Dear Saint Ursula Community,
We had a really strong start to the school year last week. Your daughters are absolutely amazing! I witnessed many ways that they supported each other and extended that welcome to our prospective students on Friday’s Dawg Day. Kudos to the Admissions Team for an outstanding event on Friday and to our GAA for planning a fun pep rally full of Bulldog spirit. There were so many big and little moments last week that I will remember, but my favorite was seeing all the students dancing as a school when the pep rally concluded. Their joy in being together at that moment was a great example of the special community at SUA. That same joy was apparent in a different way at our first school Mass today to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
I promised some explanation of this year’s theme Change Starts with U: EXPAND. For the sake of brevity here, I am going to explain the ideas encompassed in this year’s theme in this link.
Lelia and I are so blessed to work with outstanding colleagues who help in leading the school in various capacities. Since several of them are new to SUA or long-time employees in new roles, the rest of this letter is devoted to introductions; a few more will follow next week.
Amber Grayson, Vice Principal of Academics
Amber Grayson is thrilled to join the dedicated team of educators and students at Saint Ursula Academy. She is faith-filled and deeply committed to the growth and development of people and loves learning! This year marks her 20th year in education, and she has served as an administrator for the past 14 years – 11 of which have been at an all girls Catholic high school. As a mom to two girls, Violet (8 years old) and Willow (6 years old), she recognizes the immense value and significance an all-girls education can have on young women. Amber appreciates the commitment to academic excellence, service and community that define SUA.
Since arriving on campus, she has been welcomed warmly by faculty, staff, students and families. Like the freshmen, Amber has relied on the caring faculty, staff and students to guide her these past several weeks. She has been impressed by everyone’s willingness to help out when finding her way around SUA’s campus, and she looks forward to growing and learning together this year!
Kathy Hammond, Vice Principal of Student Life
Kathy Hammond is in her 13th year at Saint Ursula Academy. For the past 12 years Kathy Hammond has taught Latin at the Academy and also began working as the Student Engagement Coordinator in the 2021-2022 school year before moving into student life full time and becoming the Vice Principal of Student Life this school year. Kathy is passionate about student programming and making sure that student life and student engagement opportunities at Saint Ursula Academy are robust and meet the needs and interests of each and every student. She views student programming through the lens of equity and inclusion and making sure all members of the community feel as though they belong and are valued members of Saint Ursula Academy. She lives in Deer Park with her family and two dogs and in her free time she loves to read, hike, and explore new parts of the city.
Rachel Choquette Kemper '91, Senior Director of Service, Equity and Global Education
Rachel Choquette Kemper is the Senior Director of Service, Equity, and Global Education at Saint Ursula Academy. She has been working at SUA in this field for the last 20 years. She lives in Pleasant Ridge with her husband and four children, ages 10-20. She received her Masters in Education from Boston College. She is certified in elementary education and she now supports high school teachers and students with service learning, justice projects, and global education. In the past year and a half, her work has been focusing on global competence and its link with equity and inclusion. Due to this, she has launched our inaugural Global Scholars program this school year. Rachel is also very excited during this school year to share that she has received a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program award and will be working on this through summer 2024!
Pamela Mallory, Coordinator of Diversity, Equity and Belonging
Pam is excited to join the Saint Ursula Academy Community as the Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging. Pam has two Bachelor's degrees; one in French with a Minor in Spanish and the other in Sports & Biomechanics. She has years of experience in planning, leadership, and teaching individuals of all ages. She has had the privilege to lead in other organizations at University of Cincinnati; UCLAN (University of Cincinnati Latino Alumni Network), Latinos En Acción, and Alpha Psi Lambda - Co-ed Latino Fraternity, Inc. She serves on the DEIB committee at her children’s school, Mercy Montessori, and is constantly learning how to be more open and mindful. Her lived experience as a first-generation Canadian of Chilean parents gives her a unique and valuable perspective on DEI.
Have a great week! Go Bulldogs!
Kathy Restle