According to the National Catholic Educational Association, national test scores, high school graduation rates, college attendance and other data show that Catholic schools’ faith--lled educational programs frequently outperform schools in both the public and private sectors. Beacon Media’s Spotlight on Catholic Schools Week highlights Catholic schools in the San Gabriel Valley to share information with our thousands of readers, followers and page viewers about programs and events surrounding this year’s special week.
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy By May Ruiz
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ocated on 45 acres of land in La Canada, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy (FSHA) is housed in a magnificent hilltop missionstyle cluster of buildings with stunning views of Pasadena and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley. It’s an inspiring vantage point from which high school students receive an unparalleled Catholic education and training. FSHA was established in 1931 by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose to educate young women for a life of faith, integrity, and truth. This college-preparatory independent school was founded on the pillars of Dominican practice which constitutes an integrated life of study, prayer, service, and community. Since its founding almost 86 years ago, to this day, FSHA
has been run by Dominican Sisters who reside on campus and work in the school. There are currently 10 Dominican Sisters who live on campus and they make up the Flintridge Sacred Heart Priory. They perform a variety of jobs, including serving as faculty, staff or administrators at the school, or work outside as pastoral advisors or social workers. Originally a boarding school, FSHA started accepting day students in 1952, phasing out the elementary grades and becoming exclusively a high school to prepare young women for college application and the demands of university life. Today Flintridge Sacred Heart has a total enrollment of 392 – 330 of whom are day students; 62 are boarding stu-
Two students participate in a dissection during Biology class. -Photo by Kami Fischer
dents or 16 percent of the student body. On any given year the school receives from 60 to 70 global applicants who heard about FSHA through its vast network of international contacts, online resources,
events hosted in their home country or word of mouth. Acceptance is based on academic performance, English language skills, recommendations, interviews, and overall fit at FSHA.
Most of its international students attend for four years starting in ninth grade. These students typically matriculate to four-year U.S. universities after graduation. FSHA’s class of 2016 had 99 seniors – with 12 boarding students. FSHA has a truly geographically diverse enrollment. While a majority of students come from the nearby communities in the San Gabriel Valley, it also draws from as far as Newport Beach, Malibu, and Simi Valley. And last year, the school’s international students hailed from nine different countries. A rigorous curriculum of English, Math, Science, Social Studies, History, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages challenges the minds of young women. FSHA’s College Counseling De-
partment recently expanded its programming to ninth and tenth grades so by the time students reach eleventh grade, they have become competitive applicants. It hosts admissions recruiters on campus throughout the year. Twice a year counselors take students on college visits with an east coast and a west coast trip. International students receive personalized attention. College counselors hold meetings in the evenings in the boarding hall during the fall semester to give advice on their applications and specific forms. The class of 2016 matriculated to such highly selective universities as Boston University, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, NYU, Northeastern, UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, and Vanderbilt.