Convent of the Sacred Heart is an American independent

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

all-girls' school in the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

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. Teaching from

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through twelfth grade, it is located on Manhattan's

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the we ...

at East 91st Street and

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping ...

. The school is housed in the former Otto H. Kahn House and James A. Burden House, both of which are New York City-Designated Landmarks, and are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

Founded in 1881 by the

Society of the Sacred Heart , image = RSCJnuevo.jpg, , image_size = 150px , caption = , abbreviation = Post-nominal letters: RSCJ , formation = , founder = Saint Sr. Madeleine Sophie Barat, R.S.C.J. ...

, a Roman Catholic congregation established in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1800, the school is one of New York City's oldest private schools for girls. The school was originally housed in a Manhattan

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...

at East 54th Street. By the 1930s, the school had outgrown its Madison Avenue space and moved into the Otto H. Kahn House. In 1940, the society acquired the James A. Burden House next door.

Membership and accreditation

In addition to being a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart and a part of the global

Network of Sacred Heart Schools The School of the Sacred Heart is an international network of private Catholic schools that are run by or affiliated with the Society of the Sacred Heart, which was founded in France by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat. Membership of the network ex ...

, a worldwide network of over 150 schools committed to the mission of a Sacred Heart education, the school is accredited by the

New York State Association of Independent Schools The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) is an association of 201 independent schools and organizations, ranging from nurseries to high schools, in New York (state), New York State. Founded in 1947, NYSAIS is the second la ...

and is a member of the

National Association of Independent Schools The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1962, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boa ...

. It is operated independently as part of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. The school is also associated with the New York Interschool Association. The school is also a member of the Independent Schools Association of Greater New York, the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the

European Council of International Schools European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

, the International Schools Association and the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the United States.

Facilities

The school is located in two historic mansions in the

Carnegie Hill Historic District Carnegie Hill is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries are 86th Street on the south, Fifth Avenue (Central Park) on the west, with a northern boundary at 98th Street that continu ...

on the

, at 1 East 91st Street and 7 East 91st Street, next to

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

and across the street from the

Cooper-Hewitt Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum housed within the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 museums that fall under the wing of the Smithsonian Inst ...

. * 1 East 91st Street ( Otto H. Kahn House) houses grade 5 through grade 12 (opened in 1934) * 7 East 91st Street ( James A. Burden House) houses pre-kindergarten through grade 4 (opened in 1940) In September 2008, the school purchased a facility located at 406 East 91st Street and created a new sports center. As of September 2014, the athletic center was open. Within the buildings at 1 East 91st Street and 7 East 91st Street, there are: * four science labs * two gymnasiums * one performance space * two photography darkroom studios * two rooftop playgrounds * interactive orojectors in all classrooms for grades K–12 * two libraries and virtual library access * wireless Internet access

Clubs and common-interest organizations

The school offers a range of clubs and activities for student participation, including

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...

, the

Habitat for Humanity International Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a C ...

forensics Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimin ...

(public speaking) and

student council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...

. * There are 40+ after-school activities available to Lower School students. * There are 40+ clubs and activities available to Middle School students. * There are 30+ clubs and activities available to Upper School students. Over 40 percent of the sophomore class study abroad on exchange for three to ten weeks to other schools in the Sacred Heart network, including schools in France and in Spain for ten weeks, and to Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, and Taiwan for three weeks.

Athletics

The school participates in eleven interscholastic sports disciplines. There is a separate athletic building at 406 91st Street near First Avenue.

Enrollment, tuition and fees

Tuition and payment for the 2017-2018 school year: * Pre-kindergarten: $27,870 * Junior kindergarten: $39,780 * Kindergarten – Grade 12 : $48,700 * Average enrollment of students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12: 685 * The Lower School includes pre-kindergarten, junior kindergarten, kindergarten and grades 1 through 4 * The Middle School consists of grades 5 through 8 * The Upper School is made up of grades 9 through 12 * Students of color: 28 percent * Average grade size (K–12): 50 * Student–faculty ratio: 7:1

Notable alumnae

* Karen Akers – actress and singer * Edith Bouvier Beale – socialite, fashion model and cabaret performer *

Lourdes Benedicto Lourdes Benedicto (born November 12, 1974) is an American actress of Filipino and Dominican descent. She is known for her roles on the television series '' 24'' as Carrie Turner, as Eva Rios on '' The Nine'', and for her role as Alicia Lawson ...

– actress *

Jordana Brewster Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is a Panamanian-American actress. Best known for her role as Mia Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, she made her acting debut in an episode of ''All My Children'' in 1995 and next took on the recu ...

– actress and model * Dorothy Donnelly – actress and playwright * Molly Fienning – co-founder, Babiators *

Natali Germanotta Natali Veronica Germanotta (born March 10, 1992) is an American fashion designer and stylist. She founded the fashion label Topo Studio. She is the younger sister of singer Lady Gaga. Early life Germanotta was born on March 10, 1992, in Ne ...

– fashion designer and stylist *

Stefani Germanotta Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

– singer, songwriter, actress and activist known as Lady Gaga * Magee Hickey – television reporter *

Caroline Kennedy Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as th ...

– attorney and diplomat *

Ethel Skakel Kennedy Ethel Kennedy (' Skakel; born April 11, 1928) is an American human rights advocate. She is the widow of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy, and the sixth child of George Skakel and Ann Brannack. Shortly ...

– human-rights activist *

Joan Bennett Kennedy Virginia Joan Kennedy ( Bennett, born September 2, 1936) is an American socialite who was the first wife of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy. Early life Virginia Joan Bennett was born at Mother Cabrini Hospital in New York City. She was raised in a R ...

– socialite * Susan Konig – author and publisher *

Leah McSweeney Leah Christine McSweeney (born August 27, 1982)McSweeney in is an American fashion designer and television personality. She founded the women's streetwear line Married to the Mob in 2004, and has starred on the reality television series ''The Re ...

– fashion designer *

Christa Miller Christa Beatrice Miller is an American actress and model who has achieved success in television comedy. Her foremost roles include Kate O'Brien on '' The Drew Carey Show'' and Jordan Sullivan on '' Scrubs''. She has also appeared in '' Seinfel ...

– actress * Minnie Mortimer – socialite * Lia Neal – Olympic swimmer and medalist * Emily Rafferty – president emeritus,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

* Nicky Hilton Rothschild – heiress and socialite * Emily Rutherfurd – actress * Eunice Kennedy Shriver – human-rights activist * Alix Smith – photographer *

Jean Kennedy Smith Jean Ann Kennedy Smith (February 20, 1928June 17, 2020) was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. She was a member of the Kennedy family, the eighth of nine ...

– diplomat * Frederica von Stade – singer *

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

– actress and singer *

Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (born Maria Mercedes Morgan; 23 August 1904 13 February 1965) was an American socialite best known as the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandmother of television journalist Anderson ...

– socialite *

Harriet Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks Harriet Sylvia Ann Howland Robinson Green Wilks (January 7, 1871 – February 5, 1951) was one of the wealthiest women in the United States. Early life Harriet Sylvia Ann Howland Robinson Green was born in London, England on January 7, 1871. Alt ...

– socialite and heiress * Anne Elizabeth Wilson – writer, poet, editor and pet cemetery owner *

Charlotte Selina Wood Little Tuesday (1887–?), born as Charlotte Selina Wood, was an American child actress and niece of playwright Joseph Arthur who had a period of novelty popularity in the early 1890s. Biography Charlotte Selina Wood was allegedly born on ...

– actress

In popular culture

Film and theatre

* '' The Dark Corner'' (1946) – Burden Mansion, 7 East 91st Street, as The Cathcart Gallery * '' The Anderson Tapes'' (1971) * ''

9 to 5 Working(laboring) time is the period of time that a person spends at paid labor. Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countries regulate the work week by law, s ...

'' (1980) * ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' (play – 1975; film – 2002) – in the song "We Both Reached for the Gun" the character, Roxie Hart, was said to have attended the school * ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, an ...

'' (1982) * ''

Working Girl ''Working Girl'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Kevin Wade, and starring Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Melanie Griffith. Its plot follows an ambitious secretary from Staten Island who t ...

'' (1988) * ''

A Perfect Murder ''A Perfect Murder'' is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen. It is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film '' Dial M for Murder'', though the characters ...

'' (1998) * ''

Uptown Girls ''Uptown Girls'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film directed by Boaz Yakin, from a screenplay by Julia Dahl, Mo Ogrodnik and Lisa Davidowitz adapted from the story by Allison Jacobs. It stars Brittany Murphy as a 22-year-old living a charmed lif ...

'' (2003) * ''

Night at the Museum ''Night at the Museum'' is a 2006 fantasy comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. It is based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Croatian illustrator Milan Trenc. The film had an ense ...

'' (2006) – appears briefly towards the beginning of the film when Nick's teacher is putting up a sign for career day * ''

Falling for Grace ''Falling for Grace'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Asian-American Fay Ann Lee, who also co-wrote the film with Karen Rousso, and stars alongside Gale Harold. It debuted at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival (as ''East Broadway''). ''N ...

'' (2006) * '' Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'' (2008) – titular character Norah attends the school * '' Duplicity'' (2009)

Literature and television

* ''

A Very Gaga Thanksgiving ''A Very Gaga Thanksgiving'' is a Thanksgiving television special that originally aired on November 24, 2011, in the United States on the ABC network. Conceived and directed by Lady Gaga, it discusses her personal life and the inspiration behin ...

'' (2011) * ''

Cashmere Mafia ''Cashmere Mafia'' is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on ABC from January 6, 2008 to February 20, 2008. The series was created by Kevin Wade, who also served as executive producer alongside Darren Star, Gail Katz, Jeff Rake ...

'' (Season 1) * ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

'' (book series) – contains the line "two little Sacred Heart girls in their cute red and white checked pinafores were walking an enormous black

Rottweiler The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered meat ...

" on page 86 in the first novel of the series * ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'' * '' Scrubs'' – Sacred Heart Hospital, where the series takes place, was named after the Convent of the Sacred Heart, where cast member (and wife of the series' screenwriter Bill Lawrence)

(who portrays Jordan Sullivan) attended high schoolUnknown author (Undated).
"Trivia for ''Scrubs'' (2001)"

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

. Retrieved October 10, 2009. * '' White Collar''

References

External links

cshnyc.org
Convent of the Sacred Heart, official website
sofie.org
Network of Sacred Heart Schools, official website
aashnet.org
The Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart, official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Convent Of The Sacred Heart 1881 establishments in New York (state) Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Educational institutions established in 1881 Girls' schools in New York City Private K-12 schools in Manhattan Roman Catholic elementary schools in Manhattan Roman Catholic secondary schools in Manhattan Sacred Heart schools in the United States Upper East Side