Duchesne Academy (Houston, Texas)

Infobox Private School
name = Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart


motto = "Educate to a personal and active faith in God."
established = 1960
type = Independent
head_name = Headmistress
head = Jan Dunn, RSCJ
city = Houston
state = Texas
country = United States
campus = Suburban
coordinates = coord|29|46|40|N|95|29|08|W|display=inline,title
enrollment = 677
faculty = 85
ratio = 8:1
colors = Blue and Gold
mascot = Chargers
class = 14
SAT = 641 Critical Reading
598 Mathematics
645 Writing
ACT = 27
9 Writing
year = 2006
athletics = 15 Sports
homepage = [http://www.duchesne.org www.duchesne.org]
religion = Roman Catholic
patron = Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart (pronEng|duːˈʃɛn "doo-SHEN" [The school adheres to the original French "e" vowel rather than the Americanized "doo-SHANE".] ) is a combined primary and secondary independent girls' school located at 10202 Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas. It offers a college preparatory education for young women.

Duchesne, which enrolls girls from pre-Kindergarten to the 12th grade, is a part of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Duchesne is in the Memorial area and is east of the city of Hunters Creek Village.

History

Duchesne was established in 1960 as a part of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools and is named after Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, co-founder of The Society of the Sacred Heart.

tudent body

Duchesne had 624 students during the 2003-2004 school year [http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/26739] . 24% of Duchesne students were not non-Hispanic White American.

Some Duchesne students initially attend other schools and transfer to Duchesne. For instance, some students of Presbyterian School [ [http://www.pshouston.org/fw/main/Class_of_2004-183.html Class of 2004 - Presbyterian School ] ] , River Oaks Baptist School [ [http://www.robs.org/podium/default.aspx?t=1996 River Oaks Baptist School ~ Where Do Our Students Go From Here? ] ] , The Village School [ [http://www.thevillageschool.com/pages/alumni/alumni.html] ] , Annunciation Orthodox School [ [http://www.aoshouston.org/admissions/graduatingfromaos.shtm Link Lookup ] ] , and John Paul II School [ [http://www.jp2.org/OurPrograms/middleschool-overview.htm John Paul II - Our Programs - Middle School Overview ] ] matriculate to Duchesne.

Goals and criteria

The Network of Sacred Heart Schools, since its founding, has been guided by a set of moral and educational "Goals and Criteria". [ cite paper
author = Sacred Heart Commission on Goals
title = The Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education
date = 2005
url = http://www.sofie.org/downloads/NSHSgoals2005.pdf
format = PDF
accessdate = 2007-05-08 ] Duchesne Academy teaches according to these goals and criteria:

:Goal 1: Educate to a personal and active faith in God.

:Goal 2: Educate to a deep respect for intellectual values.

:Goal 3: Educate to a social awareness which impels to action.

:Goal 4: Educate to the building of community as a Christian value.

:Goal 5: Educate to personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.

Divisions

Lower School

The Lower School of Duchesne encompasses students pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. In addition to ordinary courses, computer, art, religion, and French classes are also taught. The day starts for all students from Kindergarten though Fourth grade at 7:55 am and ends at 3:10. For the majority of Pre- kindergarten students, the day ends at 1:00. There is an additional activity period for those Pre-K students whose parents wish them to stay until 3:10 -- the "3 o'clock girls", as colloquially called. In the afternoon, all students are dismissed from The Dome, a covered outdoor gym adjacent to the playground.

Middle School

Duchesne's middle school begins in 5th grade, a major entry point for those wishing to enroll in Duchesne, and there are separate teachers and class groups for each course. As opposed to the more unified activities in Lower School, those in Middle School have the opportunity to join sports teams, try out for plays, or become a member of a club, giving the Middle Schoolers a more independent view.

Upper School

Social awareness is amplified in the upper school, with required community service and student projects. Productions and publications also grow to be a more salient part of everyday life, while academic studies remain intensely competitive.

chool uniforms

Duchesne requires school uniforms for all of its students. For Lower School, the uniform is a plaid jumper with a white blouse. The Middle and Upper School daily uniform is a polo shirt with a plaid skirt.

ee also

*The Regis School of the Sacred Heart - Brother school (Pre-K - 8th Grade)
*St. Thomas High School - Brother school (High School)

External links

* [http://www.duchesne.org Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart] - Official website
* [http://www.sofie.org Network of Sacred Heart Schools] - Sacred Heart schools in the United States
* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/Saints/saintr20.htm Catholic Community Forum] - St. Rose Philippine Duchesne biography

Notes