Halifax, NS | Grades JK - 12 | Shortlist
The school describes its campus as iconic, and to be sure, it really is. The school was founded in 1849, and the campus shows its age in all the best ways. The location is iconic as well, in the heart of Halifax and across from the historic public gardens. As those things signal, Sacred Heart is a part of the historical culture of the city, and arriving here each day delivers its own frisson of excitement. As with any school of this vintage, much has changed, and today the program is iconic in other ways. The provision of single gender education through Grades 7 to 12 is one of them, offering the best of both worlds. As a member of a global network of schools, the gaze is international, with emphasis on social justice and social action. While there are many longstanding traditions and events, the school also distinguishes itself as cutting edge, both in the curriculum it offers—the broad Advanced Placement offering, for one—but also through its delivery, with lots of hands-on, project oriented, collaborative learning. That said, the biggest draw for many is simply the spirit of the school. There is a keen desire to get students involved in a wide range of activity, including a robust program of service learning, while also engaged within the daily life of the school. Sacred Heart has a proven ability to deliver all of it.
Sacred Heart School of Halifax
We have four children at Sacred Heart School of Halifax (SHSH). If I think about our eldest son, who has gone from Grade 6 to where he is now (Grade 11), he may not put it in these exact words himself but two of the things that he would appreciate the most include: (a) Connections: He has truly rich friendships. It is clear that some of his classmates are close friends for life. Some teachers may even make the same cut. (b) Challenge: SHSH creates the conditions that challenge him to do ... View full review
Our daughter joined Sacred Heart School as a shy student whose early years experience robbed her confidence and her joyful nature. She stepped into her Grade 4 classroom at SHSH as if into the arms of family. Her teacher that year (and in all subsequent years) showed a genuine interest in her as an individual person. Her teacher's ability to be lovingly kind while holding consistently high expectations for our daughter's performance created a safe pathway for our daughter's spirit to come back t... View full review
My partner and I are parents of 3 girls. When our youngest daughter was ready to begin Primary we weren't happy with the school our older two children were attending, and we weren't ready to put our youngest daughter into a school that wasn't working for us. We had tried just about every option our town had to offer except Sacred Heart, but I have to say, after the first year we knew we had made the right decision. Our youngest daughter, who was shy and used to having her family and sisters near... View full review
