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Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory

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Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
File:Shcplogo.jpg
Location
Map
San Francisco
,
California

U.S.A.
Information
TypePrivate
MottoSignum Fidei, Caritas Christi Urget Nos
Established1852
PresidentJohn Scudder
PrincipalKenneth Hogarty
Faculty125
Grades9-12
Number of students1,250
Athletics"Fightin' Irish"
Websitehttp://www.shcp.edu

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, commonly known as SH, SHC or SHCP is a Catholic school in San Francisco, California. Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is the oldest Catholic school in San Francisco, founded in 1852. SHCP was the first co-ed Catholic high school in San Francisco - created when Cathedral High School for girls merged with Sacred Heart High School for boys in 1987.

SHCP is owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco and sponsored by the Daughters of Charity and the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, commonly known as the "Christian Brothers." SHCP offers a values-based curriculum in the Lasallian/Vincentian tradition. The school prides itself on its commitment to its educational philosophy: "Enter to learn; leave to serve." Students participate in many service activities throughout their time at SHCP, but mandatory service hours are not a graduation requirement. Service activities include "van outreach" trips to feed the homeless, and time spent in the nearby St. Anthony's Dining Room, as well as immersion trips to impoverished areas around the country and in Central and South America.

The school's motto is a combination of the Christian Brothers and Daughters of Charity mottos: "Signum Fidei, Caritas Christi Urget Nos".

Student Life

Daily Schedule

SHCP has a unique schedule. Everyday the periods or blocks rotate into a different time everyday. For example, one day it would be 1,2,3,4,5,6 then the next day could either be 2,3,1,5,6,4 or 3,1,2,6,4,5. The next semester would switch the afternoon and morning blocks making it 4,5,6,1,2,3 and the next day could either be 5,6,4,2,3,1 or 6,4,5,3,1,2. There is also a day where you meet with your club and is usually on Tuesdays. Activity days have your first three blocks of the day but are lengthened to be able to get out at an earlier time. The activity block is usually considered part of school so you would not end till the last bell of the day rings. Somedays there will be a morning, mid-morning or afternoon meeting, which is usually for assemblies, rallies or masses. The schedule is modified for that day to have shortened classes to make room for the meeting. Lunch and break are usually fitted in between blocks. You have one break between the second and third block of the day and lunch is between the fourth and fifth block of the day. The first bell of the day is at 7:48 AM and you must be in class by 7:55 AM and the last bell is at 2:20 PM.

Sports

The athletic teams, known as the Fightin' Irish, compete in the West Catholic Athletic League. There are 17 teams total for boys and girls at SHCP. They range from the most common like football, baseball, basketball, volleyball and soccer to cross-country, golf, swimming and track and field. The sports are separrated by seasons of Fall, Winter and Spring. Their cross-town rival is Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, whom they battle every year for the Bruce-Mahoney Trophy. The trophy goes to the school victorious in the first scheduled league game in two of the following three sports: Football, Basketball, Baseball. The SI-SH rivalry is older than any other Catholic school sports rivalry in the country and the second oldest sports rivalry of any kind west of the Mississippi River. Only the Centennial-Central rivalry (Pueblo, Colorado) is older by a year (1892). Therefore, the Bruce-Mahoney is the oldest athletic rivalry west of the Rocky Mountains. The first Sacred Heart-St. Ignatius contest was a rugby game played on St. Patrick's Day in 1893. The Irish won by a score of 14-4. Source: San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle on microfilm at the San Francisco Main Library. One of the players, D.A. White, went on to be Chief of Police in San Francisco.

Walk-a-thon

The Walk-a-thon is a fundraiser that the whole school participates in. This happens around September of the new school year. The Walk-a-thon raises money for student activites, athletics, clubs, student travels, construction of new building or renovating them and updating technology to the school. Perfect examples of good use of the funds is the construction of the Student Life Center, the library, the athletic field, the gateway and the Fitness-for-Life Center soon to be completed. The Walk-a-thon is a vital source of funds because most of the money is used instead of using the tution dollars of the students or adding on a surcharge on the tuition. Students are expected to raise at least $200. If this goal is reached, the student recieves prizes like a modified-dress pass and a spin on the prizes with many prizes like cash, gift cards or iPods. The homeroom with the most donations of one day for each grade will get Naked Juice. The Walk-a-thon takes place at the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park.

Student Activites

Clubs

Student activites at SHCP range from clubs to dances to student government. There are +25 clubs and many are created by the students with the help of a teacher. There is the Spanish club, NetWorld club, Martial Arts club, Club Green, chours and many others. Students are encourage to join a club if they are not doing a sport. Clubs meet on Tuesday's or Wednesday's during there activity block, which was created so you would not have to stay longer afterschool to meet with your clubs.

Dances

There are at least five or six dances of the year. The biggest one for the whole school is the Winter Ball, which the whole school is invited to. The dances are put on by the student government and are hosted by SHCP. Dances have refreshments, music and a DJ. The dances are usually from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM and have a mix of hip-hop/rap, rock and as always music for the slow-dance. The biggest two dances are probably the junior and senior prom but can't be attended by freshman or sophmores. There are many restrictions at the dance like guests that don't go to the school and dancing like freaking are banned. Dances take place in the Pavillion of the Student Life Center.

Performing Arts

SHCP has a chorus, a theatre company and a band. The chorus sings at masses for the school, sings at special performances and gets to travel the world to sing in front of international audiences. The chorus has competed in competions and have won 1st place in the last two performances. The theatre company puts on a play and a musical each year. They put on a play in the begining of the year around November or December and a muscial around March and April. Students audtion for parts in the play to become part of it. The band plays there intruments at school masses, rallies, concerts and sporting events.

Campuses

De Paul Campus

The school is located in Cathedral Hill, which is a sub-neighborhood of San Francisco's Western Addition, commonly known as the Fillmore District, with the two academic buildings located on the corner of Gough and Ellis streets. On the northwest corner of the intersection is the former Cathedral High School building, which is called the De Paul campus in honor of St. Vincent de Paul, which currently houses freshman lockers and the history, visual and perfroming arts, and modern language departments. The building is adjoined to San Francisco's Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, and was built at the same time, as the school's former building was razed by the Archdiocese of San Francisco to make room for construction of the Cathedral, at the intersection of Gough and Geary. The cathedral's rectory is ajoined to the De Paul Campus but there is no access to it from the school and the entrance is located on the northeast corner entrance of the campus. Pope John Paul II stayed in the rectory at the De Paul Campus during his trip to San Francisco in 1987, which is marked by a plaque at the entrance of the rectory.

La Salle Campus

On the southeast corner of Gough and Ellis lies the school's La Salle campus named in honor of St. John Baptist de La Salle. This campus has a six story building which houses: school administration offices, the library, and the English, Mathematics, Science, and Religion departments. Each floor is completly occupied by a subject. For example, the first floor is occupied by the religion department and the second floor is occupied by the science department etc. The building is built into the side of a hill and because of that, the entrance into the building goes into the third floor instead of the first floor, so you would have to walk two stories down to get to the first floor. The library occupies the entire sixth story, except for a small chapel and veranda, which offers panoramic views overlooking San Francisco to the west and south. The Sister Teresa Piro, DC, Student Life Center completed in 2004, houses a 1,500 seat athletic gym or commonly know as the pavillion, which is home to the school's championship men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams. The building is also ajoined to the old gymnasium or the practice gym, which was previously there before the construction. A lower level houses the Dining Hall which students use as a cafeteria daily. Adjoined to this facility is the Fitness-for-Life Center, which is to open around October 2006 is a key component of the school's innovative Fitness for Life program. The building also contains a practice gym as well as the weight room. The La Salle campus occupies most of the block bordered by Gough, Ellis, Franklin, and Eddy streets, but other prominent buildings are the "Brothers' House" which houses the school's Christian Brothers community, and a house designed by renowned architect Bernard Maybeck.

Academics

The school offers many subjects but they vary by grade. But every grade takes math, religion, social studies, english, modern language and science. Freshman take one semester of P.E and one semester of science. Students choose each class when they go into their new class in the new year but it also depends on how there grades are and what there track of education would be.

Admissions

Demographics

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory enrolls approximately 1,250 students from San Francisco and its suburbs. Reflecting the diversity of the Bay Area, students represent different religious, economic, and ethnic backgrounds, which include Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, African American, and Native American. Recently, SHCP partnered with the Brothers and Daughters to found the DeMarillac Academy in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, an impoverished urban community several blocks away from the high school.

Admission Process

The students that are applying to SHCP for the next school year go online to the school website and find the online application. The student must put down there basic information like name, birthday, home address, phone number etc. Including that the student must write at least two essays for the application about a specific question asked on the application. The student must also answer questions about him/her and what they can do to this school. The student must also have a recommendation from their parish preist and are asked religious questions about them and they are mailed to the school. There is an application fee of $65 to $75 for submission of the application. The letters of notification are sent out around March near St. Patrick's Day, a coiencidence because of the schools mascot is the Fightin' Irish. Around May, you are to go to the school for a math placement test to put you in the right class for math. Applicants might also have to go to summer school if there grades are not what the school likes for example, anything below a 3.0 GPA would make you more likely go to summer school.

Tuition

Tuition at SHCP for the 2006-07 year is $14,150 total for each student. The tuition is $11,400, the registration costs $1,100, books are around $400 and the parent pledges or donations to the school would be around $1,250.

Shadow Program & Open House

SHCP has a shadow program when an applicant follows a Freshman student around for one day to see how the school is to the applicant and how daily student life is. There is also an open house when parents and students come to the school to see how classes look and how academics are and meet students and teachers and explore the campus.

Notable alumni

Other individuals associated with the school

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