Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart Academy has four core values that serve as guiding principles for the students. These values are community, reverence, service, and leadership.
Each grade level is assigned a value to focus on during the school year. And while the senior class is assigned leadership, it is easy to say that Sacred Heart prioritizes and encourages leadership in every grade and every student.
One of Sacred Heart’s methods of instilling leadership is through education. Sacred Heart often reiterates that it is a school where “learners become leaders” and nothing could summarize the leadership at Sacred Heart better than those three words.
Sacred Heart promotes a learning environment where everyone can be a leader. In class, girls learn about domestic and global issues through the lens of their academic studies. The connections to current world affairs inspire leadership because they teach girls how they can be leaders in their community through their knowledge.
Additionally, at SHA, teachers and administrators will often remind students that the best leaders are not always the loudest people in the room; the only thing they need to do to be a good leader is to be themselves. This idea is so important because it reinforces the idea that girls can be student leaders in any way they choose.
Another way SHA builds leadership in its students is by having females at the forefront of leadership on campus. Women such as the head principal, administration and teachers all serve as role models for the students on campus because, through their actions, they teach students how women can be powerful leaders in today’s world.
These women will share their experiences and insights, providing a safe space for students to come when they are in need of guidance. With so many wonderful, educated women on campus, there is an abundance of leadership that these young women can look up to as inspiration.
In addition to the female mentors and education on campus, Sacred Heart also provides the experiences necessary to train students’ leadership skills.
Leadership is a strength that needs to be practiced and that is why Sacred Heart provides countless opportunities for its students to exercise leadership both on campus and in their community. Through student life programs, such as Ambassadors, Student Council, and Navigation Team, upperclassmen can serve as mentors and advocates for the underclassmen and prospective students. Girls can participate in school clubs, and even lead them, no matter their grade level. Through the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute, girls are encouraged to get involved with their community through internships that excite their passions and personal interest.
SHA also ensures that girls are leaders by serving their community. There are student-run donation drives and school-wide service projects for girls to participate in. Additionally, there is an expectation that students will actively serve their community through volunteering. This could mean tutoring young children, cleaning up a local park, or working in a soup kitchen.
The most important goal is for SHA students to learn how to serve and listen to others because that is the backbone of being a good leader.
Finally, the leadership that Sacred Heart fosters is so important for impressionable students because, as young adults, students need to harness these leadership skills. At Sacred Heart, students truly advance from “learners to leaders” and, as they graduate SHA with the white cap and gown, they are ready to lead as young, empowered women.