Announcing the 2017-2018 Goal Award Winner
Each year, the Sacred Heart community focuses on one of the five Goals and Criteria, which are the guiding principles of a Sacred Heart education. The Goal Award, bestowed annually, is the Schools’ most prestigious honor and was established to recognize a person or organization whose life and work exemplifies one of these Goals. In honoring Goal III this year, we have the great pleasure to announce that the recipient of the 2017-2018 Goal Award is Susan Maxwell, RSCJ, who served as Director of Sacred Heart Schools on Sheridan Road from 1997-2009.
Goal III calls the schools of the Sacred Heart to: commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action, an effort embodied by Sr. Maxwell’ s leadership. She was integral to establishing Sheridan Road’ s commitment to serve the Edgewater community. Upon assessing the greatest local needs, Sr. Maxwell founded the Children of the Heart in 2000, a program that provided access to early childhood education to low-income families with infant children through age 3, as well as information on pediatric health and effective parenting skills. Children of the Heart has now evolved into Edgewater Kids United( EKU), an after-school program that offers neighborhood youth a safe space to have fun, play sports, get help with homework and find mentorship.
It was thanks to Sr. Maxwell’ s leadership that community service was woven more effectively into the fabric of the Schools’ curriculum. When asked if she has a preferred Criterion within Goal III, Sr. Maxwell said,“ It’ s hard for me to choose one because all are important. But Criteria 4: In our multicultural world, the school prepares and inspires students to be active, informed, and responsible citizens locally, nationally, and globally, particularly resonates with me today. As our children grow into adulthood it is so important that they see themselves as citizens of the world. The multicultural community at Sheridan Road helps all of us to live as global citizens, understand and appreciate one another and our various cultures.”
Sr. Maxwell will spend several days on campus this fall, and will receive the Goal Award at the Parents of the Heart Christmas Luncheon on Nov. 30.
Sr. Maxwell autographs her most recent book“ Times Change: A History of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools,” published in August 2017. The book is available through iuniverse. com.
Goal III
Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action.
1. The school educates to a critical consciousness that leads its total community to analyze and reflect on the values of society and to act for justice.
2. The school offers all its members opportunities for direct service and advocacy and instills a life-long commitment to service.
3. The school is linked in a reciprocal manner with ministries among people who are poor, marginalized and suffering from injustice.
4. In our multicultural world, the school prepares and inspires students to be active, informed, and responsible citizens locally, nationally, and globally.
5. The school teaches respect for creation and prepares students to be stewards of the earth’ s resources.
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