The Academy of the Sacred Heart

Schools of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau is comprised of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, a single-gender school for girls and St. John Berchmans School, a single-gender school for boys. The school has a history that is rich in both tradition and values. The Schools of the Sacred Heart's history dates back to France in the year 1800 when a woman by the name of Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the religious order named the Society of the Sacred Heart. St. Madeleine Sophie was fortunate enough to have received an education from her brother during a time when women simply were not educated. It is upon her vision for education of young women that the Society and all Sacred Heart schools have their foundation. The Society was brought to America in 1818 by St. Philippine Duchesne. Under her direction, two religious of the Sacred Heart, Mother Eugenie Audé and Sr. Mary Layton, traveled to Grand Coteau to establish the Academy in the year 1821. The journey of these two women was made possible by Mrs. Charles Smith, a wealthy widow. Mrs. Smith donated funds for the trip, as well as 250 acres of property and a school building.

The Academy of the Sacred Heart opened its doors to eight students in October of 1821 and has been continuously committed to excellence in the education of young women for 185 years. The Academy offers grades PreKindergarten3 - 12th and is the only single-gender education choice in the area.

St. John Berchmans School began operations in 2006 offering grades PreKindergarten through 2nd. The school will expand to grades PreKindergarten through 5th for the 2007-2008 school year. The school will continue to add grade levels through grade 8. The vision for St. John Berchmans School is to grow into a single-gender high school for boys. The opening of Berchmans provides the Acadiana region the only choice for single-gender education for boys.

Coteau's Place in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools

Schools of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau is part of the national and international Network of Sacred Heart Schools. There are twenty schools in the United States and over two hundred schools internationally. All of the network schools are rooted in the philosophy and vision of St. Madeleine Sophie and are guided by the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education. These Goals are our foundation, and we strive to apply them and to live them in our everyday lives throughout the school community.

It is of the very essence of Sacred Heart education that it be deeply concerned for each student's total development: intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual. The intention of Sacred Heart education is to educate the "whole child". We strive to educate our students to be faith-filled and effective leaders of tomorrow. We teach according to the ways that girls learn best, and we encourage our students to identify their individual talents and to develop them to their fullest potential. This is the tradition of Sacred Heart.

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