Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School is a public
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, Canada.
History
Built in the 1950s by the
Presentation sisters
The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...
and the Sisters of Mercy, it was originally an all-girls school called "Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School for Girls". The first classes were held on November 17, 1958.
Outline
Historically the student population has often exceeded 1000 students, making it one of the largest in the province. Holy Heart offers several
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
courses, and is also the only school in Newfoundland that currently offers the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
. It is also one of the few schools in the province providing courses in English as a Second Language.
Academic standards are high at this institution and the teaching instruction offered typically includes a higher number of instructors and teachers with post-graduate degrees; many teachers at this public high school also teach at Memorial University.
Holy Heart's students have had strong showings in regional and provincial high school sports leagues, with teams in
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
,
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
, and other sports. Students have also had successes with national academic programs such as
and the Canada Wide Science Fair, and at provincial competitions in drama, debating, and other activities.
The music program at the school is nationally and internationally renowned. The Holy Heart of Mary Chamber Choir, formerly led by Susan Quinn and now led by Robert Colbourne, won a gold medal at the
International Youth and Music Festival
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, in 1996, and has continued to win local and national awards since then, including First Prize for under-19 school choirs at the National Music Festival of Canada in 2007. It also performed at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
in May 2010. Several choir alumni perform in another highly regarded amateur choir managed by Quinn, the
Quintessential Vocal Ensemble
The Quintessential Vocal Ensemble is an amateur choir based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The choir, formed in 1993, is led by Susan Quinn, and consists of approximately 40 members.
The choir is known to perform pieces from a ...
.
The instrumental program, formerly led by Grant Etchegary and now led by Rob Lee, a recipient of the
Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence
The Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence are awarded by the Prime Minister of Canada to exceptional Canadian elementary and secondary school teachers. It is the most prestigious prize awarded to a teacher in Canada.
Over 1,500 educator ...
, enjoys a similar reputation throughout Canada.
The Holy Heart Auditorium, attached to the school, was refurbished in 2006 and again in 2012 and has played host to a number of concerts from outside the school community. The theatre is open to students and staff during the academic day; students have full access to the latest theatrical equipment. The school puts on an annual musical in the theatre with a cast composed of students from the performing arts certificate program and other students.
This school is located in the downtown to midtown area of the city and is located within the historic district of St. John's. Some of the most expensive condos in St. John's (prices ranging from $500,000 to over $1,000,000) are within Place Bonaventure, directly to the left of the school. The Rooms, the provincial art gallery and archives, is located four minutes from the main doors.
The downtown location of this school make it a popular choice for the children of professional families and those who live within the downtown core, heritage district and even some outlying suburbs. Parking is expansive and student parking is included to the left of the school.