Welcome to SHA!
Sacred Heart Academy is where young women soar.
Here, you’ll be encouraged to be bold and dig deeper as you pursue academic excellence, take social and intellectual risks, and define your own voice. SHA students become Excelsior Women, inspired to lead and make a difference.
This legacy of tenacity and grace began in 1946 when Sr. Antonine Signorelli, ASCJ — a woman ahead of her time — founded Sacred Heart Academy to empower girls to blaze their own trails with authenticity.
Starting with just 17 students and a handful of Sisters on staff, Sr. Antonine chose the motto Excelsior, perfectly exemplifying her dream for all young women:
Ever Higher. Ever Upward.
Today, SHA students continue to strive in the upward direction set more than 75 years ago, as our school evolves to meet the changing needs of today’s bright young women. At SHA, girls:
- Thrive in an academic program designed to help young women realize their
full potential - Explore spirituality and give back to the community grounded in faith, truth,
and love - Create shared connection and sisterhood in an accepting, all-girls environment
- Embrace the spotlight on the stage, athletic field, and in extracurricular clubs
- Welcome the challenge of programs found only at SHA, such as DNA Sequencing and the Bloomberg Financial program
With so many opportunities to explore on our strikingly beautiful 127-acre campus, it’s no wonder why SHA girls go on to lead, create, innovate, and inspire.
Yet with every new evolution of our story, we are grounded by Blessed Mother Clelia Merloni’s charism of love and service and are held together by strong bonds, never broken. We look forward to welcoming you as part of our next chapter of Excelsior Women.
Excelsior, Ever Higher!
Sr. Sheila, ASCJ, Ph.D. ‘71
Head of School
ASCJ, Ph.D. ’71
Sr. Sheila is a proud SHA alumna from the Class of '71. She received her B.A. in Math from Albertus Magnus College, her M.A. in Theology from Fordham University and her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University. Sr. Sheila returned to Sacred Heart Academy in 2010 as the school's first President. She has experience working with high school girls for over thirty years and loves her role as the protector of the Sacred Heart Mission and Charism. Sr. Sheila's favorite part of her role is watching students grow into Excelsior Women.
Our Mission Statement
Sacred Heart Academy, founded by the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1946, is an independent, Catholic college preparatory school for young women. A commitment to excellence and the growth of the whole person are the foundation of our innovative academics, our culture, and our community. Guided by our core values of integrity, compassion, social justice, community, and service, the school welcomes students of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. Our all-girls environment empowers each student to express themselves confidently and pursue their passions with integrity and conviction. Our students become Excelsior Women, inspired to lead and make a difference.
The Excelsior Graduate
Sacred Heart Academy students and alumnae live true to our Excelsior motto – challenging one another to strive ever higher. With this guiding principle and through our distinctive culture of faith, hard work, support, and respect for one another our students become independent, life-long learners. They go on to lead, create, innovate, inspire and blaze their own trails with authenticity. They become Excelsior Women.
The Apostle Tradition
More than 100 years ago, Blessed Mother Clelia Merloni founded the congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today, this community has over a thousand Sisters serving in 15 countries in ministries that include education, healthcare, social work, legal services, and more.
Blessed Clelia’s charism of love, service, and reparation is embedded in the everyday life and culture of Sacred Heart Academy, through prayer and First Friday liturgies, but also through our curriculum and community outreach.
“Mother Clelia’s virtues are the foundation of the Sacred Heart Academy community, and each day students are living out the charism of Mother Clelia by sharing God’s love with everyone they meet.”
–Mary Sarah Olson ‘19
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