Type Private CEEB code 051955 Mascot Gators Colors Black, Cardinal, White | Established 1898 Phone +1 650-322-1866 Founded 1898 | |
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Motto "For the sake of one child..." Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic;
Society of the Sacred Heart Principal Jennifer Anne Whitcomb, Ph.D. Address 150 Valparaiso Ave, Atherton, CA 94027, USA Similar Menlo School, Castilleja School, St Francis High School, Menlo‑At High School, Woodside Priory School | ||
Sacred Heart Preparatory is an independent, private, Society of the Sacred Heart-affiliated college preparatory school in Atherton, California, United States. It was established in 1898 and is located at 150 Valparaiso Avenue across the street from Menlo Park. It is one of very few coeducational schools of the Sacred Heart in the United States and abroad; most are all-female.
Contents
- History
- Academics
- Athletics
- Fine arts
- Clubs
- Gardens
- Center For Student Success
- Student radio and TV stations
- Relationship with other Schools of the Sacred Heart
- Notable Alumni
- References
It has a student population of approximately 550 in grades 9 through 12. There are currently about 100 faculty and staff.
History
Sacred Heart Schools Atherton was founded in 1898 as a Roman Catholic women's boarding school in the tradition of the Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) in Menlo Park. Construction of what is now known as the "Main Building" began in the same year.
The school went co-educational in the 1970s and became one of only three Sacred Heart Schools in the country to educate in this fashion. The school continued to grow, and now the ratio between male and females is nearly equal. The school also ended its boarding program in earlier years, and has evolved into the present Sacred Heart Schools Atherton.
Academics
Sacred Heart holds a reputation for very strong academics, especially on the West Coast, and graduates consistently go on to attend top-tier universities, most notably Ivy League colleges, The University of California, Berkeley, The University of Notre Dame, Stanford University, The University of California, Los Angeles, Duke University, Loyola University Maryland, Santa Clara University, and Northwestern University. Sacred Heart graduates 100% of its students, with 100% of the student body being accepted and attending four-year universities. Small class sizes, averaging 15 students, lead to high levels of interaction between students and faculty.
Students through the class of 2016 are required to take a minimum of four years of English; 3.5 years of history and religious studies; three years of mathematics, science, and world language; and 1.5 years of fine arts. For classes including and after the class of 2017, the requirements have been adjusted to allow greater flexibility, with two years (or three years if remedial algebra is required) of mathematics, two years of science, two years of foreign language, three years of religion, and altered elective structure in the History Department.
SHP offers French, Latin, Greek, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.
Starting in 2014, most 9th grade students take Computer Science 1: Exploring Computer Science as a semester-long introduction to Computer Science. The Computer Science Department also offers Computer Science 2: Programming, and AP Computer Science.
Beyond their freshman year, qualified students can take honors courses in most subject areas. 21 Advanced Placement courses are offered, including Calculus AB and BC, Physics B and C (Mechanics and E&M), Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Literature, Language, Music Theory, Spanish, Latin, French, US History, and World History. The overall national AP exam passing rate is about 80%. In 2016, Sacred Heart had a 98% pass rate of students taking the AP exam for AP US History, and a 93% pass rate for AP World History in 2010.
Athletics
Sacred Heart offers a total of 22 varsity sports programs; 12 for boys and 10 for girls. Approximately 75% of students participate in the sports program, many on multiple teams. Boys and girls compete in soccer, basketball, water polo, tennis, swimming, track, golf, cross country, volleyball and lacrosse, while boys also have football and baseball programs.
Many Sacred Heart teams have demonstrated excellence by winning league and sectional championships (Central Coast Section). Recent CCS titles have been won by boys' baseball, basketball, soccer and football, girls' soccer, girls' volleyball, boys' and girls' water polo, tennis, and swimming.
The 1993-1996 girls' basketball teams won four straight NorCal state championships, which included a three-year record of 113-1.
Sacred Heart recognizes exceptional contributions of former athletes, coaches, teams and administrators via the Sacred Heart Schools Hall of Fame.
Fine arts
Along with athletics, Sacred Heart offers a wide variety of programs in the arts. The Music Department offers Chorus, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, and AP Music Theory. The Visual Arts Department offers Drawing & Painting, Ceramics, AP Studio Art, Photography, Intro to Documentary Film, and Images in Motion. Drama, Rehearsal & Performance, Student Directing Projects, Technical Theater Production, and Dance are also available.
Clubs
The school offers over 40 clubs, both student-led and faculty-sponsored. Sports-themed clubs include Scuba Club, Squash Club, Bowling Club, Dance Team, Football Club, Hacky Sack Club, Ski Club, Surfing Club, and Ultimate Frisbee. Academic clubs include: the Debate team, National Honor Society, and Quiz Bowl Club. Multicultural clubs include French Club, Model United Nations, Multicultural Club, and the Italian Club.
Other clubs include the Harry Potter club, the barbecue club, the Women's Group, the skateboard club, the Guitar Hero club, the Bocci Ball Club, the library gamer's club, the Rocky Horror Picture Show Club. The Robotics Club was converted to a certified class, still participating in statewide and national competitions.
Sacred Heart's student government consists of class officers, associated student body (ASB) officers, and the Student Executive Council (SEC). ASB focuses on spirit while the SEC works on the school's policies.
The Journalism Club Course enrolls students to its staff every semester and consistently has between 40 and 60 members. The journalism team produces a tri-weekly (as of the 2008-2009 school year) newspaper known as The Heart Beat. The structure of the journalism staff includes: staff writers, staff photographers, section editors, senior editors, editors-in-chief, and a faculty moderator.
SHP also has a Yearbook committee.
Gardens
Among the sustainable programs featured on campus are the gardens located within "Dioli Circle," maintained by students who work, study and harvest the gardens throughout the year. The on-campus agricultural and sustainability programs include harvesting the campus grown crops for use in the school's cafeteria, extensive composting of cafeteria's organic waste, animal husbandry, and harvesting olives from the numerous olive groves on campus, which are then pressed to extract the oil, and bottled. Recently, the school added a 10,000 square foot organic garden on the edge of campus which is overseen by Dr. Stewart Slafter. Sacred Heart Preparatory is the first school in San Mateo County to be approved by the Department of Environmental Health Services Division to use fruits and vegetables grown in its own organic garden for preparation in its school cafeteria.
Center For Student Success
The Center for Student Success (CSS) is staffed with five full-time teachers and a Board Certified Educational Therapist and provides academic support for all students in grades 9-12. The center also coordinates on-campus and College Board accommodations for students with verified learning differences.
Student radio and TV stations
An FM and internet-streaming broadcast radio station (KSHS) and a TV station (SHP TV) are run by the school's student body.
Relationship with other Schools of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart Preparatory maintains a relationship with other Schools of the Sacred Heart around the world and across the United States. An extensive "international exchange" program brings students from one of the many Schools of the Sacred Heart around the world and sets them up with a host family. The idea is that host family's child will later stay with their exchange student's family when they also study abroad. This has proven valuable for many students who typically go on to study in locations such as Nantes, France; Zaragoza, Spain; Montreal, Canada; Viña del Mar, Chile; Newcastle upon Tyne, England; and Kyamunsansala, Uganda.