What's Happening in the E-Classroom?

Since distance learning began on March 23rd, our teachers have been hard at work redesigning their lessons to be taught in the virtual classroom. Their creativity has been matched by our students, who continue to actively engage with their peers and teachers by posting their own work and commenting on others'.

The 8th grade has read Shakespeare’s Hamlet aloud to one another on video calls, and the 5th grade has written, directed and produced puppet shows based on events from the Revolutionary War.

In order to encourage students to step away from the computer screen for a bit, Fridays have become Creativity Fridays, where students are given the opportunity to stretch their creative muscles in lieu of online classes. They have been crafting, trying new recipes, learning new dances, building forts and trying new fitness routines - check out their pictures below!

Alumna Spotlight: Nealisse Morillo

Since graduating from Sophia Academy in 2010, Nealisse’s thirst for knowledge led her to pursue a diploma from Classical High School and a degree in social work at Rhode Island College. In May 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, she has earned her Master’s of Social Work from Fordham University. She is a dedicated mother, student, social justice advocate and part-time social worker at Sophia – making history as the first alumna to return to Sophia as a faculty member. 

Ms. Nealisse has been an integral member of our Family Outreach Team during distance learning, communicating with families weekly to share resources and to support parents and students alike.

She credits Sophia Academy as the place that began her trajectory towards social work, cultivating the sense of justice and concern for others that drives her today.

How did you hear about Sophia Academy? 

“I had a cousin who attended Sophia, so I always sort of knew about it. My best friend was going to attend the school, so we ended up attending together. I finished fifth grade at Laurel Hill Elementary and transferred into Sophia Academy in sixth grade.  Even though I didn’t have the full four years at Sophia, it felt like a natural and easy transition into the community. 

What sets Sophia apart from other middle school educations? 

“Its so hard to compare! The smaller size of the school – which means the relationships between staff and students are so different than anywhere else. The staff shows that they genuinely care a lot and are helpful and supportive of the students. Sophia is really in its own category. 

Sophia has grown a lot, even since I’ve graduated. There are even more opportunities for students now, and the supports for students has only increased. This is such an important place for girls – this is where they start to form their core beliefs and values. 

What is something that stands out and stays with you from your middle school years at Sophia? 

“The unique opportunities that we have. I still remember being a student host for an event with Alan Shawn Feinstein, hiking Mount Monadnock, traveling to New York City, and Washington D.C.. I was able to explore a much wider range of high schools than I would have otherwise seen, and had dedicated support from teachers and staff in my decision process. 

How has Sophia shaped the person you are today? 

“I always knew I wanted to work with kids, but never exactly how. Sophia was the first place I encountered the topic of social justice, and the justice-focused education began to widen my worldview – it changed what I wanted to do and how I see the world. 

Although I couldn’t exactly articulate this at the time, having the basic exposure to social justice helped me immensely as I moved to high school and college. I can credit Sophia for laying the foundation for my strong belief system now. Originally, I was going to pursue a degree to become a child psychological therapist at RIC, but when I researched the different programs, the social worker code of ethics resonated with me. The ability I have now as a social worker to be an advocate for human rights and social justice, while also working with individuals, goes all the way back to my time at Sophia. 

What’s your dream job? 

“I want to do everything! I’d like to work with all ages; in the prison system, in schools, etc. My genuine interest is in giving back. 

Week One Distance Learning Update from Ms. Farrell

Dear Friend,

The Sophia Academy team has you in our thoughts, and we hope that you are safe. If you or a member of your family is working to heal, support, and provide for others who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, we send you our deepest thanks.

Here at Sophia, with creativity, energy, and teamwork, we transitioned to an entirely virtual school in one week. I’ve never been more proud or honored to work with a team of people in my career. Every faculty and staff member is focused on providing our students with the same relational approach and quality of curriculum we offer in our building. For some teachers, this work is complicated by the fact that they are home with their own children. For others, technology is a new realm, and they have had not only to rapidly reconceive curriculum, but also learn new ways to work, communicate, and teach.

On Monday, March 23, students began connecting with their teachers in Google Classroom and Google Meet. Morning Meeting and Closing Circle continue to book-end each day, providing structure and community; I dropped into the sixth grade Closing Circle last week and was treated to recitations of haiku poems they had written about living in the time of COVID-19.

Our family support team is reaching out regularly to parents and building a Google Classroom student support “office.” Our COVID-19 webpage provides information for parents about online school as well as resources they can access if they are affected by the economic fallout of this crisis; so far, about half of our families are reporting employment losses. We have helped families get free internet access if they needed it, and loaned out about 25 Chromebooks to students who needed them to participate in classes.

Virtual school means virtual meetings. We’re finding  moments of collegiality, meeting online for coffee, sharing photos of our home offices, or trading tips on teleworking and teleteaching. In one of the most poignant moments of Sophia’s journey through COVID-19, last Friday, Ana Ceballos, our school secretary, opened our weekly meeting by serenading us with a beautiful rendition of "Volveremos a Brindar” (“We Will Toast Again”).

Sophia Academy was born out of an abundance of hope and a commitment to community, values that are more important now than ever.  We are humbled by the love you have shown our students and families through your support, volunteer work, partnership, and leadership. With you standing behind us and cheering our girls on, rest assured that Sophia Academy continues to challenge our students to dream big, work hard, and reflect their wisdom into the world. Thank you for being a part of our community.

Warmly,

Maura Farrell
Head of School

Meeting Chelsea Clinton - A Review by the 6th Grade

On March 3rd, we were invited to hear Chelsea speak at another all-girls school in Providence: Lincoln School. This event was part of Chelsea’s book tour for her latest young adult book, Start Now! You Can Make a Difference. About this opportunity, Head of School Maura Farrell explained, “She was coming to Rhode Island to talk about her book, and she was visiting a few schools including the Lincoln School, and since we have a great relationship with that school… they invited us!”

Over the course of her speech, she made clear her aim to empower young people and spread awareness of many different topics including: the sale of ivory, bullying, endangered animals, and actions you could do to make a difference in your own little community.

 Sixth-grader, Jade, shared with us that she felt the information Chelsea shared was “very learnable” and also that Chelsea probably wanted Sophia students to join her at this event because she believed we can make a difference in the world too.

One really great benefit, according to Dr. Greene Nolan, was that every Sophia student was given her own copy of Start Now! to keep and, if they wanted, to read or skim a few days before the event. Many even brought their copy to the event. “I think it made the students feel really excited to have the book ahead of time, and I liked seeing students flipping through the pages learning about what other kids have done in their communities,” Dr. Greene Nolan said.

“I think being able to hear from somebody who is trying to inspire young people is really important for our students to hear,” Ms. Farrell told us. Then, she turned the question on us to ask what we learned, so we asked our 6th grade class (except people who were absent for the trip). We learned:

●      ...that the sale of ivory has greatly impacted the elephant population, and that it’s still legal in Rhode Island. (Kayloni)

●      ...that another simple thing we can do is when you go on the bus, the bus driver can turn off the bus while they’re waiting and turn it back on when they’re ready to go. (Valeria)

●      ....about the Buddy Bench, and I liked that because when people felt alone at recess, people could come and talk to them on the Buddy Bench. (Gabriela)

●      ...that animals have been suffering from fires and tornadoes and having no food and water. (Malazja)

●      ...that there are simple things we can do to help the planet like taking shorter showers. (Lisbeth)

●      ...that selling ivory is legal in many places and maybe illegal in some states. (Naomi)

●      ...that one of the kids Chelsea talked about spoke to his school about having a Buddy Bench and now there are over 100 Buddy Benches around the world. (Yazlenne)

●      ...that Chelsea gave us different ways to help save the planet, like just taking shorter showers. (Tailee)

●      ...that a girl made her own clothing line (Flexing in my Complexion) to help her sister feel better about herself. (Jaila)

●      ...that people are stealing ivory from elephants. (Sarah)

●      … “the same thing as Sarah.” (Lissette)

●      ...that Madagascar is a real place, and I also learned that a little boy who was 7 saved enough money to buy two years of hand sanitizer when the water was contaminated. (Jade)

●      ...that they also take ivory from rhinos, not just elephants. (Jorlis)

Start Now! Book Review

            The book Start Now! is what started everything. Start now! is a book by Chelsea Clinton. In this book, Chelsea talks about ways to make a difference. There are many examples in the book of kids doing simple things but making a big difference. Chelsea really tries to inform readers on what they can do to solve some problems that are happening around the world. She not only tries to inform us about the planet, but she also tries to make us more aware of bullying and how to prevent it. She lists things that kids can do to help others and stop bullying. Every chapter states a different problem that the readers can help solve. The chapters also list simple things that the reader can do to make a difference. Chelsea makes her book easy to read and tries to make her book interesting to kids. She does this by making chapter names fun and not using very difficult words. Through the book, Chelsea communicates that anyone can make a difference--maybe even us!

About Chelsea

Although she is most well known for being the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton is an author and activist focused on working to empower children and teens to make small, positive changes to help their communities.

As a child, Chelsea was bullied herself, which is where she gets some of her inspiration to do this work. It’s why she is so passionate and so careful when it comes to talking about that subject specifically. For example, back in 2017, Melania Trump thanked Chelsea Clinton for standing up for her 11 year-old son, Barron. At the time, Barron was getting cyber bullied and Chelsea chose to stand up for him, because she didn’t want what happened to her happen to Barron. She wanted… change!

Written by: Naomi, Kayloni, Valeria, Gabriela, Lisbeth, and Malazja

with assistance from Dr. Greene Nolan, 6th Grade Advisor/Language Arts Teacher

Sophia Academy Announces 2020 Woman of Wisdom

Gala to be held on Monday, May 4, 2020

Sophia Academy is excited to announce Sister Mary Reilly, RSM as the 2020 “Woman of Wisdom”.

“We are thrilled to honor Sr. Mary and recognize her invaluable contribution to girls’ education and empowerment,” said Alison Eichler, Sophia Board President. “Her founding vision that Sophia be a school that reflects ‘the wisdom of the girl’ continues to serve as the cornerstone of what we do.”

Sister Mary, who turned 90 on December 18, founded Sophia Academy in 2001 with the help of the Sisters’ Collaborative. Since then, more than 200 students have graduated from Sophia, all of whom have gone on to earn their high school degree.

“Sister Mary was ahead of her time when she dreamed up Sophia Academy and took a social justice approach to education,” said Head of School Maura Farrell. “She built a place where girls from the most challenging circumstances could soar.”

In her seven decades as a Sister of Mercy, Sister Mary has had an inestimable impact on her home state of Rhode Island. In addition to Sophia, she helped build McAuley Ministries to provide food and services for the poor; she co-founded Dorcas Place Adult Learning Center (now Dorcas International), which continues to be the largest adult education provider in the state; she launched the fundraiser Good Friday Walk For Hunger and Homelessness, now in its fifth decade; and, she was part of the first cohort of NETWORK Nuns on the Bus, a national lobby for social justice. Earlier this year, Sister Mary was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

“She’s the quintessential social entrepreneur who identifies a need and is relentless in the pursuit of finding positive and equitable solutions,” said Farrell.

Sophia’s Women of Wisdom Gala honoring Sister Mary Reilly will be held on Monday, May 4, 2020. Past honorees include Liz Chace, Suzanne Murray, Joan Wernig Sorensen, Anne Szostak and Suzanne Magaziner. More information to follow.