports including football, baseball, middle school basketball, cross country, skiing, tennis, and indoor track.
The World Language Department at Sacred Heart Academy has also welcomed a new staff member, Mrs. Santiago. Mrs. Santiago teaches Spanish I, Spanish II, and Honors Spanish II. Mrs. Santiago is beloved by all of her Spanish students, because of how easy she makes the foreign language for them to learn. She is a very kind and patient teacher who is always willing to help each of her students. Mrs. Santiago also has a love for Latin dancing, as seen in our Shades of SHA assembly where she did an outstanding job, as described by all the students. Mrs. Santiago is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she spent many years of her life. In San Juan, she was a French teacher at a coed Catholic School. Mrs. Santiago decided to come to the Academy due to her liking the work balance as well as the spiritual aspect of the Academy. To Mrs. Santiago, her spiritual life is a very important aspect of her day-to-day routine, so being in a place that prioritizes Catholic community allows for her to have a balance between both work and faith. When asked how she was enjoying her time at the Academy, Mrs. Santiago said, “I love it, it is a very good experience.”
When both teachers were asked about their favorite aspect of the Sacred Heart Academy experience, each answered with, “the students”. Both Mrs. Santiago and Mr. Kelley commented on how hard working and resilient SHA girls are. Each claimed that SHA students put enormous amounts of effort into their schoolwork, which shows both in class and on paper. Mr. Kelley also commented on how he can tell that every Sacred Heart Academy student has a very bright future ahead of her, as he is able to predict this outcome due to observing both the academic and behavioral aspects of every student. Mr. Kelley also claims that the “meritocracy of Sacred Heart is impressive” as girls learn that success is earned by the amount of work and effort they put in, which will pay off later in life. For both new teachers, SHA girls are exemplary students who truly show what hard work, devotion, and effort look like.