From 2019-2023, Sara and the Leadership Team worked fervently on merging the two divisions, improving enrollment for the upper school, and dealing with the aftershocks of the pandemic all while facing the normal challenges of educating teenagers in an ever-changing world. Despite diligent efforts, the Board of Trustees, faced with no other alternatives, made the heartbreaking decision to close the Upper School in January 2023 due to low enrollment and financial challenges.
Over the course of the second semester of 2023, Sara and the Director of Enrollment Management successfully secured new homes for Alverno’s frosh, sophomores, and juniors at local independent, Catholic, and private schools. Of the students to place, 97% remained in a private school with 85% choosing to stay in an all-girls’ school. In addition to securing enrollment, Sara negotiated with each school so that no student would pay a tuition rate higher than what they paid at Alverno. Additionally, she provided job search support for all faculty and staff including writing each an individual letter of reference, maintaing a job spreadsheet of available jobs, contacting colleagues at local schools, and helping with interview support. By the end of the school year, all faculty and staff who were seeking new employment had signed a new contract.
Through it all, amidst the tides of change and the feelings of insurmountable obstacles, the girls, her students, remained a guiding light and a driving force to push through. Although Alverno’s Upper School has closed, the mission, values, and philosophy will live on in the thousands of young women who called Alverno home at one in their lives. As the Sisters of St. Francis, one of Alverno’s founding orders, noted, “We are women with wilderness in us and we have often turned to journeys.”
Well, it’s time to let a new journey begin.
About Sara
Sara McCarthy is a motivated and creative educational professional with academic, admissions, advancement, and marketing experience in an all-girls’ environment. With a career spanning over a decade, she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to academic and educational excellence.
Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Sara comes from a long line of women who attended all-girls’ institutions with her mother (Holy Family High School-Glendale, CA), maternal aunt (Holy Family High School-Glendale, CA), paternal aunt (Loretto High School- Sacramento-CA), and paternal grandmother (Presentation High School- Berkeley, CA) all graduating from Catholic, all-girls’ high schools. Sadly, like Sara, the schools that these women attended have all had to close their doors as families evaluate their educational options. This recent experience and the work of finding new homes for her students to complete their high school careers was a steadfast reminder of the unique environment a single-sex education provides. In spite of the challenges, Sara remains committed to inspiring and mentoring the next generation of young women.
After graduating from Alverno, Sara earned a Bachelor’s degree in American History and Sociology, with a special emphasis on inequalities from the University of San Francisco. Her senior thesis, The Women Behind the Oval, evaluated the critical role that Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, and Hillary Clinton played in their husbands’ often controversial presidencies. Sara graduated Magna Cum Laude and was invited to serve as the Commencement Speaker and Valedictorian for the Class of 2008’s Fall Commencement.
Before pursuing a graduate degree from Azusa Pacific University, Sara worked in Media and Public Relations for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the United States. Her work provided her with the opportunity to work with national media including “Good Morning America,” “The Doctors,” and “Dr. Phil” to share stories about families living with the daily ramifications of childhood cancer. During her time at St. Baldrick’s, she was a part of a record fundraising year for the organization as they raised $20 million for the first time.
While earning her Master’s of Arts in Teaching from APU, Sara received a unique opportunity to return and work at her alma mater, Alverno— a longstanding dream. She began in the admissions office where she worked to improve programs, build community relationships, reestablish connections with local feeder schools, and help to increase enrollment. As the years went by, she earned additional responsibilities including overseeing student engagmenet, academic advising, and serving as a member of the Leadership Team.
In 2019, Sara received the opportunity of a lifetime when she was invited to become Alverno’s Assistant Head of School by her former teacher, mentor, friend and boss Julia Fanara. Over the next year, the school experienced several significant events including a reaccreditation visit, the global pandemic, and the addition of a new division— a TK-8 school.