Mount Mercy Academy is proud to announce that it is part of the newly established Mercy Education System of the Americas (MESA). Mount Mercy, an exceptional educational institute located in South Buffalo for the past 113 years, will now be part of an education system with 57 other Mercy education ministries, including schools in Argentina, Belize, Guam, Honduras, Jamaica, the Philippines and the United States.
The development of the Mercy Education Systems of the Americas has been a five-year process. The foundation of the entire system will be the establishment of relationships between Mercy educators in the seven countries sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. These relationships will allow educators to share resources and best practices as they continue to prepare their students for an accelerated culture and a truly global society. In addition, the system will ensure that Mercy educators will continue to share Mercy values and a Catholic identity well into the future.
This opportunity will allow the faculty at Mount Mercy Academy to “more proactively access — and contribute to — the wealth of knowledge, talent and resources that Mercy education has to offer.”
At a forum in Atlanta this past March, leaders from all the Mercy education ministries gathered for the very first time. Mount Mercy President Margaret M. Cronin and Board Chair Kathleen Mehltretter attended, representing Mount Mercy Academy. The participants were excited about the opportunity MESA represents to connect across all borders by sharing the Mercy values and addressing the critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy.
Margaret Staszak, Mount Mercy’s principal, believes that the opportunities this system will provide will enhance the school’s excellent educational foundation even more. “This new structure of governance under the Mercy Institute Leadership Team and the forthcoming Mercy Education System of the Americas holds such promise and excitement for Mount Mercy Academy. I’m sure that most people have no idea that there are over 40 Mercy high schools across the United States. Bringing us together to share ideas, programs and best practices, while keeping true to our traditions and to the Mercy mission of educating young women, will only strengthen and empower all of us to succeed. I am heartened and inspired by the possibilities that lie ahead,” Staszak remarked.