Sacred Heart Academy Information Booklet

MORE THAN AN EDUCATION

A Holistic Approach to Education

As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, Sacred Heart Academy provides holistic, global education for all students at all grade levels.

Our students master core content, which is the baseline of any college prep school. But they also learn and develop 21st-century skills and character traits they’ll need to succeed in our ever-changing world.

Sacred Heart teachers do not stand in the front of the classroom and impart information for students to memorize and repeat on a test.

Life skills

critical thinking

problem-solving collaboration

communication creativity

Character qualities persistence curiosity initiative cultural and social awareness

• They guide students through engaging, concept-based learning that fosters experimentation.

• They teach them how to research and analyze information and apply their learning across different subjects and to real-world situations.

• They equip students with the tools they need to become resilient, lifelong learners.

These are the hallmarks of an IB education and why we chose this innovative approach to education that is recognized and respected worldwide.

Academic Levels

Our curriculum is a collegepreparatory program designed to prepare all students for entry and success in the collegiate setting. Each of the four levels of instruction challenges the students with similar goals and objectives while incorporating various teaching and learning styles to meet student needs, develop critical thinking skills, and promote independence in learning.

SHA’s four levels are Honors and College Prep 1, 2, and 3. The academic dean carefully places students with input from teachers, the student, and parents, and a combination of the following criteria:

• Past academic performance

• Teacher recommendations

• Standardized assessments including the High School Placement Test

• Student interest

College-level Courses

SHA students can choose from 30 individual college-level courses, including IB Diploma certificate courses, AP courses, and dual-credit courses. Additional IB and AP courses are already in the works for next year.

IB Courses

IB English Literature HL

IB Spanish SL or HL

IB French SL or HL

IB Mandarin ab Initio SL

IB Global Politics SL

IB History SL

IB Psychology SL

IB Biology HL

IB Chemistry SL

IB Physics SL

IB Computer Science SL

IB Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches HL (Calculus-Emphasis with Advanced Statistical Concepts)

IB Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation HL or SL (Advanced Statistics Emphasis with Calculus Key Concepts)

IB Visual Art HL

IB Music SL

IB Theory of Knowledge

AP Courses

AP English Literature

AP Language & Composition

AP Spanish Language & Culture

AP Human Geography

AP U.S. Government

AP Environmental Science

AP Computer Science Principles

AP Computer Science A

AP Calculus

Dual Credit Courses (U of L)

PreCalculus

Art History

Planned Future Courses:

IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science SL

IB Economics SL

IB Business Management SL

AP Statistics

THE IB EXPERIENCE AT SHA

A Holistic Approach to Education

As an IB school, all teachers and courses at SHA encourage personal and academic achievement, challenging students to become resilient, independent, lifelong learners.

Freshman and Sophomore Years

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an IB program that serves as the framework for teaching, learning, and assessment practices for freshmen and sophomores at SHA. The MYP encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. It is designed to prepare students for success in college-level courses.

What does this mean for your daughter?

She will take English, Math, Science, History, World Language, Theology, and a mix of elective courses. What’s different at SHA is that she won’t be memorizing data and definitions for tests.

Every unit in every class will begin with a “statement of inquiry” – that’s fancy language for beginning with the end in mind. What question will I be able to answer after completing this human geography chapter, reading this memoir, and mastering this math skill?

Everything she learns will be tied to real life and connect to what she’s learning in her other classes. It’s higher-level thinking. She’s learning how to learn – not how to memorize, how to think more deeply, and how to make valuable connections. THIS learning sets her up for success in life.

She’ll come home talking about ATL skills – ATL stands for approaches to learning. Every teacher in every class emphasizes the same skills – thinking, research, self-management, and social and communication skills.

SHA sophomores complete the MYP Personal Project. This capstone project (in her sophomore year!) provides each student with the opportunity to demonstrate her growth in ATL skills. Each student develops a Personal Project independently, with the support of a faculty advisor, producing a truly personal and creative piece of work (of their choosing!) that serves as a summative review of their ability to conduct independent work. The culmination is a public celebration and exhibition of student projects.

It’s been amazing to see my daughter’s self-confidence grow through her time at SHA because she’s learning to understand and make connections instead of memorizing.

She’s only a junior, but I feel like she’s ready to take on the world already.

~Parent of a current junior

THE IB EXPERIENCE AT SHA

A Holistic Approach to Education

Junior and Senior Years

SHA students continue to nurture the skills and traits acquired in their MYP experience throughout their time with us. Each student can choose from – and is prepared for success – in college-level courses and career-related electives. SHA’s academic dean and advisors assist in building a course schedule that meets each student’s individual academic and career-related needs and aspirations. When she sits down to discuss her schedule in the spring of her sophomore year, she will not just set her junior year goals – we encourage her to plan for her senior year as well.

Your daughter may choose a combination of AP, IB and Dual-Credit college-level classes and she may choose to become a full IB Diploma candidate. Either way, we will work diligently to ensure that she makes the very most of her time at Sacred Heart. Her options are limitless, and she will be more than prepared for whatever comes next.

IB Diploma Candidates

The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is a rigorous college preparatory curriculum that includes college-level courses and further requirements, including an indepth extended essay, a theory of knowledge course, and elements of creativity, activity, and service. The DP is a two-year program beginning in junior year and is recognized and respected globally by the world’s leading universities. The average ACT score of our DP candidates in the 21/22 school year was 31.

“On a small scale, they are empowered daily in their classrooms. They have the confidence to try new things, make mistakes, have the wrong answer, speak up, present, disagree respectfully, and learn.”

~Parent of a current senior and two graduates

MORE THAN AN EDUCATION Academic Choices and Pathways to Excellence

Four-year Academic Concentrations

SHA offers four-year academic concentrations with a dedicated course of study in Computer Science, Visual Arts, and Vocal Music Performance. Whether a student already plans to follow this major into college and career, or just holds a keen interest in the field, the four-year concentration provides a dedicated focus on honing these skills.

Course/Year

Computer Science

Visual Arts

Vocal Music Performance

Freshman

Design

1 and Art 2

to Musical Theatre

Pathways to the Future

Sophomore

AP Computer Science Principles

3 and Art 4 Music Theory for the Stage

Junior

IB Computer Science

AP Computer Science

IB Art Honors Level 1

IB Music Standard Level

Senior

IB Computer Science Or AP Computer Science

IB Art Honors Level 2

Musical Theater 1 and 2

In addition to these formalized concentrations, our academic advising team helps students choose courses and plan their class schedule, so it meets their interests and goals as well as the appropriate academic challenge.

We’ve found that many students begin to lean toward a particular field or career path, and we encourage them to choose courses that further those interests. Through our diverse elective offerings, all students are empowered to choose pathways that inspire them, build experience, and help develop future goals.

For example, a student interested in business and marketing may take Personal Finance, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Economics electives. One interested in law or politics may go with AP Human Geography, IB Global Politics, Women’s Studies, and Psychology.

MORE THAN AN EDUCATION

Academic Choices and Pathways to Excellence

Theology

Theology I, II, III, IV

Language & Literature

English I, II, III, IV

IB English HL I, II

AP Language & Composition

AP English Literature

Creative Writing

Film Study and Analysis

Language Acquisition

Chinese I, II

Advanced Chinese II, III

French I, II

Advanced French III

Spanish I, II, III, IV

Advanced Spanish II, III

IB Mandarin ab Initio SL I, II

IB French HL I, II

IB French SL I, II

IB Spanish HL I, II

IB Spanish SL I, II

Individuals and Societies

World History

U.S. History

U.S. Government

AP Human Geography

IB History HL I: World History

IB History HL II: History of the Americas

IB Global Politics SL

AP U.S. Government & Politics

IB Psychology SL Economics

Art History

Current World Affairs

History of World Religions

Human Cultures and Globalization Psychology

Women’s Studies

Social Movements in US History

Sciences Biology Chemistry

Honors Chemistry Physics

Honors Physics

IB Chemistry SL

IB Biology HL I, II

IB Physics SL

AP Environmental Science Human Anatomy and Physiology Sports, Exercise, and Health Science Engineering

Forensic Science Marine Science Nutritional Science Mathematics

MYP Algebra MYP Algebra Intensive Accelerated Algebra II/Geometry MYP Geometry

Accelerated Geometry/Trigonometry Precalculus

Honors Precalculus

Algebra II Honors Calculus

Statistics and Probability College Algebra

IB Mathematics HL I Dual Credit Precalculus

IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL II

IB Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation HL II

IB Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation SL I

AP Calculus AB

Performing Arts

Intro to Musical Theater Music Theory for the Stage Musical Theatre I Introduction to Acting Introduction to Dance Piano

A Cappella Choir Madrigals

Private Music Lessons

IB Music SL

Visual Arts

Survey of Visual Arts

Art I, II, III, IV

Ceramics I, II, III

Jewelry and Accessory Design

Photography I, II

IB Visual Art HL I, II

Design | Business, Communication, & Technology

MYP Design

Computer Science I, II

AP Computer Science Principles

AP Computer Science

IB Computer Science SL Cybersecurity

Digital Design and Multimedia Visual Communications Design Entrepreneurship and Business Applications Marketing Personal Finance Broadcasting Yearbook

Physical & Health Education Health Physical Education Fitness for Life Child Development Interpersonal Relationships

Interdisciplinary

Success and Study Skills

Freshman Seminar

SHA Research Seminar

IB Writing Lab

Theory of Knowledge Jean Frazier Leadership Institute Internship Program & Extended Internship

[HL = Honors Level IB course]

[SL = Standard Level IB course]

LEARNING TO LEAD

Through the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute at Sacred Heart Schools

The Jean Frazier Leadership Institute at Sacred Heart Schools is a formal leadership development program for students and the first of its kind in Louisville. The Institute cultivates a leadership culture at Sacred Heart by providing authentic leadership experiences that create empowered leaders who seek to serve others. We earnestly believe leadership can be taught and nurtured through deliberate study and practice. Everyone can learn to lead.

The JFLI has developed a four-part approach to leadership development, including social-emotional learning (SEL), skill building, authentic practice, and reflection, that touches all students at Sacred Heart Academy. The SEL aspect is the foundation for all leadership development. We assist the students in identifying who they are, where their strengths lie, and what leadership styles most represent their character traits. In knowing themselves and their strengths, students build confidence to grow in their leadership development.

The cornerstone of the process is authentic leadership experience This may come in the form of an internship, semester-long research project and presentation, academic coaching and mentoring of peers, and more. Throughout a student’s time at Sacred Heart, we tie all the pieces together through presentations, workshops, and online leadership education modules.

Leadership programming at SHA falls under the JFLI’s three pillars: Leadership, Service, and Financial Literacy. These combine to provide a comprehensive leadership development program that inspires students to discover their passion and purpose.

FRESHMAN YEAR SOPHOMORE YEAR

JUNIOR YEAR SENIOR YEAR

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

Authentic Experience

Skill Building

Social Emotional Learning

Frazier Fellows Program

Students who wish to take advantage of every opportunity the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute offers apply, interview, and complete the Frazier Fellows Program. This program consists of three years of comprehensive study and practice focusing on servant leadership. Frazier Fellows take part in various authentic leadership workshops and networking events, a personal finance course, a quarterly online leadership course, and a 40-hour authentic leadership experience or internship designed by the student. Fellows also keep a leadership portfolio and share their leadership growth and experiences when they present a final capstone project to a panel of faculty and community members. These students graduate with a certificate of distinction in leadership on their formal high school transcript.

JFLI Programming at Sacred Heart Academy

Study

Classroom Instruction through Freshman and Sophomore Seminars

Workshops - Junior Leadership Day,

Yourself, Personal Finance

Leadership Seminars

Styles

Character Strengths

Career Mentoring

Lunch and

Career Development Series,

Network,

Leadership Practice

Fellows

Day

Tank

Reflection

145 Years of Ursuline Education, Four Core Values, and Four-year Retreat and Service Programs

Commitment to Catholic Community

Founded and sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, we are a Catholic community: • Rooted in the Gospels of Jesus Christ and in the spirituality of our foundress, Saint Angela Merici • Committed to teaching and living the Ursuline Core Values of community, reverence, service, and leadership • Guided by the charism of Saint Angela Merici—a contemplative love of God and openness and eagerness to serve the needs of others • Dedicated to building community and offering education that affirms and enhances the dignity of all individuals.

Sacred Heart Academy’s commitment to Catholic, Christian values reaches far beyond the classroom as we help Valkyries grow into strong women of great faith. The Ursuline Core Values of Community, Reverence, Service, and Leadership are loved and lived by the faculty, staff, and students daily. SHA welcomes students of all faiths, with more than 20% of the student body coming from other faith backgrounds. We help develop students’ spiritual growth through our four-year theology curriculum, retreat and service programs, liturgical services, and daily prayer.

Four-year Retreat Program

SHA’s four-year retreat program provides oftenprofound opportunities for students to bond with their SHA sisters and to experience moments with God and his Son Jesus Christ that will spark a desire to deepen their faith formation. This is a time for reflection on their life with God and an opportunity for students to become better acquainted with others outside their usual circle of friends. With retreats lasting between one and four days, students grow their faith and connect with peers through reflection, prayer and sacramental awareness, and focus on their relationships with self, others, creation, and God. And, of course, in senior year, they learn to “live the fourth!”

“And it will be impossible for you not to cherish them day and night, and to have them all engraved in your heart, one by one, for this is how real love acts and works” ~ St. Angela Merici

Four-year Service Program

SHA students are called to be compassionate servant leaders transforming the world they live in. Our students provide more than 22,000 hours of meaningful service to our Louisville community each year through unique ministry opportunities on the Ursuline Campus and local agencies. Freshmen and sophomores perform 20 hours of service, and juniors and seniors complete 25 hours, all outside the regular school day. In this way, our Valkyries learn that service to others is essential to a compassionate life. It becomes a regular part of their everyday lives, and they carry this value beyond our campus and into the world. It stays with them forever.

Nearly 43% of our students achieved the Service Honor Roll last year – meaning they voluntarily performed at least 20 service hours over the required number.

“You have more need to serve others than they have to be served.” ~ St. Angela Merici

STUDENT LIFE AT SHA

Finding Support, Sisterhood, and Success

We’ve got her.

Your daughter will make friends at Sacred Heart who will become her forever friends. There’s just something different about the SISTERHOOD at an all-girls school like Sacred Heart – you can see it in the smiles and feel it come alive in the classrooms. Whether they meet in class, on a team, in a club, in the Student Life Center, or on retreat, she will make FOREVER FRIENDS at Sacred Heart. Being part of the heart is REAL and Valkyries take care of Valkyries FOREVER

you belong here

Sacred Heart teachers will be the greatest SUPPORT system she’s ever experienced. They do more than teach – they inspire and empower. They help her move out of her comfort zone. They come early and stay late, hold impromptu breakfasts and study sessions, and show up for the big stuff. They also get the little things – who needs a mint when she’s nervous, a nudge to raise her hand or a high-five in the hallway?

They do it all. They love teaching. And they love their Valkyries. And bonus….they’re incredibly intelligent, caring, and funny.

Her LIFE at Sacred Heart involves a team of people guiding, mentoring, and supporting her – and they become her biggest cheerleaders! As a freshman, she’ll have two navigation mentors, one junior and one senior. They know the answers to ALL the questions! She’ll have a dedicated academic advisor and a counselor, and a team of principals, teachers, coaches, trainers, and support specialists. Her support team will help her adjust to high school, get involved, make new friends, and find her forever home. They’ll meet her wherever she is and help her follow her dreams and find SUCCESS. They’ve got her back. Forever.

Administration

Kelly Lanza, Principal

Tim Adams, Assistant Principal for Academics

Lynne Link, Assistant Principal for Student Life

Carrie Wentzel, Assistant Principal for Faculty

Claire Gorski, Dean of Students

Counseling and Student Resources

Betsy Kramer, Counselor

Shannon Furst, Counselor

Fran Dotson, Counselor

Erin Burke, College Counselor

Ron Padgett, College Counselor

Jimica Marshall, Student Support

Jennifer Love, Academic Advisor

Betsy Ferch, Academic Advisor

Mac, School dog and furry friend

ON THE ARTS

Inspiring Creativity through Visual and Performing Arts

Whether focused or elective, for four years or one semester, she’ll find art classes that spark her creativity at Sacred Heart. The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville have placed importance on arts education since SHA’s inception and the legacy of commitment to visual and performing arts continues today.

Visual Arts

Every student at SHA takes at least one visual arts class but can choose to take art all four years. The art wing is equipped with everything our students need to expand their talents. It includes four fulltime art teachers, three mixed media studio art rooms, two ceramic studios, two Skutt kilns, and 11 pottery wheels, a photography studio with seven darkroom enlargers, backdrops, and studio lighting for photography shoots, six Bernia sewing machines for jewelry and accessory design, an art gallery and new media exhibit space and an art book and periodical collection.

Students can commit to our four-year visual arts concentration or experience a variety of art electives, including jewelry design, painting, photography, ceramics, and sculpture.

Graphic design, computer animations, video production, and digital photography classes are available through our Business, Communications, and Technology department.

Performing Arts

The performing arts department offers a variety of courses and co-curricular opportunities for aspiring performers. Our students perform at the Ursuline Arts Center on campus and in regional and national competitions and showcases throughout the year.

SHA’s choral program has a long tradition of excellence offering three choirs for promising vocalists. Bel Canto Choir is an ensemble designed for freshmen interested in joining our choral department and performing in all significant choral concerts throughout the school year. A Cappella is a 60-member ensemble designed for students who love to sing and want to further develop their choral and music skills. Madrigals are the most advanced choir. This 15-member group is for gifted singers and utilizes the stylistic techniques of the Renaissance period.

If students are interested in a focused study of performing arts, the four-year concentration prepares them for the professional world. In addition, we offer a variety of courses, including three levels of musical theatre classes, music theory for the stage, piano, and introduction to dance or acting. SHA students participate in two large-scale musical productions each year. Each musical is produced in cooperation with Sacred Heart School for the Arts and is performed in the 500-seat Ursuline Arts Center on campus with full set and costume design.

AND SISTERHOOD THROUGH ATHLETICS

She’s Part of the Heart, on the field or in the stands

With one of the state’s oldest and most successful girls’ athletic programs, Sacred Heart Academy student-athletes understand the importance of supporting their sisters and giving 110%. They are ALL HEART.

The 15 sports offered at SHA are great for students to get involved and show their Valkyrie pride! Nearly 50 percent of students participate in at least one sport, including three no-cut sports and intramural flag football. There is a place in SHA’s athletic department for any and every student, regardless of experience or ability. This involvement keeps the girls on campus and connected to their classmates and coaches.

SHA athletes are known for their enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and camaraderie. As strong women of great faith, our studentathletes live out the core values of community, reverence, service, and leadership on and off the court. Our teams become family and are supported by the best student cheering section in town. Our school spirit shines in the stands where our Valkyries support their sisters at every big game.

Our state-of-the-art athletic facilities, conveniently located on campus, include a gym with workout and weight room, five tennis courts, one turf field plus two grass fields, a softball field, a regulation, rubberized track, and two field houses with locker rooms and concession stands.

Many of SHA’s students have continued their athletic careers through full and partial collegiate scholarships awarded by NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA schools. In the past five years, more than 100 athletes have signed with colleges and universities all over the country to play a variety of sports. Sacred Heart Academy graduates are currently competing at some of the nation’s finest institutions, such as Vanderbilt University, Stanford University, Centre College, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, University of North Carolina, Duke, Notre Dame, Bellarmine, UofL, and UK.

The athletic department is led by Donna Bender Moir ’79. During her tenure, the program has experienced tremendous growth and success and has accrued more than 79 of our total 103 State Championships since she took the lead in 1991. As the head basketball coach, Donna became the first woman in the state to win the basketball championship as a player (1976) and as a coach (2002, 2003, 2004, 2021, and 2022). In 2013, Coach Moir was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. SHA grad Mackenzie Moir ‘11 serves as the assistant athletic director alongside Coach Moir.

LEARNING DIFFERENCES PROGRAM

Supporting Students through the Horton Family Accessible Education Center

The Learning Differences Program at SHA aims to support and expand upon the school’s mission –to inspire diverse learners to become globally-minded, compassionate leaders. By offering additional support and services to students with documented learning differences, we strive to educate each student in a way that fits her needs. Our program educates faculty about various learning disabilities and how they impact students in the classroom and collaborates with the SHA administration, faculty, staff, parents, and community members to enhance our students’ academic and personal growth. We promote strong study skills, strengthen student confidence, and encourage selfadvocacy. By doing so, we empower students to be successful in Sacred Heart’s college-prep curriculum and help to prepare students for college and beyond.

The Horton Family Accessible Education Center

In the fall of 2013, Sacred Heart Academy first established the Learning Center, a space dedicated to meeting the needs of students with diagnosed learning differences. In fall 2019, the expanded Horton Family Accessible Education Center (AEC) opened to fully meet the needs of students in the program. The AEC gives students access to quiet workspaces, dedicated study rooms, various seating types, and computers and printers. Three dedicated faculty members work with students on study skills, organization, self-advocacy, test-taking, and the ACT/SAT application process. Students who qualify for testing accommodations can take tests in the AEC. It provides a space that offers multiple seating styles and testing accommodations to meet their needs.

NAVIGATING THIS IMPORTANT TIME

Understanding the High School Admissions Process and Timeline

The very best thing you can do during the high school admissions process is visit often! Take advantage of every visit, workshop, tour, open house, event, and game. Be a sponge and soak it all in. We know the more time you spend on our campus, the more you’ll fall in love with Sacred Heart.

We’ve planned a lot of fun and informative events for you and your daughter to learn more about SHA. We hope to see you! Visit sha.shslou.org/admissions-events/ for more information and to RSVP.

her High School

for High School

Test Score Review

Sacred Heart Academy

February

March!