This Sunday Academy faculty, staff, administration, and the Board of Trustees will welcome the ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) Visiting Team as part of our accreditation process. For the past three years, the Academy has been preparing for this visit, led by Steering Committee chair Robynn Horner, along with Michael Taylor, Mary Reepmeyer, and Tim Horner. Below, Mrs. Horner shares the process that has brought us to this point.

Over the past three years, the faculty, administration, staff and Board of Trustees at the Academy have been working to become fully accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

You may be wondering, “What is ISACS and why is it an important distinction for our school?” ISACS is a nationally recognized accrediting organization that evaluates Independent Schools through a comprehensive and rigorous review process. There are 240 ISACS accredited schools in the 13 central-states region, and we are proud to join the ranks of these prestigious schools.

ISACS accreditation supports our goal to provide an exceptional education for our students. It helps ensure our programs are academically rigorous, our environment is safe and supportive, and our faculty, staff, and leadership are aligned with our mission. It also confirms that our school meets established standards of excellence in academic programming, faculty and staff qualifications, governance, financial stewardship, and institutional stability.

The Academy shares the five Goals of Sacred Heart education — the essence of our principles and values, with 24 Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the U.S. and Canada. Both timeless and timely, these Goals and their supporting criteria express what is at the heart of Sacred Heart education.

As we move into February, we focus on Goal 2: a deep respect for intellectual values. Mrs. Mary (Dougherty ’96) Reepmeyer shares how student-led conferences empower students to take responsibility for their learning.

At the end of February students in Third through Eighth Class will take ownership of their learning by leading their own conferences. They reflect on their strengths, challenges, and growth. This builds responsibility and helps them see learning as theirs, not something done to them.

Throughout this month they will be preparing for these conferences through self-reflection and goal setting. Preparing for a student-led conference requires students to evaluate their work, articulate progress, and set goals. These are lifelong skills that go far beyond academics.

We have been celebrating Catholic Schools Week with treats, activities, and some surprises. As this week draws to a close, we share some student responses to how the Academy supports them and helps them grow in their faith.

How does the Academy help you grow in your faith?

The Academy offers so many opportunities for me to grow in my faith. We attend Mass and we also take religion as a core class. My teacher teaches us about our religion and how to continue to grow in our faith. We also do service activities that help us to remember how many gifts God has given us.

— Class of 2028 student

The Academy helps me grow in my faith by having the five Goals which ensure you’re living through Jesus. These Goals help me have guidelines outside and inside the school making sure I follow Jesus.

— Class of 2027 student

We have a very loving community, and we also have great traditions. We have Mass every First Friday, and after Mass we do something called team building, which is when we go into assigned groups with the whole school and do fun activities. We also have the remains of a saint in the Shrine which is very special because St. Rose Philippine Duchesne was amazing in helping make our school the great place it is today.

— Class of 2026 student

I feel comfortable sharing my values and discussing my faith in class, as the classroom is a safe space for everyone no matter what. This is something that the Academy has told and assured over the last 10 years, and makes me feel open to share my opinion without fear of judgment.

— Class of 2025 student

Catholic Schools Week begins Sunday, a time to celebrate the gift of Catholic education in the United States and reflect on the unique mission of Sacred Heart schools: educating the whole child in mind, heart, and spirit. This week, Mrs. Mary (Dougherty ’96) Reepmeyer, Principal, shares how students will reflect, celebrate, and give thanks for the faith-filled community that surrounds and supports them.

We look forward to celebrating our Sacred Heart community and the many ways our students live out our five Goals during Catholic Schools Week. Middle School students have been reflecting on why they are proud to attend a Catholic school and how Sacred Heart helps them grow closer to God. Students in Third and Fourth Class have also been reflecting on their experience at the Academy by creatively writing acrostic poems about what it means to be part of a Catholic school. These poems and reflections will be displayed on pennants throughout the school next week and shared at our Be Part of the Heart Open House on Sunday, February 1.

Judy (Hartwig ’76) Robben returned to the Academy this year to teach Second Class. She writes, “It is an honor and a dream come true to ‘go full circle’ and return to the Academy as a teacher. I have great admiration for St. Philippine Duchesne, who founded the school in such harsh conditions yet remained determined to bring the love of Jesus to young hearts. It truly feels like being back home.” She shares how her experience as an Academy student impacts her teaching today.

Returning to my alma mater to serve our Second Class students has been a privilege, a calling, and an answered prayer. As I help prepare them to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, my role goes beyond teaching prayers or religion; it is about forming their hearts and minds to recognize God’s mercy, love, and presence in their lives. I strive to meet each child where they are, honoring their individual faith backgrounds while guiding them toward a personal and active relationship with God. My hope is that these early experiences with the sacraments become a foundation for a living faith — one that continues to grow as they mature, helping them trust in God, seek Him in daily life, and remain rooted in their faith for years to come.

As we begin the new year, we look to the five Goals of Sacred Heart education — the essence of our principles and values, shared by the 25 Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the U.S. and Canada. Both timeless and timely, these Goals and their supporting criteria express what is at the heart of Sacred Heart education.

This month, we will focus on Goal 1: a personal and active faith in God. Amaya Firestone, Marketing and Communications Assistant and Admissions Coordinator, shares some exciting news in the Archdiocese.

The Academy of the Sacred Heart and the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, under the leadership of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne and Bishop DuBourg, have a deep shared history of missionary zeal, perseverance, and frontier grit. In 1818, the same year of our foundation, Bishop DuBourg chose St. Louis as the episcopal seat of what would become the archdiocese of the western frontier. He shared Philippine’s incredible vision for the region, which at the time was a scarce and poor land. How far we have come from then to now: “The Rome of the West.”

This week Fifth and Sixth Class students reflect on what Advent means to them and how they prepare for Christmas.

Advent means preparing my heart for Jesus to come in. I love getting ready by making Advent calendars, wrapping gifts, and giving presents because it makes me feel closer to Jesus. At the Academy, we even get time to make gifts for our families. This year, we’re creating calendars with ideas for small acts of kindness, like helping with dishes or wrapping presents.

Doing service at the Academy has always made me feel like I am really impacting some people that may not be able to afford what we might take for granted, like clothing and food on our dinner tables. It’s amazing that the Academy gives Middle Schoolers this opportunity. Also, for many years, our families and friends have come together to assemble baskets that we bring to Christmas Basket Mass to join those of Academy families. My family goes to Christmas Eve Mass in the Shrine, and it is my favorite mass of the year. It reminds me to open my heart fully.

— London L. ’28

Two significant dates in Society of the Sacred Heart history are nearly here, and both impact each of us in the Academy community, for without them, we literally would not be here. This week, Lisa Tebbe ’80, Director of Marketing and Communications, reflects on the gifts of Sacred Heart relationships.

Tomorrow, we celebrate the birth of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, born December 12, 1779 in Joigny, France. Sophie’s birth was dramatic—she was born during a fire—and that seemed to portend the role she would later play in religious life and education. She was highly educated for a woman of her time, thanks to her brother and tutor, Louis. Sophie lived through the horrors of the French Revolution, which ignited in her a desire to take part in the restoration of Christian life in France through the education of young women. Her belief in a loving God impelled her to share that love and compassion with all she encountered. This deep-seated desire led her to begin the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1800 whose purpose was to make known the love of God revealed in the Heart of Christ.

Fast forward to December 13, 1804, when Madeleine Sophie and Philippine Duchesne met for the first time (I like to call this “Sacred Heart Friendship Day”). This meeting of two women who highly respected and trusted each other—forged a deep bond and life-long connection. While it would still take many years, it was the catalyst for Philippine coming to North America and establishing our school in 1818. Philippine never returned to France but over 30+ years she and Sophie nurtured their friendship through correspondence. Sophie is known for a natural capacity for friendship that sparked a wide network of relationships, so it makes perfect sense that the essence of Sacred Heart education is relationships.

As we enter Advent, the beautiful, peaceful time that prepares us for the birth of Jesus, former Academy Principal Marcia (Baronovic ’72, 8th) Renken shares the significance of one of our most beloved and long-standing Sacred Heart traditions, Christmas Baskets. Mrs. Renken now works part-time in Alumni Relations and fondly recalls how a family tradition born at the Academy when she was a young student is still alive and a meaningful part of her family’s lives.

The Christmas season is upon us. This week’s frigid temperatures allow us to appreciate our heated homes, warm meals, blanketed beds, and comfortable transportation as we drive carpool, run errands, and travel to visit family and friends.

The Academy’s tradition of Christmas Baskets has been celebrated for nearly 100 years. It gives us pause to be grateful for these and our many blessings. My family was first introduced to this tradition when I was a Primary student at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. The request from the school was to provide a ‘”basket’ of food to feed a family on Christmas Day. My family accepted this invitation and thus began a family tradition within an Academy tradition.

My family, which included my parents, a brother, sister, and me, made a list of the food items we wanted to buy and to the store we went to shop for breakfast, lunch and Christmas dinner for a family that needed this gift from a stranger because circumstances made it difficult or not possible for them to provide for their family.

This week has been filled with gratitude and celebration with St. Philippine Duchesne’s Feast and Grandfriends Day. Mr. Timothy Horner, Head of School, reflects on her enduring vision — this community rooted in faith and love that continues to thrive — and the many blessings that sustain our mission.

At the conclusion of Philippine’s Feast Day Mass, I shared my belief that St. Philippine, from her place in heaven, looks upon her school as our foundress, smiling because she sees a community that has preserved its core for more than 200 years.

In this season of gratitude, I am thankful for:

• The living of our Sacred Heart Charism and Catholic faith, which shape our community values and weave a rich tapestry of faith that underpins everything we do.
• Our students, who foster a culture of kindness, faith, and warmth. Walking our halls, you see classmates helping one another and greeting you with a smile and a cheerful “good morning.”
• Our remarkable faculty, whose deep care for students and unwavering dedication reflect their belief in each child’s potential.
• Our supportive community, surrounding students and teachers with encouragement and resources.
• The RSCJ, whose presence—whether at Board meetings, Masses, or in conversations with students and faculty—continues to bless us with grace and wisdom.
• Our administration and staff, whose exceptional commitment ensures that, time and again, they rise to every occasion to do what is right for students and faculty.
• Our volunteers, who quietly make events large and small possible—without whom our school simply could not thrive.

Together, these gifts create an extraordinary school. Thank you for your role in advancing our mission to reveal God’s love. As St. Philippine reminds us:

We cultivate a very small field for Christ. But we love it, knowing that God does not require great achievements, but a heart that holds back nothing for self.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy and surrounded by loved ones.