DSHA: Voices of DSHA

February

Celebrating Black History Month at DSHA

2/1/2021

To celebrate and honor Black History Month, the DSHA Sisters of Culture Club (SOC) will be sharing about Black history, experience, trivia, facts, myths, and more all February. We encourage our community to listen, learn, and follow along on their Instagram: @dsha_sistersofculture.

Turn your ear to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding. — Proverbs 2:2.

January

She's the First Commemorative Prayer

1/20/2021

BY PRESIDENT KATIE KONIECZNY, DEAN OF STUDENT AFFAIRS RUBY BROCK, AND DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS MINISTRY STPEHANIE MONSON

A prayer for the morning of Wednesday, January 20, 2021, for the swearing in of the first female Vice-President in our 244-year history as a country.

Marian Scholars Peer Mentors Reflect on Involvement in Program

1/14/2021

In the fall of 2020, DSHA implemented the Marian Scholars Program, a student-centered, inclusive education program for student with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Marian Scholars Program relies on a peer mentoring component; these peer mentors help the student engage in class, offer curriculum modifications, and lend support as needed.

Eight DSHA juniors and seniors reflect on their time serving as a mentor to Mia Ruge, DSHA '24, DSHA's first Marian Scholar, during the first semester of the program's existence.

Moving Toward an Inclusive and Whole Community

1/6/2021

BY HONOR CALLANAN, DSHA '21, AND EMILY CAPPER, DSHA '21

This story was published in the 2019-2020 Annual Report.
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As the bell rang signaling the beginning of co-curricular time, the unwavering, organized chaos of the Best Buddies club time ensued with students catching up with their friends and girls eagerly filling the circular tables of the Quad. Vibrant noise and laughter filled the entirety of the only space large enough to house the largest club in the school — around 100 girls. Despite the normalcy of these occurrences, something stood out on this day as Principal Dan Quesnell was waiting off to the side, quietly looking out into the sea of plaid and polos. Although achieving silence among the members was often a struggle, Mr. Quesnell quickly gained the attention of everyone sitting when he revealed his plans for DSHA to pursue a program that would give girls with disabilities the chance to become Dashers. Little did we know that what started as a routine club meeting would both spark inspiration for, and set into motion, what is today the Marian Scholars Program — a student centered, inclusive education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.