Convent of the Sacred Heart (New York City)

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Convent of the Sacred Heart
Burden-7e91.jpg
The school is housed in the former Otto H. Kahn house and James A. Burden House (left to right)
Location
1 East 91st Street

Manhattan, New York City
,
New York

United States
Coordinates40°47′5″N 73°57′27″W / 40.78472°N 73.95750°W / 40.78472; -73.95750Coordinates: 40°47′5″N 73°57′27″W / 40.78472°N 73.95750°W / 40.78472; -73.95750
Information
TypePrivate, Day, College-prep
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1881; 140 years ago (1881)
FounderSociety of the Sacred Heart
ChairpersonJacqueline Mitchell
Head of schoolJoseph J. Ciancaglini[1]
Head of Upper SchoolMargaret Savino[1]
ChaplainRev. John Kamas[2]
GradesPK12
GenderGirls
Enrollment670 (approx.) (2008)
LanguageEnglish (medium of instruction)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s) Red  and  White 
Athletics-11 interscholastic sports
-Colin Hope, Physical Education Department Chair
Athletics conference, NYSAISAA
MascotCardinal
Team nameCardinals
AccreditationNYSAIS
PublicationZenith (literary magazine)
NewspaperSpirit of 91st Street
YearbookCornerstone
AffiliationNAIS NCGS
Head of Middle SchoolCatherine Hubacz[2]
Head of Lower SchoolAmy Pacula[2]
Upper School Dean of StudiesKelly Nalls[2]
Director of AdmissionsElizabeth Santini[1]
Websitecshnyc.org

Convent of the Sacred Heart is an independent Roman Catholic all-girls school in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Teaching from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, it is located on Manhattan's Upper East Side at East 91st Street and Fifth Avenue.

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.

History[]

Founded in 1881 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic congregation established in France in 1800, the school is New York City's oldest private school for girls. The school was originally housed in a Manhattan brownstone on Madison Avenue at East 54th Street.

By the 1930s, the school had outgrown its Madison Avenue space and moved into the Kahn mansion. In 1940, the Society acquired the Burden mansion 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, 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 and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

It is operated independently as part of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. The school is also associated with the New York Interschool Association.

Sacred Heart is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). It is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of Greater New York, the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the European Council of International Schools, the International Schools Association and the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the United States.

Facilities[]

Sacred Heart is located in two historic mansions in the Carnegie Hill Historic District on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, at 1 East 91st Street and 7 East 91st Street, next to Central Park/5th Avenue and across the street from the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

In September 2008, The Convent of the Sacred Heart purchased a facility located at 406 East 91st Street to create a new sports center. As of September 2014, the athletic center is open.

Within the buildings at 1 East 91st Street and 7 East 91st Street, there are:

  • 4 Science Labs
  • 2 Gymnasium
  • 1 Performance Space
  • 2 Photography Darkroom Studios
  • 2 rooftop playgrounds
  • Interactive Projectors in all classrooms for grades K-12
  • 2 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 the Habitat for Humanity International, Amnesty International, student council and forensics (public speaking).[citation needed]

  • There are 40+ after-school activities available every fall, winter and spring 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% of the sophomore class study abroad on exchange for 3 to 10 weeks to other schools in the Sacred Heart network including schools in France and in Spain for 10 weeks, and to Australia, Italy, Ireland, Canada and Taiwan for 3 weeks.

Athletics[]

The school participates in eleven interscholastic sports disciplines.

There is a separate athletic building at 406 91st Street near 1st Ave.

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%
  • Average grade size (K-12): 50
  • Student/Faculty Ratio: 7:1

Notable alumnae[]

  • Stefani Germanotta, singer, songwriter, actress and activist known as Lady Gaga
  • Natali Germanotta, fashion designer and stylist
  • Nicky Hilton Rothschild, heiress and socialite
  • Lourdes Benedicto, actress
  • Jordana Brewster, actress and model
  • Dorothy Donnelly, actress and playwright
  • Magee Hickey, television reporter
  • Caroline Kennedy, attorney and diplomat
  • Ethel Skakel Kennedy, human rights campaigner
  • Jean Kennedy Smith, diplomat
  • Joan Bennett Kennedy, socialite
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver, human rights activist
  • Christa Miller,[3] actress
  • Minnie Mortimer, socialite
  • Lia Neal,[4] Olympic swimmer and medalist[5]
  • Emily Rutherfurd, actress
  • Alix Smith, photographer
  • Frederica von Stade, singer
  • Elaine Stritch, actress and singer
  • Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, socialite
  • Charlotte Selina Wood, actress
  • Karen Akers, actress and singer
  • Harriet Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks, socialite and heiress
  • Leah McSweeney, fashion designer
  • Molly Fienning, co-founder, Babiators
  • Susan Konig, author and publisher
  • , President emeritus, Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Edith Bouvier Beale, socialite, fashion model, and cabaret performer

In popular culture[]

Film and theatre[]

  • The Dark Corner (1946) - Burden Mansion, 7 East 91st Street, NYC as The Cathcart Gallery[6]
  • The Anderson Tapes (1971)
  • 9 to 5 (1980)
  • Chicago (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 (1982)
  • Working Girl (1988)
  • A Perfect Murder (1998)
  • Uptown Girls (2003)
  • Night at the Museum (2006) - appears briefly towards the beginning of the film when Nick's teacher is putting up a sign for career day.
  • Falling for Grace (2006)
  • Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) - titular character Norah attends the school
  • Duplicity (2009)

Literature and television[]

  • A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (2011)
  • Cashmere Mafia (Season 1)
  • Gossip Girl (book series) — contains the line "two little Sacred Heart girls in their cute red and white checked pinafores were walking an enormous black Rottweiler" on page 86 in the first novel of the series.
  • Law & Order
  • 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) Christa Miller (who portrays Jordan Sullivan) attended high school.[7]
  • White Collar

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Administration/Board" Archived 2009-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Convent of the Sacred Heart. Undated. Accessed 2009-10-10.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Administration, Faculty and Staff" Archived 2009-10-04 at the Wayback Machine. Convent of the Sacred Heart. Undated. Accessed 2009-10-10.
  3. ^ "Christa Miller". IMDb. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Lia Neal - Bio". SwimSwam. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Chicoine, Christie L. (July 20, 2012). "Convent of the Sacred Heart Swimmer Bringing Home the Bronze". Catholic New York. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Dark Corner (1946) Filming Locations". IMDb.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  7. ^ Unknown author (Undated).[unreliable source?]"Trivia for Scrubs (2001)". Internet Movie Database. Accessed 2009-10-10.

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
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