Academy of the Sacred Heart, St. Charles

Academy of the Sacred Heart, St. Charles, Missouri
Address
619 North Second Street St. Charles, Missouri, (St. Charles) 63301 United States
Information
Type	Private
Religious affiliation(s)	Catholic Sacred Heart
Established	1818
Founder	St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ
Principal	Marcia Renken / Dr. Roger Stock
Head of school	Sr. Maureen Glavin, RSCJ
Grades	Primary–Grade 8
Enrollment	482
Campus size	10 acres
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Red and White
Tuition	Pre-Primary (half day): $4,600 Primary (full day): $8,950 Grades 1-8: $9,600
Affiliation	Network of Sacred Heart Schools
Public Relations Director	Joan Runge
Admissions Director	Lisa Tebbe
Athletic Director	Michael Taylor
Alumni Director	Jane Cannon
Website	http://www.ash1818.org

The Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, Missouri is an independent Catholic elementary school and the first of many Sacred Heart schools in the United States. Founded in 1818 by Rose Philippine Duchesne, a missionary Religious of the Sacred Heart who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988, the Academy was a school for girls until 1972. Since then, it has educated both boys and girls on its 10-acre campus. Today, the Academy is one of the largest independent, private elementary schools in the St. Louis metro area, and one of 24 schools in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the U.S. and Canada—all sharing a common philosophy of education in the Five Goals of Sacred Heart Education: Faith, Intellectual Values, Social Action, Community and Personal Growth.

History

In 1817, Bishop of Louisiana Louis DuBourg invited Madeleine Sophie Barat and the Society of the Sacred Heart, a group of religious women educating girls in post-revolutionary France, to come to America and establish schools on the frontier. Mother Barat’s acceptance signaled the beginning of the international mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

After their voyage across the Atlantic and upriver to St. Louis, Philippine Duchesne and four other Sacred Heart nuns traveled 25 miles further to reach their destination in the remote village of St. Charles. There they began the first free school west of the Mississippi River in a log cabin which would, at times, house as many as 20 day students, three boarders and the nuns. Their difficult first year prompted Philippine to request that Bishop DuBourg move them closer to St. Louis. Florissant, across the Missouri River, was the next site for their mission and there the boarding school grew.

In 1828, at the invitation of the Jesuits, the nuns returned to St. Charles. The brick convent school they erected in 1835 remains in use, along with additions made in subsequent years. After Philippine’s death in 1852, enrollment grew at the Academy and other Sacred Heart schools across the country.

By the mid-20th century, a number of Sacred Heart schools closed. Because of its history as the first foundation and because it is the location of the tomb of Philippine Duchesne (who had been beatified in 1940), the Academy in St. Charles remained open. In 1972, the high school closed and the elementary school became coeducational. In 2006, the seventh and eighth grades were divided into single gender classes.

Goals and Criteria

As one of 24 Schools of the Sacred Heart in the United States and Canada, the Academy offers an education concerned with a student’s total development. Mother Barat referred to this as education of the “whole child.” Each Sacred Heart school shares the same philosophy of education, outlined in the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education. Each is committed to educating to:

1. A personal and active faith in God
2. A deep respect for intellectual values
3. A sense of social awareness and responsibility
4. The building of community as a Christian value
5. Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom

The school’s goal is to help children become confident, informed, spiritually centered, responsible adults. When a child graduates from the Academy of the Sacred Heart, he or she will take an active place in the world, prepared intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, socially and personally to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Curriculum

Supplementing core courses in language arts, math, religion, science and social studies are spiritual and character formation, academic enrichment, global education and international languages, technology, daily P.E. classes, and leadership and service opportunities. While academic achievement is a top priority — 99% of graduates are accepted to their first-choice high schools — social, emotional and personal growth are part of an Academy education.

Membership and Accreditation

The Academy is a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools of the United States, Independent Schools of St. Louis (ISSL), and the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and is accredited by the Missouri Chapter of the National Federation of Nonpublic School State Accrediting Associations.

Athletics

Competitive after-school sports begin in the Primary (kindergarten) year. Participation is voluntary and encouraged. The school offers the following team sports:

• Soccer for girls and boys in Grades P-8
• Volleyball for girls and boys in Grades 5-8
• Basketball for girls and boys in Grades 5-8
• Track for girls and boys in Grades 1-8

Related Sites

Network of Sacred Heart Schools (www.sofie.org)

Religious of the Society of the Sacred Heart (www.rscj.org)

RSCJ International (www.rscjinternational.org)

Network of Associated Alumnae and Alumni of Sacred Heart (https://aashnet.org)

Notes and references

http://www.ash1818.org http://www.sofie.org http://www.rscj.org