Fall 2019: Heartbeat and Annual Report 2019 Fall Heartbeat and Annual Report | Page 12

Explore with Courage
When Dr. Hendele graduated from Sacred Heart, he attended
Saint Ignatius College Prep and participated in two study
abroad programs—one in Italy and one in Japan. In reflecting
upon these experiences, Dr. Hendele notes that while it wasn’t
difficult to get accepted to the program, the actual experience
of living abroad was challenging. This challenge, however, is
what allowed him to grow as a person.
James Hendele H’98 (3rd from left) is joined by his parents, John and
Rachelle, and his wife, Heejai Kwon, at Angel Brunch. Dr. Hendele’s brothers,
John H’96 and Joseph H’00, also went to Sacred Heart.
When Dr. James Hendele H’98, featured speaker at the 2019
Angel Brunch, looks back upon his time at Sacred Heart, he
remembers a “safe and comfortable place to grow up and learn
life’s lessons.” Over the nine years that he spent at Sacred Heart,
he grew to want to emulate those faculty and staff whom he
felt saw him as a whole person.
Today, as a medical doctor who has also lived, worked, and
volunteered internationally, Dr. Hendele has more than lived
up to those people and qualities he found so inspiring.
Dr. Hendele credits his time at Sacred Heart for helping him
to become “intellectually curious and confident.” He fondly
remembers Mrs. Jody Stawicki’s passion for American history.
Like many of his fellow alums, Mrs. Stawicki’s “Notable
Americans” project left a lasting impression on him—he feels
that it was essential in “developing confidence, poise, public
speaking abilities, all of which are really foundational for
success in any occupation.”
He also found inspiration in the often-repeated story of
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne and her incredible journey and
life story. He admires that she accepted risk and challenges,
believing in herself and the work that she was doing. “She was
just willing to let the spirit and the world show her who she
was going to be,” he says. St. Philippine’s life story, and the
unfaltering support he received at Sacred Heart, provided
him with the tools and the conviction needed to pursue and
accomplish difficult things.
Dr. Hendele’s love of experiencing new communities and
cultures led him to college at St Andrews in Scotland, then
into the Peace Corps. While in the Peace Corps, he lived in
a rural village in southwestern Tanzania, where he taught
math and science to secondary school students. Dr. Hendele
encountered a multitude of hurdles on a daily basis, such as a
lack of textbooks, language barriers, and needing to discern
how best to teach basic math and science skills. He continued
to grow as he faced each challenge.
Over the nine years that he
spent at Sacred Heart, he grew
to want to emulate those
faculty and staff whom he felt
saw him as a whole person.
Upon returning from the Peace Corps, Dr. Hendele began a
new journey—he entered medical school at the University of
Illinois at Chicago, where he recently completed his general
surgical residency.
Much like the alums before and after him, Dr. Hendele
remembers more acutely the things he learned about himself at
Sacred Heart rather than concrete facts and figures. The lessons
that he took away—how to live as a good person, find meaning
in service and selflessness, and cultivate self-awareness—are
integral parts of who he is today. Like the Sacred Heart faculty
and staff that he so admired, Dr. Hendele has chosen to lead
by example and, he says, “To strive for equity and equality in
the patients that I care for and the people that I meet.” To
read an excerpt of Dr. Hendele’s Angel Brunch speech, see page 12.
Alums Give It Their All
Athletics is always about more than whatever sport is being
played. It’s about values, determination, and team spirit. On
May 31, Sacred Heart Schools celebrated current Academy
and Hardey athletes at two assemblies. Invited to speak were
two accomplished high school alums who shared their experi-
ence of being a student-athlete: Max Tiemann H’15, who
spoke to Hardey students, and Margaret Fleming A’15, who
spoke to Academy students.
While at Sacred Heart, Max ran cross country (3rd-8th grade),
played basketball (4th-8th grade), volleyball (6th-8th grade)
and flag football (8th grade). Then, as an active young alum,
Max returned to Sheridan Road to coach 6th grade basketball
for four years, as well as Biddy Basketball in fall 2018. Many
current Hardey students were lucky enough to work with
Max, who believes that it is better to play the game and give
it your all than to never play the game. While he distinctly
remembers both his wins and his losses over the years, he has
found that the friends and relationships he formed through
playing make him the happiest when he looks back at his
Sacred Heart sports career.
In high school at Saint Ignatius, Max got a surprise. He thought
that he would play baseball for four years. Instead, he quit
baseball after one year and began tennis, a sport in which he
had never competed. Despite his lack of experience, he loved
the sport so much that he played tennis for the remainder
of high school. He encouraged the Hardey students to pursue
what they love, even if they don’t win all the time. He says
wisely, “Winning isn’t just defined by the final score—you win
by giving it your all every time you play the game.”
Like Max, Margaret played multiple sports at Sacred Heart:
cross country, soccer, volleyball, and basketball for four years.
In addition to sports, Margaret was also on yearbook and
was in the Middle School musical all three years. She feels
that being a student-athlete at Sacred Heart made her a well-
rounded person.
Margaret made a conscious decision in high school at Saint
Ignatius to play only basketball—no other sports. While she
excelled at her game and was co-captain of her team senior
year, she was also co-editor-in-chief of her school news site,
volunteered every week, led retreats, and served on multiple
cultural club executive boards.
Margaret feels that her decision led her to pursue other
passions and interests. She loves that, “Sacred Heart never
limited the kind of person I was,” and she is extremely grateful
for the many athletic—and other—opportunities that she
had on Sheridan Road. She inspired the Academy girls with
this thoughtful reflection: “If we place ourselves inside of one
box, one sport, one club, one friend, or one personality trait,
we’re letting the world define us as that one thing. You are
never going to be just one thing.”
We wish them all the best this fall when Max goes on to
Marquette University to study business and Margaret goes to
Northwestern University to study journalism.
(above) Margaret Fleming A’15, middle, is welcomed back by Margot DiMuzio,
Assistant Athletic Director, and Matt Manley, Athletic Director.
(left) Max Tiemann H’15 meets with his former buddy, Ignatius Doherty H5,
for a bit of catching up!
FALL 2019
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