Sacred Heart Church and Catholic School

History of Sacred Heart School

Sacred Heart School has been in existence since 1984 when its' doors on Deep Canyon Road and Fred Waring were opened to receive students in Kindergarten and First Grade. The building had been constructed as a parish hall with three classrooms for religious education. With twenty-one (21) students in Kindergarten and First Grade in 1984, the school continued to add a new class each year. Enrollment growth was clearly foreseen.

The need for additional classrooms and a new school site was addressed in 1991. In the interim, a small staff worked with combined Grades 1 - 6 in the old school. Kindergarten was housed in the back of the old church.

Once the new school site and size were decided, the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish began fundraising efforts. Parishioners and visitors were very generous in supporting the drive to start the much needed building. Finances were in place and the new building was ready by September 1993. Provisions were made for larger classrooms for students in K - 8. The computer room, library, offices and faculty space were great improvements over our earlier limited areas. On September 8th, 1993, opening day for the new school, the expanded staff of eight (8) teachers in Kindergarten – 7th /8th grade combination, welcomed a student total of 210. Soon afterwards, in 1994 -1995 the computer room and library were staffed and running. Sizeable grants had enabled Sacred Heart School to develop its technology program earlier than was anticipated. Parents' Club Ways and Means Committee worked hard to match each annual grant received. School and programs were debt free by 1997. By 1999, school enrollment reached 291, close to capacity of 310.

In 2001 - 2002, the staff involved in K - 8 at Sacred Heart School consisted of nine classroom teachers, a full-time computer teacher, five part-time teachers in Advanced Math, Music, Spanish, library and P.E., and teacher-aides in K - 5. Each year new students were tested and registered in the Spring. A growing interest and provision for intramural sports and for music resulted in boys' and girls' teams in competitive sports and junior and senior choirs.

In 2002 a three classroom preschool opened with 68 children in the newly remodeled parish hall. Since its inception the preschool has been filled to capacity and a fourth classroom was added in 2003 bringing enrollment in the preschool to 80 students, ranging from 2 to 5 years of age.

In December of 2003 a four-classroom addition was opened. The 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes moved into these classrooms making space available to double Kindergarten and First Grade. The computer lab moved into a new full size room and the library expanded into a portion of the old computer room. In the math/science room lab stations were added making hands on experiments possible. The latest in multi-media technology was added to each of the new rooms. Smaller class sizes of 25 in Kindergarten through Second Grade became a reality by 2004 - 2005.

In June of 2007 the Margie Speck Building, named for a generous donor, was opened making it possible to double 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. In addition, separate art, music and extended care rooms are part of this expansion. In addition to classrooms, a larger play field was added. At the same time refurbishing the existing classrooms and adding the latest educational innovations to all classrooms was achieved. Construction will soon begin on a new multi-purpose facility, which will house a gymnasium, meeting rooms and kitchen for the school.

In coming years, additional classrooms will be added to double the junior high grades. When complete, class size will be limited to 25 students in the primary grades and 28 in the middle grades. A cap of 30 to 35 students in junior high is expected. The total enrollment, Pre-K through Grade 8 is expected to range between 500 and 550 students.