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The Convent of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic private, all-female school in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, United States. Teaching grades from pre-kindergarten through twelve, it is located on Manhattan's Upper East Side at East 91st Street and Fifth Avenue.

The school is housed in the former Otto Kahn and James A. Burden, Jr. mansions, both of which are New York City-Designated Landmarks. It is one of the most-selective and expensive schools in Manhattan.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] History

Founded in 1881 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic congregation established in France in 1800, the school is New York City’s oldest private school for girls. the school was originally housed in a Manhattan brownstone on Madison Avenue at East 54th Street.

By the 1930s, the school had outgrown its Madison Avenue space and moved into the Kahn mansion. In the 1940s the Society acquired the Burden mansion next door.

Since the 1980s, the school has experienced tremendous growth and academic progress.^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Academics

The Lower School is made up of the pre-kindergarten through fourth grades. The Middle School is the fifth through seventh grades and the Upper School consists of the eighth through twelfth grades.

A comprehensive curriculum is introduced beginning in the Lower School. The French and Spanish languages are introduced in kindergarten and the Latin language is introduced in seventh grade. The Mandarin Chinese language is available beginning in eighth grade. The Lower and Middle Schools share a library and the Upper School has its own. The Lower School has weekly visits to the library, using the resources and the technology the library provides. Middle School students are assigned research projects that require library time. Upper School students are free to use the library when necessary for their studies, as well as projects introduced. Technology is also integrated into assignments beginning in the Lower School. Electives in history and English are accessible in the Upper School, along with numerous arts and Advanced-Placement options.

[edit] College placement

Many graduates go on to attend schools of higher education including:

Boston College Brown University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College George Washington University Georgetown University

Harvard University Johns Hopkins University New York University Princeton University Stanford University The University of Chicago University of Pennsylvania

[edit] Membership and accreditation

In addition to being a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart and a part of the global Network of Sacred Heart Schools, a worldwide network of over 150 schools committed to the mission of a Sacred Heart education, the school is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

It is operated independently within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

The school is also associated with the New York Interschool Association.^{[clarification needed]}>

[edit] Recognition

Exterior (view from the southwest) of the Otto H. Kahn House, East 91st Street at Fifth Avenue, designed by C.P.H. Gilbert, architect, 1916. December 2008.

In 1990, the school was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2006, it was voted the number-one girls' private school in New York City.^{[clarification needed]} In 2007, The College Board ranked the school as the leader in the nation for Advanced-Placement courses in studio art and French language, calling the school a "model for schools worldwide".^[3]

[edit] Clubs and common-interest organizations

The school offers a range of clubs and activities for student participation including the Habitat for Humanity International, Amnesty International, student council and forensics (public speaking).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Athletics

This section requires expansion.

The school participates in eleven interscholastic sports disciplines.

[edit] Enrollment, tuition and fees

As of 2008, the school's enrollment was approximately 670 students.

Its tuition for the 2009-2010 school year is US$17,530 for pre-kindergarten, $23,070 for junior kindergarten and $33,985 for grades kindergarten through twelve. It is the most-expensive school in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, while Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is the least expensive school in the network with a cost of approximately $7,000.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notable alumnae

Lady Gaga Emily Rafferty Karen Akers Edith Bouvier Beale Lourdes Benedicto Jordana Brewster Magee Hickey Paris Hilton Nicky Hilton Caroline Kennedy (attended but transferred to the Brearley School) Ethel Skakel Kennedy

Christa Miller Lawrence Emily Rutherfurd Eunice Kennedy Shriver Alix Smith Jean Kennedy Smith Elaine Stritch Maria Tucci Gloria Vanderbilt Joan Bennett Kennedy Elizabeth Gellene

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Film and theatre

The Anderson Tapes (1971) Nine to Five (1980) Chicago (play - 1975; film - 2002) — in the song "We Both Reached For the Gun" the character, Roxie Hart, was said to have attended the school. The Verdict (1982) Working Girl (1988)

A Perfect Murder (1998) Night at the Museum (2006) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) — Norah and the girls are all attending the school. Duplicity (2009)

[edit] Literature and television

Cashmere Mafia (Season 1) Gossip Girl (book series) — contains the line "two little Sacred Heart girls in their cute red and white checked pinafores were walking an enormous black Rottweiler" on page 86 in the first novel of the series.

Law & Order Scrubs: Sacred Heart Hospital, where the series takes place, was named after the Convent of the Sacred Heart, where cast member (and wife of the series' screenwriter Bill Lawrence) Christa Miller (who portrays Jordan Sullivan) attended high school.[4]

[edit] External links

cshnyc.org, Convent of the Sacred Heart, official website sofie.org, Network of Sacred Heart Schools, official website aashnet.org The Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart, official website burdenkahnmansion.org, The Otto Kahn and James Burden Mansions, official website

"The Convent of the Sacred Heart School (originally the Otto and Addie Kahn House)", at "Tom Fletcher's New York Architecture Images and Notes" (nyc-architecture.com), an architecture fansite (undated) Gray, Christopher (1994-02-27). "Streetscapes/The Convent of the Sacred Heart; A Matter of Reconciling Preservation With Patina. The New York Times. article about restoration of the Burden mansion. Accessed 2009-10-10.

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Administration/Board". Convent of the Sacred Heart. Undated. Accessed 2009-10-10.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Administration, Faculty and Staff". Convent of the Sacred Heart. Undated. Accessed 2009-10-10.
3. ^^{[dead link]}AP Program Ranks as Leader in the Nation
4. ^ Unknown author (Undated).^{[unreliable source?]}"Trivia for Scrubs (2001)". Internet Movie Database. Accessed 2009-10-10.