Sacred Heart Preparatory (Atherton, California)

Sacred Heart Preparatory, also known as Sacred Heart, is an independent private, Society of the Sacred Heart affiliated college preparatory school in Atherton, California, USA. It was established in 1898 and is located at 150 Valparaiso Avenue across the street from Menlo Park. During its early years, the school served as a boarding school for young women. It became co-ed in 1986.

It has a student population of approximately 530 in Grades 9 through 12. There are currently about 100 faculty and staff with the vast majority of staff holding advanced degrees.

Academics, athletics, and the arts

Sacred Heart holds a reputation for very strong academics, athletics and arts. Its reputation is especially strong on the West Coast, and some graduates consistently go on to attend top universities. Sacred Heart graduates 100% of the students with 100% of the student body being accepted and attending four year universities. Small class sizes, averaging 17 students lead to high levels of interaction between students and faculty. Some of its athletic teams compete among the top athletic high schools in the state, highlighted by nationally ranked water polo and tennis teams. The 2007 Men's Varsity Water Polo are currently #4 in the country while the Women's are #2 in Northern California. The men's tennis team were national champions last year. Also, the Athletic Department allows students the opportunity to announce home athletic events, showing their continuing support of student participation in the Sacred Heart Community. Along with athletics, Sacred Heart offers a wide variety of programs in the arts, including theater, chamber orchestra, jazz band, chorus, dance, photography, movie making, and studio art. The football team is number one in the nation but they are not as good as the cross country team.

tudent life

The school offers over 40 student clubs, the most popular clubs being the barbecue club, the mens club which has the most members out of any club, the skateboard club, the "Guitar Hero" club, the historic "Bocci Ball Club", the library gamer's club, and the multi-cultural club. Sacred Heart offers a diverse array of activities through which students can develop their intellectual, social, political, and cultural interests. Stressing the importance of a commitment to the broader community, students are required to do 25 independent hours of community service, a justice project, and a charity project, each requiring 25 hours of community service. The College Counseling office begins working with students in their sophomore year to guide them through the college admissions process.

References

http://www.tennisallamerican.org/2006_tournament1.htm

ee also

*San Mateo County high schools
*National Association of Independent Schools
*Network of Sacred Heart Schools

External links

* [http://www.shschools.org/SHP Sacred Heart official website]