“Mission accomplished and let’s keep going!” – A Conversation with Sister Cynthia Canning about Holy Names High School

Sister Cynthia Canning, SNJM, is the Chair of the Holy Names Educational Ministries Board and a former teacher and principal at Holy Names High School. She is also an alumna of the school. Established in 1868, Holy Names High School is a Catholic school for young women located in Oakland, California. It provides an academically challenging college preparatory education in a vibrant learning environment, nurturing spirituality, encouraging artistic expression, and promoting justice.

 1868: The Courageous Journey of the Pioneers

What can you tell us about the story of Holy Names High School?

It’s a very long story. It goes all the way back to 1868, which was 25 years after our community was founded in Quebec (Canada) by Blessed Marie-Rose. In the mid1860s, Archbishop Alemany from San Francisco made a plea to our community, asking for Sisters to come to the city. After a very long, arduous journey – they took a ship down the East Coast and then a train across the Panama Canal, and then another ship up to San Francisco – six young, mostly French-speaking Sisters arrived in 1868.

They were welcomed by the Sisters of Mercy who served them strawberries – a very special treat for these Sisters from Quebec, where fresh strawberries would not be available until late June at the earliest. This was the beginning of Strawberry Day every May 10^th, the day the first Sisters landed in San Francisco. The day is celebrated across all of our ministries, with strawberries, strawberry ice cream, or strawberry shortcake as we remember our California SNJM history.

How did we get to Oakland?  My understanding is that the San Francisco Archdiocese wasn’t quite ready when we arrived.  However, Father Michael King, a pastor in Oakland, really wanted a school, and invited us to begin it. Legend has it – though I’m not sure how much is strictly true – that Father King sold his horse and his coat to buy lumber, and began digging in the soil on church-owned property near Lake Merritt. With the help of others, they built a convent that served as the original home for the school, then called the Convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. By 1930, the campus became over crowded with the addition of junior and four year college divisions.

1931: Establishing the Current Campus

In 1931, the high school division moved to our current campus*. While a local pastor encouraged the move with the hope that other parishes would financially support what he wanted to call ‘Holy Names Central High School,’ that support didn’t materialize as expected. From the very beginning, our Sisters faced financial challenges. Yet, they were courageous and smart, and they made it happen. This campus remains a symbol; it has never been financially easy, but we have always managed to keep going and keep serving through creativity and wonderful support. We have also always provided significant financial support for young women who might otherwise not be able to experience all that Holy Names High School is.  I was actually one of those scholarship students.

 A Mirror of Oakland’s Diversity

You were a student at Holy Names. What has changed since then?

I graduated 65 years ago in 1961, and so much has changed. When I was a student, most of the faculty and administrators were Sisters. Students were almost entirely Caucasian. Today, the demographics have evolved to reflect the beautiful diversity of Oakland. This is the most diverse high school community the Holy Names Educational Ministries sponsor. It is currently 11% Asian, 26% Black, 25% Hispanic and 17% White.

This diversity is celebrated in ways that allow students to learn about and value each other’s cultures, never considering anyone better or less than another – a message our world needs. Our faculty and staff are also the most diverse in our network, which is vital because when students see themselves reflected in their teachers, they can imagine themselves in those same roles.

 Transforming the Future

Do you think this high school makes a difference in its community?

I think it does, and it will. We are forming young women of various backgrounds who are already leaders and will continue to be leaders. They possess a moral compass and are sustained by faith; even for those of other faiths, which are highly respected here, they are encouraged to live out their values. They enter as little girls and leave as powerful young women who believe in their potential to do good. Furthermore, about 80% of our students receive need-based financial aid, which I believe is a matter of justice that will change our world.

It is noteworthy that the accrediting team that visited this year after two years of preparation described the school’s mission is ‘an osmosis’ here. It is in the walls. The students experience it in the way their teachers and staff behave and relate to them and to one another, and in how the school is run overall.

Would you say “mission accomplished” regarding the goals of the first Sisters in the 1860s?

Oh, absolutely! Yes, I would say mission accomplished and let’s keep going! The leaders and faculty here embrace the charism and core values of the Sisters. They don’t just do it as a job; they embody, teach, and lift up those same values. It is embedded in this school, and I am very, very proud.

What are your hopes for the future of Holy Names High School?

I hope that it will continue to thrive and remain totally committed to the values we stand for, as it has been all these years. I believe it will, because of the people we have in place and the work the Holy Names Educational Ministries is doing to ensure that continues into the future.

*The actual campus of Holy Names High School is located at 4660 Harbord Drive, Oakland, CA.