Independent School Diversity Seminar Begins July 9
National program co-sponsored by Diversity Directions and Stone Ridge

Bethesda, Maryland—Diversity Directions and Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart are co-sponsors of the upcoming "Independent School Diversity Seminar," a national program for school leaders and educators, which opens July 9-14, 2007 on the campus of Stone Ridge at 9101 Rockville Pike in Bethesda, Maryland. More than seventy educators will be in attendance, coming from fourteen states, from Maine to California.

Spearheaded by Christine Savini, Founder and Principal Consultant of Diversity Directions, and hosted by Constance Mattox, Director of Multicultural Affairs at Stone Ridge, the seminar is designed to "help schools develop a common language to examine personal, interpersonal, and institutional factors that can advance or impede a school’s diversity initiative." The full seminar and small group sessions will give participants practical "approaches and methods to design systems, enhance climate, and ensure lasting progress" in their own schools.

The featured speaker is Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., President of Spelman College and author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? ...And Other Conversations About Race. Dr. Tatum will address "Racial Identity Development in Children and Adolescents."

Seminar topics include: Why Your Personal Culture Matters to Your School; Bias Among the Well-Intentioned; Hiring a Diverse Faculty: Obstacles and Strategies; Creating a Strategic Plan for Diversity; Identifying Privilege and Entitlement in Independent Schools; and Diversity Beyond Black and White: Asian-American and Latino Student Issues. For more information, please or contact Diversity Directions at 617.333.0200.

Distinguished faculty members include Keith Hinderlie, Director of Programs for the SEED Foundation; Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter, School Psychologist at The Park School; Gloria Fernandez-Tearte, Director of Diversity and Staff Development at Greenwich Academy; Ralph Wales, Head of The Gordon School; and Vivian Wu Wong, History Department Chair at Milton Academy.

Visiting faculty include Randy Testa, Vice President of Education and Professional Development at Walden Media; Sandi Hannibal, Lower School Librarian at Norwood School; and Eric Polite, Director of Diversity at The Gordon School.

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, was founded in 1923. It is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls [JK-Grade 12], coeducational [JK-K], located in Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit the school’s website or call 301.657.4322.

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Shepherd's Table Recognizes Stone Ridge's Campus Ministry with the 2007 Youth Service Award

Bethesda, Maryland—The Campus Ministry Board at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart received the first annual 2007 Youth Service Award from Shepherd's Table at its "Celebrating Acts of Thoughtful Giving" benefit on Sunday, June 10 at The Woman's Club of Chevy Chase.

The Youth Service Award, one of five leadership awards established this year by Shepherd's Table, was received by Stone Ridge students Katherine Black '10, Mia Feller '10, Anna Gasaway '10, Elizabeth Grace Nowlin '11, Meghan Quinn '10, Kathryn Suarez '10, Katherine Cole '09, Charis Whitnah '09, Kathryn Fitzgerald '08, Caroline Spruill '08, and Emily Herring '08. Also representing Stone Ridge were Head of School Dr. Richard Barbieri, Trustee Sr. Margaret Strom, RSCJ, and Upper School Campus Minister Sr. C. Sheridan Smith, RSCJ.

"The award," according to Mr. Jim Webner, Communications Manager at Shepherd's Table, "recognizes young adults and youth organizations that make a special effort to give of their time and energy. The students from Stone Ridge have been proving year after year that not only can young people engage in acts of thoughtful giving, but that they can remain committed to helping others despite the busy schedules of today’s youth."

Since 1999, Stone Ridge's Campus Ministry students have been steadfast in their commitment. Every third Saturday evening of the month and every Wednesday afternoon during the school year, the students prepare food for the evening meal and assist with the dinner service at Shepherd's Table. Accepting the award on behalf of the Campus Ministry Board, Stone Ridge alumna Allison Herring '06 stated in part, "At Stone Ridge, we highly value faith, service, and community. Over the years there, the five Goals of Sacred Heart education become part of each student. Goal I, 'a personal and active faith in God,' and Goal IV, 'the building of community as a Christian value,' prompted and continue to inspire us to serve the greater community, especially at Shepherd's Table. The clients have enriched our view of the world and of what it means to serve our brothers and sisters. Though I have graduated from Stone Ridge, I still look forward to returning to Shepherd's Table, renewing relationships and seeing young Stone Ridge students given the opportunity to serve the community and continue to grow as young women in the Goals of the Sacred Heart."

Others honorees were Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (Community Leadership), GEICO Philanthropic Foundation (Philanthropic Leadership), and Fannie Mae's Help the Homeless program (Corporate Leadership). Minnie Belle McIntosh, one of the founders of Shepherd's Table, received the Legacy Award.

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, was founded in 1923. It is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls [JK-Grade 12], coeducational [JK-K], located in Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit the school’s website or call 301.657.4322.

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Nationally-known Speaker and Award-winning Author to Address the Stone Ridge Class of 2007

Bethesda, Maryland—Patricia Hickman Livingston will be the 2007 Commencement Speaker at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart on Wednesday, June 6. Ms. Livingston, a 1959 Stone Ridge alumna, is a counselor, nationally-known speaker, and award-winning author of articles and books, including Lessons of the Heart [1992]; This Blessed Mess: Finding Hope Amidst Life’s Chaos [2000]—the Spiritual Book Associates’ Fall 2000 First Choice Selection; and Let in the Light: Facing the Hard Stuff with Hope [2006]—the Spiritual Book Associates’ Book of the Month [April 2006], published by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame.

Ms. Livingston holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude in English from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. and earned a master’s degree magna cum laude in rehabilitation counseling in 1975 from the University of South Florida. In 1975, she became a mental health counselor and opened a private practice. At the same time, she founded Livingston Associates. As President of Livingston Associates, she lectures nationwide and directs workshops and retreats on communication, relationships, understanding differences, stress management, and collaborative ministry. In the late 1980s, Ms. Livingston was Associate Director of the Center for Continuing Formation in Ministry at the University of Notre Dame until 1995, when she resumed her full-time work with Livingston Associates.

She has numerous articles and presentations to her credit, including keynote addresses at the 2006 Fusion Day Sacred Heart Southern Schools in Grand Coteau, LA and the 2005 National Conference of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in St. Charles, MO. At the 1999 National Conference of the Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart [AASH] in Washington, D.C., she addressed "Sacred Heart Spirituality" on the occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

The Catholic Press Association awarded Ms. Livingston its 1996 Journalism Award for First Place Best Regular Column in a spirituality magazine [Praying Magazine]. In 1990, she received the U.S. Catholic Award for furthering the cause of women in the Church. Ms. Livingston is a member of the State of Florida Mental Health Counselors, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the Franciscan Center Board in Tampa, Florida. She is married to Howard Gordon, has three adult children, and lives in Tampa.

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, was founded in 1923. It is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls [JK-Grade 12], coeducational [JK-K], located in Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit the school’s website or call 301.657.4322.

*** For information media—not an official record ***

Stone Ridge Aquatic Center Welcomes Special Olympics Qualifier Meet on May 5 caps off program launched in Spring 2007

Bethesda, Maryland—The Special Olympics Swimming Program, which is in its first year at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, culminates in the Qualifier Swim Meet on Saturday, May 5 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Stone Ridge Aquatic Center.

Since the first week in March, thirty athletes ranging in age from 15 to 55 have been training from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. every Saturday at the Stone Ridge Aquatic Center in preparation for the Qualifier Swim Meet. Many of the athletes compete at the national level for Special Olympics, while others are swimming on a team for the very first time in their lives.

Stone Ridge’s Upper School students serve as volunteer coaches and mentors throughout this program—a volunteer opportunity, which will be offered each spring at Stone Ridge. This year, the following student volunteers are: Victoria Lyons ’09, Deanna Javadi ’09, Laura Walsh ’08, Robyn Schwartzman ’08, Elyse Galloway ’10, and Natalia Bengoechea ’07. On Saturday, May 5, they will be poolside encouraging the Special Olympians in the big meet.

Special Olympics Founder and Honorary Chair Eunice Kennedy Shriver, mother of Stone Ridge alumna Maria Shriver ’73 and alumnus Mark K. Shriver x’82, will be the guest of honor at the Qualifier Meet. Stone Ridge is proud to be involved with Special Olympics, “an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition.” In the four decades since the founding of Special Olympics, Stone Ridge has hosted periodic events where Stone Ridge students paired with Special Olympic athletes enter into fun athletic competition. The Stone Ridge Aquatic Center, with its competition-size pool, lends itself to an expanded, ongoing program.

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, was founded in 1923. It is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls [JK-Grade 12], coeducational [JK-K], located in Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit the school’s website or call 301.657.4322.

*** For information media—not an official record ***

Alumna Catherine Ronan Karrels ’86 Named Head of Stone Ridge
Returns to East Coast in 2008 as first lay alumna to head the school in its eighty-five year history

Bethesda, Maryland—The Board of Trustees named Catherine Ronan Karrels, a Stone Ridge alumna from the Class of 1986, as the next permanent Head of Stone Ridge. She will assume the position in July 1, 2008 from Richard Barbieri, PhD, who will have served a two-year term as Interim Head since July 1, 2006.

Mrs. Karrels is the President and CEO of De Marillac Academy, a school she founded in 2001 for low-income, at-risk children in San Francisco. From 1995-2001, she served as Assistant Principal for Student Life and Director of Student Activities during her six years on the faculty at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco. Prior to her positions in secondary education, she was a Sixth Grade teacher, Athletic Director, and Summer School Director for three years (1991-1994) at St. Peter School in San Francisco. She began her career in education in 1990 as a Jesuit Volunteer and Fifth Grade teacher at St. Rita School in San Diego.

Mrs. Karrels earned a master’s degree in education in 1995 from San Francisco State University and a bachelor’s degree in English in 1990 from Boston College, which awarded her its 2005 Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Education. She is also the recipient of the 2004 Saint Francis Hospital Community Hero Award and the 2003 District of San Francisco Distinguished Lasallian Educator of the Year.

As a student in her Fourth Academic year at Stone Ridge, Mrs. Karrels served as the Head of School Community Governance (SCG)—the highest leadership position in the school. She held office in other student groups including Core Group and the Athletic Association. As a First Academic student, she played Junior Varsity basketball, field hockey, and lacrosse, and went on to play Varsity field hockey and Varsity Tennis for three consecutive years. She also volunteered at Carriage Hill Nursing Home, the Heart Association, and Holy Redeemer School. Mrs. Karrels attended Stone Ridge for twelve years and was a member of the Blue Team.

Her sister, Mary Ronan Hills ’84, and sister-in-law, Grace Kathryn Demetrovits Ronan ’83, join her as Stone Ridge alumnae. Mrs. Karrels is married to James Karrels and has one son, Matthew.

Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, was founded in 1923. It is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls [JK-Grade 12], coeducational [JK-K], located in Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit the school’s website or call 301.657.4322.

*** For information media—not an official record ***

"Something's Coming, Something Good and It's Going to be Great"

Bethesda, Maryland—Did you know that on April 20, 1841 the first detective story was published? It was Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue. Could there be a first edition available in the offing? You'll never know unless you come to the Thirty-ninth Annual Stone Ridge Used Book Sale, which begins Friday, April 20, 2007.

The four-day Sale at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart opens Friday, April 20 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Hours on Saturday, April 21, are 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, April 22 (half-price day) 12-6 p.m.; and Monday, April 23 ($10-a-bag day) from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Over 3,700 boxes containing more than 100,000 books in eighty categories and a collection of records, tapes, and CDs/DVDs are set up on tables across three gymnasiums. Sale proceeds benefit financial aid.

The Top Ten Collectible Titles at this year's sale as named by Book Sale Co-chair Judy Hansen are: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, with illustrations by H. K. Browne, Chapman and Hall, 1866; The Danube: Its History, Scenery and Topography by William Beattie, "splendidly illustrated from sketches taken on the spot by Abresch and drawn by W. H. Bartlett," Full Leather, Virtue & Co., undated (circa 1850); Looking Forward by George H. W. Bush, SIGNED by then-Vice President Bush, under the publisher's statement, "This signed edition of Looking Forward has been specially produced for friends of the author and the publisher," Doubleday, 1987; Signaletic Instructions Including the Theory and Practice of Anthropometrical Identification by Alphonse Bertillion, translated from the latest French edition, ed. by R. W. McClaughry, Werner Company, 1896; Immunotoxicology, ed. by A. Berlin et.al., Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1987; The Godfather by Mario Puzo, first edition, Putnam, 1969; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, second edition, Houghton Mifflin Co., undated (circa 1961); History of the County Longford by James P. Farrell, Dollard, Printinghouse, Dublin, 1891; Chinese Export Silver 1785 to 1885 by H. A. Crosby Forbes, et al., Museum of American China Trade, 1975; and The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Simon & Schuster, 1952.

The invitation-only Eighth Annual Free Book Event for non-profit organizations follows the four-day Sale. Leftover books in good condition are available to these organizations on a first-come, first-served basis on Monday, April 23, 8-9:00 p.m. and Tuesday, April 24, 7:30-9 a.m. Past recipients include the Salvation Army, Disabled American Vets, Goodwill Industries, and the World Bank. Interested organizations should call and leave their e-mail addresses at 301-657-4322, ext. 372.

Stone Ridge is located at 9101 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD (just inside the Beltway, at the corner of Rockville Pike and Cedar Lane), just north of the Medical Center Metro Station. There is free admission and ample parking. For information, visit the school’s Web site.

*** For information media—not an official record ***