WE DID IT! We successfully completed all 4 of our Donor Challenge Matches!
This year’s March for the Heart appeal was a team effort, all because of you, our loyal donors! As of April 1, 2025 March for the Heart has raised $68,821.81 in donations, pledges and matching gift pledges from 193 unique donors!
Below, Tim Horner, Head of School, Cindy Johnson, Director of Advancement, and Sharon Mitsler, Director of Alumni, Parents of Alumni and Hospitality, share a March for the Heart wrap-up message.
The March for the Heart Alumni & Family Giving Challenge is wrapping up with more than $68,000! With 202 gifts, pledges and matching gift pledges from 179 donors across the U.S., the impact made on our students and the Academy is incredible. Throughout the campaign, alumni shared notes of gratitude for their Sacred Heart education:
The Academy taught me how to make meaningful connections with others, and how to be academically successful while still challenging myself. I love ASH!
— Isabel King ’20
The Academy will always be my “forever family.”
— Bonnie (Mullen ’67) McCarty
The Academy built my foundation to go about my life. I find myself able to go beyond the odds because of the things I was taught. The community is one of my favorite parts of ASH. Many of my classmates are very close and my teachers still care even as I have moved on in my life. I thank the Academy for all the memories I have made.
— Katherine Gaylord ’21
Busy? Need to Renew? Join us April 7-11 for a Busy Person’s Retreat (BPR). This week-long retreat is an invitation to live mindfully in the midst of busy days.
This week, Mr. Horner shares gratitude for one of our beloved RSCJ, Sister Margaret Munch, as well as news to honor her in the months ahead.
One the great privileges of serving as the 46th Head of School has been the blessing of the presence and insight from Sister Margaret Munch. Her deep faith and love for Philippine are palpable. Today I am sharing that Sister Munch will move to Oakwood, the RSCJ retirement community in Atherton, CA, this summer.
Our community will surely miss her in St. Charles. Before she departs, it is my pleasure to announce that we will recognize Sister Munch as the Honorary Chair of Chemin de Fer in May. There could be no more appropriate person than Sister as we celebrate, honor, and appreciate her imprint on so many.
“Cache Cache” is a traditional French group game of hide and seek, and we have some great spots around campus to play. Our Academy Student Ambassadors and I would love to show you in person on a tour. Schedule a tour with me today!
We’re off to Neverland! The Peter Pan Jr. cast and crew, along with Mrs. Alarcon, Mrs. Foor, and Ms. Weiss, have been working hard to transport audiences. Join us on this magical journey for our spring musical.
As March begins, the Academy launches into fundraising warp speed with the March for the Heart Alumni & Family Giving Challenge, followed by Chemin de Fer, our largest fundraiser on May 3. March for the Heart is in its seventh year, while Chemin celebrates 51 years and this year they share a connection, thanks to generations of generosity.
In 1975, Jack Drake, began Chemin de Fer, when the idea of a casino auction was a bold new venture. Chemin de Fer, the French word for “railroad,” and also the name of a casino game played on the French Riviera, set our fundraising train in motion. What began 50 years ago as an evening of casino games and lavish hors d’oeuvres has grown to an event with stunning décor, a fabulous sit-down dinner, incredible auction items and a grand celebration of our community.
Now, Jack’s daughter, Michele Drake ’78, has pledged a $10,000 Challenge Gift during March for the Heart as a way to honor her father. Michele is matching dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 total in donations for gifts to the Jane Cannon Legacy of Love and Learning Endowed Scholarship Fund. Giving back to the Academy and helping it thrive was vital to her father and he set a strong example. Jane Cannon also epitomized generosity to the Academy and Michele’s gift will help provide scholarships to Academy students.
Busy? Need to Renew?
Join us April 7-11 for a Busy Person’s Retreat at the Academy of the Sacred Heart
A busy person’s retreat (BPR) is a week-long retreat for people like yourself, a busy person in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. It begins with an Opening Prayer and an opportunity to meet your Spiritual Companion on Monday afternoon at the Academy.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you are encouraged to take a half hour of personal prayer each day and to meet with your Companion to discuss your spiritual journey and to help you discover the movements of God in your life. The retreat closes with prayer/reflection on Friday afternoon.
The BPR is open to all and is an invitation to live mindfully in God’s presence in the midst of your busy, daily activities and to learn how to integrate this into your life even after the retreat is over.
Components of the Retreat:
This flexible retreat opportunity is open to ALL Academy alumni, faculty, staff, parents and trustees, whatever your faith tradition. If you are unable to commit to all the components of the retreat, please don’ t let that hold you back from participating. Be open to whatever you need in this moment. The Spirit works, no matter what.
The Spiritual Companion
During the retreat you will have an opportunity to meet with a spiritual companion. Your companion will help you to listen to God’s presence and assist with whatever will make it easier for you to enter more fully into relationship with God. With your companion you explore what you have experienced of God’s inner working in you. You might share your desires or discouragements, your joys or sorrows. The purpose of the companioning sessions is to help you become more attuned to God’s presence through dialog with another. Your meetings with your Companion will be held in confidential respect and trust.
Donna Collins, RSCJ
Donna Collins, RSCJ grew up and received her education in Australia. She has been a teacher, administrator and trustee in several schools in the USC province and was the coordinator of Sacred Heart Schools in the Australia-New Zealand province for three years. Donna served on the Sophia Commission, an international commission whose role was to integrate education and JPIC at the international level. Remaining in Rome, she served as the Secretary General of the Society for six years and more recently, she served as a member of the provincial team. As an administrator, Donna found herself hearing the heart stories of faculty, staff and students and realized that it was essential that she undertake further training to be able to walk with others in their spiritual journey. She did her training in spiritual accompaniment at the Claret Center in Chicago in 2011.
Sally (Sara Ann) Rude, RSCJ
Sr. Sally Rude is an Alum of Broadway in San Francisco. She has served as both a teacher and administrator in a number of Sacred Heart Schools, including El Cajon, Menlo Park, 91st Street, Grand Coteau, and the Josephinum. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Washington University, St. Louis. In the last 24 years she has served in Rome, Uganda, Indonesia, Hungary, France and Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was trained as a spiritual director at St. Louis University and at the Jesuit Spirituality Center, St. Beuno’s in Wales, U.K., and has served over the years as a spiritual director, most recently for a year at the Society’s retreat house in Joigny, France. After being Oakwood’s Community Director in California, she now lives in St. Louis.
This week Rollin and Akesha Jackson offer their reflections as parents of Rollin Jr. “RJ” ’17 and Paige. They credit the Academy for a wonderful foundation for their children and are grateful for their time at ASH.
Since our invitation to visit in 2008 with our son, we knew ASH was the right place for our family. Our family values have always been aligned with the Goals of Sacred Heart education. We are proud and blessed by the foundation built at the Academy which is rooted in faith, integrity, community, service and most importantly, the continued growth and success of our children, Rollin Jr. “RJ” and Paige.
Paige graduated with honors from St. Joseph’s Academy in 2024. She has earned the Girl Scout Trifecta Award (the highest awards, Bronze, Silver, and Gold) and her love for scouting was started and cultivated while at ASH. She is completing her freshman year at Fairfield University in Connecticut majoring in biology on a pre-medical track. She also plays field hockey for Fairfield as a goalkeeper, winning the NEC Championship in the 2024 season with her team.
We are excited to announce that you can maximize your gift with Challenge Matches!
Gifts to the Annual Fund:
Gifts to the Jane Cannon Legacy of Love and Learning Endowed Scholarship:
