Sacred Heart Greenwich alumnae Ms. Caroline Conrod ‘19 and Ms. Gigi Jervis ‘19 introduced the Vibe Application (app) to Upper School students in January.  Vibe offers an anonymous space for high school and college students to communicate online.  As Vibe Teen Ambassadors, seniors Charlotte Marvin and Annie Hamilton believe the app will foster camaraderie in the Sacred Heart student community following the coronavirus pandemic.

The Vibe app became available on the App Store in 2021.  The app’s developer, “With Vibe, Inc.,” designed a platform that allows users to receive instant updates from classmates, according to appstore.com.  “With Vibe, Inc.,” also released an app called “Study Hall: class group chats,” with which students create anonymous group chats for all classes.

Ms. Jervis is currently a junior at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.  Before graduating from Sacred Heart, she worked on the First Selectmen’s Youth Committee in Greenwich, Connecticut.  Ms. Jervis participated in the Sacred Heart Broadcast Journalism Program as Co-Chair of the Tenth Annual Film Festival in 2019.  She was also a member of the Model United Nations team.  During her time in college, Ms. Jervis has worked as an intern for Gravitas Ventures, Ridgetop Research, and Morgan Stanley while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish.

Ms. Conrod attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is a junior.  On King Street, Ms. Conrod participated in Student Council for three years.  She also served as the varsity soccer, diving, and track and field captain during her senior year.  Ms. Conrad gained recognition in both the science and humanities disciplines as a Connecticut STEM Fair silver medalist and a Columbia Scholastic Press Association gold medalist.  While in college, she is studying Human and Organizational Development and Business and Statistical Analysis.  In addition to her coursework, Ms. Conrad has interned with Stealth Startup Cross Ocean Partners and Goldman Sachs on their 2021 Summer Virtual Insight Series.

All levels of education experienced a transition from in-person to virtual learning as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.  Vibe allows patrons to develop relationships virtually and offers a new form of communication, specifically in school environments.

As Executive Board President, Charlotte strives to create an inclusive Upper School community.  She believes Vibe will strengthen students’ relationships with their classmates.  In particular, Charlotte hopes that placing students in class group chats on Vibe will promote collaborative learning.

“Not only did our Sacred Heart alumnae Ms. Conrod and Ms. Jervis come to us with the proposition of starting Vibe at Sacred Heart, but the other seniors and I also believed in the mission and purpose of the app,” Charlotte said.  “Vibe would give Sacred Heart students the opportunity to be automatically placed into group chats with one another based on classes, therefore allowing them to easily access one another if there were any clarifications needed in class.  Vibe is also a way for Sacred Heart students to connect when not in school, perhaps during a school break or a summer break, maintaining the relationships between all of our students and formulating bonds that go beyond just the classroom.”

Charlotte also explained how Vibe differs from other common social media apps, such as Instagram or Snapchat, because it is a platform strictly for communicating about school work.

“What I personally liked about Vibe is that it was not too similar to the sometimes toxic apps like Instagram or Snapchat, and was instead made for specifically Sacred Heart students to interact and communicate with one another through an easily accessible app,” Charlotte said.

Annie, Senior Class President, believes Vibe is a unique and fun way for all grades to collaborate at Sacred Heart.  Similar to Charlotte, Annie believes Vibe differs from other social media apps.  

“I think Vibe is a good way for the community to come together because the app automatically puts you in group chats with all the people in your classes and it allows for people in all different grades to connect, making you feel like you truly are a part of a community,” Annie said.  “It is also great because Vibe is a social media platform but it is not like Instagram where you are sharing pictures of yourself, it is more about connecting with other people who have similar interests and are in similar classes.”

Featured Image by Dylan Drury ’22