Student Experience

The purpose of Alethea is to write, edit and publish the school newspaper four times a year. The newspaper gives students the opportunity to further develop their writing and research skills and express the ideas and opinions of the SHA student body.

The mission of the BSU is to offer a supportive environment for student of color,  providing a community, brave space and the opportunity to create change as we work towards a future of diversity, equity, respect and inclusion.

The Bloomberg Financial Club focuses on educating students on the benefits of investing in stocks and providing a hands on learning experience in using the terminals for those students not able to enroll in the Personal Finance class and to expand the experiences of those students in the Personal Finance class.

The purpose of the Book Club is to give readers at SHA a place where they can feel comfortable discussing what they are currently reading. It will also help students to branch out to find new genres and authors that they haven’t explored before and develop an appreciation for them.

Campus Ministry is a peer ministry outreach to the greater school community and promotes a “culture of Christian service” flowing from a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Everyone: students, faculty and staff members, parents, and alumnae are considered members of SHA’s Campus Ministry. They will all be encouraged to whole heartedly participate as a servant of Christ in all SHA Campus Ministry service projects, spiritual growth opportunities, and worship experiences.

The purpose of Clelian is to produce a yearbook that captures the spirit and activity of the school year and that serves as a historical record of the year. The yearbook gives staff members experience in the journalistic demands of copy writing, photography, and layout design in a computer-based setting.

The purpose of this club is to encourage literary creativity outside of the classroom as well as create a safe space where aspiring writers can look for inspiration, development, and guidance.

Membership in the Sacred Heart Academy Drama Guild is open to any student interested in drama. Throughout the school year, students may participate in events including a major play, a monologue contest, the CDA Festival and the HALO Awards. . For these events, students can involve themselves in a wide range of activities including acting, crew work, designing, composing and playwriting. Students may also participate in field trips to numerous professional theatrical productions. Exceptional theater students also have the opportunity to be awarded and recognized at the annual Honors Convocation.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs teaches SHA students how to begin their own business and market their products.  This will allow students to express their personal interests and discover what appeals to them.  Students will develop a business plan and put it into action and will also research and teach marketing strategies.

The Excelsior Club will represent and share Sacred Heart Academy’s charism with prospective students and families as Excelsior Ambassadors. This will include campus tour information sessions, open houses and other hostess responsibilities.

Students will have the opportunity to learn how to play tuned hand bells and perform on various occasions.

The purpose of the Math League is to stretch the students mathematically by participating in the New England Math League and AMC –12- Tests and to build confidence and self-esteem in students who are mathematically and scientifically oriented.

The Medical Researchers Club is for everyone interested in a career in medicine. You will have the opportunity to learn about basic skills, such as taking a medical history or making a diagnosis, as well as to research, hear about and discuss the latest trends and research in medicine.

The Ping Pong Club is designed to provide a stress-free activity to help students decompress after a school day.  This also will give the different grade levels an opportunity to mingle in a relaxed environment.

PRISM seeks to discover the artwork, poetry and prose of SHA students and to publish their work in a formal literary publication.

In this club students will learn programming. They will program in Scratch, program Sphero robots, and move on to more advanced programming languages such as Python. Members will meet bi-weekly to do different programming activities. In October, the members will do an activity for Hour of Code and lead volunteers in programming games and activities.

The purpose of this club is to promote equality, diversity, and awareness in our school community. Through discussion, education, and activities, we work to create an environment of peace and understanding at SHA. SHAdes hopes to help our school learn about the differences that make us unique, embrace and value those differences, and learn how to be agents of change toward acceptance and discovery not only in our own school, but our nation as well. With Excelsior values, SHAdes hopes to continually strive to work towards an environment where we will one day value all diversity that makes us beautiful.

Ski club is a seasonal, recreational club for people interested in skiing or snowboarding at local mountains with the possibility of day trips to VT mountains during the winter months. Depending on student interest, the club will organize weekly Friday trips to the local mountain in January for 5 weeks. Skiers may rent equipment at the mountain. Experience required.

The purpose of the S.T.A.R club is to develop a student centered technology support resource team where students can learn various skills in technology while serving as a technical resource of SHA Help. This club, with officers, would meet weekly for increased training.

The Visual Arts Club is a combination of the Art and Photography clubs. This club will encompass the various media of both clubs. Some “events” may include a chalk walk art festival to begin the year. Other activities include face painting at the Holly Berry Festival, “Inktober” and “Mermay” – exploring a certain media each month.

At Wellness and Meditation Club we recognize how powerful our beautiful brains are, and that meditation is truly a gift for the mind. Benefits of mediation: eases anxiety, melts away frustration and stress, improves focus, enhances sense of self, and generally boosts serotonin levels. This is some peaceful time away from the hustle and bustle of your busy day. Meditation Club will give you a minute to just take a deep breath and say ahhhh. A chance to relax and think about nothing but this moment.

The International Thespian Society is the only theatre honor society for middle and high school students in the United States. Affiliation brings credibility and distinction to students, theatre programs, and schools. It is a visible, positive symbol of the quality of our theatre program.

ITS recognizes, rewards, and encourages student achievement and celebrates the work of students in all aspects of theatre – performance and production. Each student is honored on a national level and gains access to opportunities and resources beyond those of their school.

Students who have an overall GPA of 3.0, are juniors or seniors enrolled in AP Calculus (AB or BC), and who are members in good standing of Math League are invited to join.  Members must attend all meetings, participate in all events, and participate in the Peer Tutoring Program.  Additionally, students must maintain proper status in all the areas that qualified them for membership.  Failure to do so will mean the student will not receive an honors cord for graduation.

The National Honor Society is an academic organization dedicated to recognizing and promoting student excellence in academics, leadership, service, and character. Students in the second semester of their sophomore or junior year of school who have maintained an overall 3.8 GPA average are invited to apply to the Sacred Heart Academy chapter of NHS. To maintain membership, students are obligated to maintain their academic excellence, attend NHS meetings monthly, offer peer tutoring once per cycle, and perform additional service for the school community.  

The SNHS encourages and recognizes scientific and intellectual thought, advances the students’ knowledge of classical and modern science, communicates with the scientific community, encourages students to participate in community service and in turn, encourages a dedication to the pursuit of scientific knowledge that benefits all humankind. Click here for criteria for membership.

• The Spanish National Honor Society is an academic organization dedicated to promoting the study of the Spanish language and the culture of Hispanic countries. Membership is based on academic performance and commitment to service. Students taking Spanish at Sacred Heart Academy will be eligible to join if they earned an A- in Spanish for three consecutive semesters, as well as having an overall GPA of 3.33. Members must also commit to offering peer-tutoring during the school year in accordance with standards laid out by their teachers. To maintain active membership and receive an Honor Cord in their senior year, students must continue to take Spanish, or have exhausted all levels offered at Sacred Heart Academy, and consistently demonstrate a commitment to service through peer tutoring in Spanish.     
   
• The French National Honor Society is an academic organization dedicated to promoting the study of the French language and the culture of French-speaking countries. Membership is based on academic performance and commitment to service. Students taking French at Sacred Heart Academy will be eligible to join if they earned an A- in French for three consecutive semesters. Members must also commit to offering peer-tutoring during the school year in accordance with standards laid out by their teachers. To maintain active membership and receive an Honor Cord in their senior year, students must continue to take French, or have exhausted all levels offered at Sacred Heart Academy, and consistently demonstrate a commitment to service through peer tutoring in French. 
   
• The Chinese National Honor Society is an academic organization dedicated to promoting the study of the Chinese language and culture. Membership is based on academic performance and commitment to service. Students taking Chinese at Sacred Heart Academy will be eligible to join if they earned an A- in Chinese for three consecutive semesters. Members must also commit to offering peer-tutoring during the school year in accordance with standards laid out by their teachers. To retain active membership and receive an Honor Cord in their senior year, students must continue to take Chinese, or have exhausted all levels offered at Sacred Heart Academy, and consistently demonstrate a commitment to service through peer tutoring in Chinese.     

The Student Council exists to promote and encourage student leadership, to render service, to serve as a student governing body and to achieve a better understanding of the aims and philosophy of SHA. Student Council works to support and encourage unity within the school.

Peer Connection is a community of students whose mission is to offer a caring, Christian connection to their peers through confidential listening, mediation techniques, intervention strategies, and group support. Freshmen may apply for membership in March.

CMLT is a leadership group that supports and promotes the faith life of the school. This group of students assist/directs all programs of Campus Ministry, including liturgies, retreats, faith sharing, respect life, local outreach, and community service.

Kairos is the Greek word in Christian scripture for "momentary time," sometimes referred to as "God's time." Kairos is a three-day retreat that invites the senior class to consider what it means to live intentionally in "God's time." It also encourages students to carefully examine their relationships with God. Modeled off the Ignatian Kairos model, Kairos Retreats are student-led retreats that help participants understand their relationship to God, themselves, and others on a deeper level through: Kairos Leadership team talks; faculty talks; and small group discussions.