A Great Sisterhood Is Built With SUA’s Sorelle Tradition

Since 2022, SUA has been building a sense of community with its “Sorelle,” meaning “Sisters” in Italian.

Brianna Mikesell and Olivia Strasser
October 6, 2025

TOLEDO, OH - What was recently known as ALTA has found a new name and identity in Saint Ursula Academy. It now falls under the name Sorelle and has sparked many benefits for faculty and students.

SUA’s tradition of Sorelle started in Semester 2 of the 2021-2022 school year. Former principal, Nichole Flores, tasked Coordinator of Student Life and Wellness Initiatives, Rachael Decker, with relaunching ALTA. Mrs. Decker is now the one in charge of Sorelle as a whole.

Unless there is a special schedule, Sorelle is held on Thursday for 25 minutes after Block 4. Students gather with a leader and participate in fun activities. There are exactly 10 Sorelle groups in each high school grade and 14 groups in the whole Junior Academy.

Sophomores from the left to right, Abigail Deisher, Taylor Kayse, Lilly Nachtrab, Aurora Del Rio, Aniyah Townsend, and Addison Huntley work together to create their “Sorelle Norms” poster in Mr. Hehr’s Sorelle. Photo Courtesy of Brianna Mikesell.

Students have felt the benefits of Sorelle in their everyday lives. Aside from just the connection with others, they have seen improvements in their confidence.

Kayden Campbell, a senior in Mrs. Decker’s sorelle, said that she feels the confidence she gains within her small group has helped her to become more of a leader outside of the classroom.

When explaining how it feels to be a Sorelle leader, Mrs. Decker said, “It’s a different way to connect with students, where, you know, you’re not responsible for giving them a grade. You’re just responsible for building a relationship with them.”

Along with leading her own Sorelle, Mrs. Decker also takes on the role of managing the Sorelle program as a whole.

“I try to choose activities that are based around the time of year. Sometimes I try to plan it around what the students may need right now,” said Mrs. Decker when asked how she plans the Sorelle activities for each week. The Campus Ministry also helps contribute to planning events.

According to Mrs. Decker, the intended benefits for Sorelle are for students to build good relationships with both peers and teachers. “I would also hope that it helps the girls learn how to connect with people that might not be like them.”

Sorelle helps build great communication skills since every class is supposed to be discussion-based. For that reason, Mrs. Decker explained that it prepares students for college.

Sorelle as a whole can directly fit into SUA’s core values. Since Sorelle gives students a sense of belonging, they gain Academic Excellence when doing better with their schoolwork. When students are given the ability to connect with and care for one another, they gain Care of the Individual.

Sorelle is yet another piece of SUA that gives students tools that will become present in their everyday lives after high school.