As Saint Vincent Academy in Newark celebrates its 155th anniversary of educating young women, one alumna has dedicated herself to preserving its history and fostering a legacy for its future by creating a graphic novel documenting the school’s history.
Now a full-time graphic designer and artist, Brigitte Andrade, a 1977 graduate, has documented the high school’s history by creating a 32-page comic-style art book, the “Saint Vincent Academy History Book.”
“I love my school,” said Andrade, an Orange native now living in Miami Beach. “I got a great education, and it took me places. My mission now is to pay it forward and leave something behind for other people.”
At Saint Vincent’s, students only pay $5,800 of the current $16,349 tuition. The school subsidizes the rest with fundraising.
Andrade and the Class of 1977 have created the legacy scholarship in honor of their class song, “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand, to help fund the tuition program. Andrade said that sales of her graphic novel will fund the scholarship.
Although she’s written 19 other graphic novels, Andrade said that this book has been a “real passion project” for her. She worked closely with school administrators to curate information and incorporate historical images into the book.
Each page of the book chronicles the history and evolution of Saint Vincent Academy over 155 years. The school was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth of New Jersey in 1869. Saint Vincent Academy initially focused on providing instruction in homemaking. Over time, the curriculum expanded to encompass industrial education, offering training for various vocations and trades.
As Newark experienced waves of immigration and urban growth, so did Saint Vincent Academy. The school added additional classroom buildings and gymnasiums to accommodate its expanding student body. Even during challenging periods like the Newark Riots, Saint Vincent Academy remained steadfast in its mission to provide Gospel-centered education to young women.
The construction of two state-of-the-art science labs in 2023 was the most recent milestone, which Andrade documented in the book.
Connections inspire the artist
Andrade dedicated pages of the book to the people who have had a profound influence on the class of 1977.
Andrade shares a deep connection with her former teacher, Sister June Favata, S.C., who is now the president of Saint Vincent Academy. Sister Favata played a pivotal role in her education and the formation of her Catholic values, she said. She dedicated the book to Sister Favata for her unwavering commitment to the school for over 50 years, and her role in shaping the lives of countless young women who passed through its halls.
When Sister Favata suffered a stroke last year, Andrade visited her at the rehab center. While there, she plastered her room with pages of the graphic novel.
Andrade wanted the nurses caring for Sister Favata to know the impact she had made on the lives of so many young women. “I wanted her to feel her school community still surrounding her. I wanted the nurses to know who she is.”
Andrade dedicated one page to Barbra Streisand, in honor of the Class of 1977’s class song, “The Way We Were.” She said that the lyrics of the song have also inspired some of the artwork in the book.
Andrade forged a personal connection with Streisand’s stage director, Richard Jay-Alexander, in later years. He gifted her a sheet music of “The Way We Were,” once used by Streisand herself. Andrade plans to auction off the sheet music and some other Streisand memorabilia to raise money for the scholarship fund.
Environment of giving back
School principal Joan Tyburczy said she is grateful for the efforts of alumnae like Andrade. “We feel very strongly that a family’s financial situation should not stand in the way of their daughter receiving the transformative education that we provide and that they deserve,” Tyburczy said. “It’s a huge challenge that we’re faced with every year. When we have an alumna like Brigitte come in having a creative idea, we’re so fortunate.’’
Andrade and her classmates credit the Students-in-Community Program, established during their time at the school, for instilling a need to give back. The service-learning experience exposes students to community services and career options in the service professions while planting the seeds of Christian service and civic responsibility. Andrade said she still carries that responsibility with her today, nearly 50 years after graduating. The Students-in-Community Program still plays a prominent role in the curriculum today.
“Service is just ingrained in everything we do,” she said. “One of the main things I got from SVA, is not just a great education and sisterhood, but a love of service to others. This project is driven by that.”
A chronicle of evolution
Throughout the book, Andrade said, she tried to emphasize the school’s responsiveness to the changing needs of the community over time and the role the school has had in uplifting and empowering young women over the years.As the school approaches its 155th anniversary, Andrade reflected on the many changes the school has undergone in a century and a half.
“I just found the whole thing fascinating,” she said. “They’ve gone from teaching housekeeping skills to a 1.5-million-dollar STEM lab. For what they offer to young women… they have such a strong sense of worth and really know who they are at the school.”
Along with book sales, the class of 1977 has created a GoFundMe page to fundraise for the scholarship. The books are available for sale for $30 at www.theadventuresofbibiandfriends.com. Once Andrade secures 150 pre-orders for the book, she will begin printing.
