The Sacred Heart Greenwich Parents Association celebrated the fruits of their labor September 7 as they opened the Tiger’s Den alongside President Mr. Michael Baber. Mrs. Lisa Fallon, Head of the Parents Association, sparked the initiative that brought this spirit store to life. Mrs. Laurie Rousseau, Director of Athletics, and Mr. Baber supported the project to foster camaraderie and sporting pride among athletes and the broader community. Its organizers hope this new spirit shop will help foster school pride within student-athletes and the broader community in both Middle and Upper School.
Located in the Heffernan Lobby of the Athletic Center, the Tiger’s Den displays an array of apparel including seasonal team merchandise, weather-appropriate clothing, and comfortable casuals such as pajama pants. Some items were so popular that the store had to restock them shortly after they started selling.
The Tiger’s Den is the culmination of six years of work from the Sacred Heart Board of Trustees and Parents Association. The entire school community supported the project, with the store’s sign originating from the gift of the Class of 2023. Mrs. Fallon noted that the idea for a spirit store sparked from a desire for students to share their school pride inside and outside of the school.
“The Trustees were getting feedback from the community saying ‘we want more fun merchandise that our girls can wear on the weekends, outside of school, and possibly in school as well,’” Mrs. Fallon said. “In doing some of our daily research, where we were walking around our respective towns and we were seeing students from other schools wearing lots of different merchandise representing their schools. We felt our merchandise was a bit limited. We really felt that there was a need to expand that.”
The Parents Association, whose members volunteer to operate the Tiger’s Den during school hours, plans to release limited edition clothing and accessories to maintain interest and excitement surrounding the store for the entirety of the school year. They hope to engage students of all ages and their families with various products.
“We want to have things that our little ones can wear up to you all in the Upper School,” Mrs. Fallon said. “The reception has been great. Particularly from the parents and from the girls. People are saying ‘You listened,’ which is great. We also want to be that shop so when it comes time for the holidays and [students] are looking for a fun gift for a parent, we would like to offer that option as well. We do want to not have the same merchandise all year so that [students] are excited for what’s coming and as well just to keep it fresh.”
Support for the Tiger’s Den construction also stemmed from inside Sacred Heart’s Athletic Department to foster an atmosphere of camaraderie and community among teammates. Mrs. Rousseau described her viewpoint on the unification of peers through shared merchandise. As a former student-athlete herself, she recalled how vital a uniform was to cultivate a sense of belonging while competing in sports.
“I think there’s a lot of pride in wearing your school colors and your team uniform,” Mrs. Rousseau said. “There is nothing greater than to walk around and just see a sea of Sacred Heart clothing. I believe a team is more unified if they’re all wearing the same thing and reinforces the idea of coming together for a common goal. Any way we can generate positive energy around who we are and what we represent, I think, is really important and special.”
In order to finalize its development, Mr. Baber had to give his final approval on the project. He noted his desire as President to give a home to Sacred Heart spirit. After years of proposals for similar spirit stores, he finally approved plans for the on-campus location earlier this year.
“When I first returned as Head of School and President, the idea was broached again, and I said an enthusiastic ‘Yes, what can I do to make this happen?’” Mr. Baber said. “There had been pop-up spirit shops here and temporary set-up things there, but the notion of giving a dedicated space to it was a synergy of conversation that came as a result of these early conversations this year. Then it evolved, ‘What are we going to call it?’ I think the creative idea was that we would call it the Tiger’s Den in honor of Roary, who is the symbol of our school spirit, the energy of our athleticism and success in the classroom but also in the theater, in competitions of Green and White teams, in so many ways. If we have Roary, Roary needs a Den. And Roary is a tiger, so we called it the Tiger’s Den.”
Featured Image by Lindsay Taylor ’24
