Scenes from Chemin de Fer 2024

May 3, 2024

Saturday’s Chemin de Fer: the Golden Age was a grand celebration of 50 years! Nearly 400 guests came together for a spectacular evening of Sacred Heart community to benefit the Academy in our own Grand Central Station.

Board member Mary Charlotte Chandler, RSCJ began the evening with prayer. Mr. Horner then recognized the evening’s Honorary Chair, Marcia Baronovic Renken ’72, 8th, and introduced a tribute video. Marcia was joined by her family, former classmates and friends for this very special moment.

Read More ⟶


Scenes from Chemin de Fer 2024

May 3, 2024

Saturday’s Chemin de Fer: the Golden Age was a grand celebration of 50 years! Nearly 400 guests came together for a spectacular evening of Sacred Heart community to benefit the Academy in our own Grand Central Station.

Board member Mary Charlotte Chandler, RSCJ began the evening with prayer. Mr. Horner then recognized the evening’s Honorary Chair, Marcia Baronovic Renken ’72, 8th, and introduced a tribute video. Marcia was joined by her family, former classmates and friends for this very special moment.

The live auction featured trips, tickets and one-of-kind experiences plus an adorable pup. White Center Cafeteria was filled with silent auction items and guests mingled, enjoying each other’s company and Academy spirit.

Big congratulations to our 24K Magic Raffle winners current parents Brian and Lauren Teschendorf! Kevin and Elizabeth Grelle (parents of Laurel ’17) were winners of the Around the World in 50 Years Raffle.

An exciting evening of bidding concluded with the Fund-the-Need project: Computer Lab Updates, Interactive Touch Panels in the Classroom, and a new Curriculum and Learning Coach position. An initial anonymous donation of $200,000 with a $200,000 match was met with a total of $100,000 in anonymous gifts and brisk bidding in the room, to reach more than $400,000!

Thank you to our chairs Mike ’91 and Jessica Weeks and co-chairs Katie Renken ’96 and Marco Rosales and the incredible work of the auction committees. We are grateful to our guests for making the journey — looking back at 50 years and forward to 50 more! Mark your calendars and join us for Chemin de Fer 2025 on May 3!

For many more images, visit our Facebook or Instagram.


Thank You for a Successful Chemin de Fer

May 3, 2024

This week Mr. Horner shares deep gratitude to the Academy community for a successful Chemin de Fer last Saturday. It was humbling to experience the support of Academy families — present and past — alums from across the years, former faculty and staff, RSCJ, Board members, grandparents and friends of the Academy.

The 50th Chemin de Fer transported us to a magical night, from a train station unrecognizable as a gym, to an enjoyable meal with friends, to Chemin Central crowded with almost 400 guests, to honoring Mrs. Renken as Honorary Chair. The excitement began as the doors opened and continued throughout the night.

We will continue down the tracks of appreciation. Thank you to all who donated to the Fund-the-Need, or in this case fund enhancements to the academic program. The generosity of the community raised more than $400,000.

Thank you to all who donated and purchased items. The total raised this year was record setting, eclipsing the record set just last year. Stay tuned for final numbers.

Thank you to all who attended and filled the room with Academy spirit. Our school is strong because our community is unequaled.

Chemin de Fer is a labor of love and I am especially grateful to Special Events Coordinator extraordinaire Heather Locker for her masterful work. Thank you to chairs Mike ’91 and Jessica Weeks and co-chairs Katie Renken ’96 and Marco Rosales and the incredible work of the auction committees. The dedication and hard work demonstrated — week after week of “Chemin Season” — was remarkable and inspiring.

Chemin de Fer #51: Please join us May 3, 2025 as we seek to have more than 500 attendees!


May 2, 2024

May 2, 2024

This week Mr. Horner shares deep gratitude to the Academy community for a successful Chemin de Fer last Saturday. It was humbling to experience the support of Academy families — present and past — alums from across the years, faculty and staff, RSCJ, Board members, grandparents and friends of the Academy.

The 50th Chemin de Fer transported us to a magical night, from a train station unrecognizable as a gym, to an enjoyable meal with friends, to Chemin Central crowded with almost 400 guests, to honoring Mrs. Renken as Honorary Chair. The excitement began as the doors opened and continued throughout the night.

We will continue down the tracks of appreciation. Thank you to all who donated to the Fund-the-Need, or in this case fund enhancements to the academic program. The generosity of the community raised more than $400,000.


April 25, 2024

April 25, 2024

This week we celebrate National Volunteer Week and the spirit of service and camaraderie that is so distinctive at the Academy. Heather Locker, Special Events Coordinator, shares why she is inspired to give back to ASH.

When my husband, Jeff, and I met with Head of School Sister Maureen Glavin in 2010, she asked, “Will you make this school part of your life? And will you join this partnership with me for your children?” On that day, we said “yes” and today, almost 15 years later, we are still saying “yes.” This school is special because volunteers are able to take such a big part in their children’s lives and education. Volunteers at the Academy truly make a difference.   


April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024

This week, Mrs. Mary Reepmeyer reflects on her time in the classroom as Fourth Class teacher as she transitions to Principal for the 2024-25 academic year.

Spring, with its promise of renewal, is my favorite season for a variety of reasons. The flowers begin blooming, the grass turns greener, and the landscape becomes a colorful tapestry to admire. I appreciate the warmer weather as students enjoy lunch outside and hold classes around our beautiful campus. During Poetry Month, I encourage my Fourth Class students to reflect upon themselves and the vibrant world around them as they write their bio and color poems. I also love Earth Day and incorporating lessons around its importance in hopes of inspiring students to become stewards of the Earth and active agents of environmental change. (Goal 3) Lastly, one feels the palpable excitement around the preparation for many exciting end-of-year activities and events such as Chemin de Fer, Mission Day, Field Day, May Crowning, and of course graduation for our Eighth Class students. It is truly a time of immense joy!


The Academy Receives STEM Grant

April 12, 2024

For the past four years, the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County (EDC) has collaborated with local entrepreneur, STEM champion, and parent of Academy alums Randy Schilling, along with other sponsors, to award teachers in St. Charles County grants of up to $1,000 to fund STEM-related classroom materials.

This year, we are pleased to announce that the Academy is a recipient of a $1,000 grant!


April 11, 2024

April 11, 2024

Spring is in the air and it’s a nice time to share some recent reviews from Academy parents. Sharing the #academylove is invaluable to our school as prospective parents consider reviews and word of mouth when they are researching their school choice. We are grateful for these from the heart testimonials!


Panera Dine-Around Night

April 8, 2024

Join us for Panera Dine-Around night on Thursday, April 18th from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Use code FUND4U and 25% of sales will benefit the Academy!

2079 Zumbehl Road
St Charles MO 63301


April 4, 2024

April 5, 2024

Mr. Horner shares an update on the Academy’s Strategic Planning, a process that combines envisioning our school’s future, planning and prioritizing for the next five years. As we work together toward a common goal for our school, our community is strengthened by a clear vision, rooted in our Sacred Heart mission.

Dear Academy Community,

The Strategic Planning process has unfolded throughout this year under the careful guidance of the administration, faculty and the Board of Trustees. The process, the work and the outcomes are invigorating. Patrick Bassett, former president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), wrote: “We plan because we wish to take control of the destiny of our school, because periodically we must raise our sights beyond the temporal questions to the timeless one. We plan to discover the best models of teaching as the precondition to sustaining a learning organization.”

Today I am glad to share with you the new Vision Statement authored through the planning process. The Vision is aspirational in providing context for goal setting and establishing a shared view of the future. While the Vision Statement is aspirational, the Mission Statement is foundational and answers why our school exists. Our Mission Statement remains unchanged.


March 21, 2024

March 21, 2024

Bridget Hagene ’16 shares some reflections about her Academy education as she finishes up her senior year at the University of Kentucky. She will graduate in May with a Mechanical Engineering degree and is happy to have a full-time job lined up at Schneider Electric (city to be determined). Bridget is enjoying the Chemin de Fer updates on social media and has fond memories of helping with decorations. We wish her all the best as she finishes her college career and continues her journey!

After choosing Cor Jesu for high school, I was nervous to go farther away from home and my friends, especially because I was one of the only ASH girls attending. ASH gave me the confidence to apply myself in high school to create great relationships with my new peers and teachers. This has carried me through college, and I am hoping that it will stay with me throughout my early career.