Academy of the Sacred Heart

    THE ACADEMY OF THE SACRED HEART, 4521 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans – The school was founded in 1887 and is celebrating its 125th year of educating young women on St. Charles Avenue. Sacred Heart is affectionately called “The Rosary.”
    All Sacred Heart schools worldwide are directed by the Society of the Sacred Heart – the teaching order of religious founded in 1800 in Paris by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. She believed that “true education is concerned with the formation of the whole child – intellectual, spiritual, social, physical – with a view to the circumstances and age in which she lives.”
    Upper School principal Yvonne Adler, Ph.D., says, “Sacred Heart educators make a significant difference in the lives of young women. Our vision is to continue the tradition of nurturing our girls to become the leaders of tomorrow on an international, national, state and local level. We are confident they will become women who will have a significant impact on the lives of others. What is most special about Sacred Heart education is our commitment to ‘the Goals and Criteria,’ which entails a deep commitment to faith, intellectual excellence, social awareness, the building of community and personal growth.”
    Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school. It is the only area Catholic girls’ school that is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Network of Sacred Heart Schools and the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools.
    More than half the faculty members have advanced degrees, including doctorates, master’s plus 30 hours or master’s degrees; 75 percent have at least 10 years of experience, many of which have been at Sacred Heart. The student-faculty ratio is 12 to 1.
    Education for each student includes strong religious formation, a curriculum best suited to that student’s individual needs, training in community responsibility, skill building for relationships and the development of each student’s personal qualities.
    The academic program challenges each student based on her own talents. Honors and Advanced Placement courses are available.
    As a requirement for graduation, each senior must deliver a speech before the Upper School student body. Annual oratory competitions are held in Middle and Upper School. The school feels that public speaking is a skill integral to a well-rounded education.
    The school’s new 37,000-square-foot Arts and Athletics Complex opened last fall and includes a new gymnasium with an elevated running track, training and rehabilitation rooms and a workout facility. The new complex also allows the school to expand its arts program to include dance, choral, instrumental and electronic music, digital photography and graphic design. The new complex also includes a television studio.
    The state-of-the-art academic wing provides students with the latest in science and technology, including six science labs and two computer labs. All Upper School students and faculty are required to have a PC tablet for class use, research and writing.
    Students participate in numerous co-curricular activities, including campus leadership opportunities, an 11-sport athletic program (volleyball, basketball, softball, swimming, tennis, soccer, cross country, track, cheerleading, golf and sailing), campus ministry, drama, art, a community outreach program, quiz bowl and a literary magazine.
    Students have the opportunity to participate in national and international exchange programs with other Sacred Heart schools in the U.S. and abroad.
    Outreach programs are an integral part of a Sacred Heart education, with volunteer service a requirement for graduation. Students can participate in more than 20 programs such as a summer mission trip to Nicaragua, feeding the homeless, Habitat for Humanity and the Sacred Heart Network Summer Service Projects.
    The Cardinals had a very successful 2011-12 school year. The soccer team won the state championship. The cross country team placed third in state competition, the tennis team was state runner up, and a tennis singles player won her fourth consecutive state title. That brings the total to 72 state titles since joining the LHSAA in 1984.