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When looking at Sacred Heart School in Troy from outside, the high, old brick walls and hidden parking lot underneath the small corner street do not automatically register as a traditional school building.

"We're just bricks on the outside," said principal Susan Holland. "You really need to come inside to see what we're all about."

Founded in 1927, Sacred Heart has 175 students enrolled, from a pre-Kindergarten program for three-year-olds to sixth grade. It is home to an accredited English language and science/math/technology lab, and its academics have yielded six scholarships among this year's sixth grade class: five from LaSalle Institute and one from Catholic Central High School in Troy, which the majority of graduates attend. 

Along with their subject lessons, the faculty spreads faith and spirituality.

"The Church is literally and figuratively the center of our school," said Ms. Holland.

Holy ground
Every day, the students are dropped off and picked up in the parish church, which is located in the middle of the school's main entrance hallway. They begin every morning with a Mass.

"I think they really have a sense of home," said Annette Mooney, who teaches fifth and sixth grades. "They give a lot to others. They know when someone's ill and they'll make cards and they'll know when someone needs prayers and pray for them."

The students are reminded of good conduct and thoughtfulness in various ways. In one of the school's hallways hangs a prominent set of rules. These are inspired by "The Essential 55" by Ron Clark, a book of suggestions for educational success. 

In the book, Clark leaves Rule No. 47 blank, encouraging people to create their own rule. At Sacred Heart, they chose "Wear your uniform with pride."

That pride seems to stay with students long after they leave. To celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2002, alumni volunteered to sponsor classrooms that were special to them. Red, white and blue plaques bearing the sponsor's name were hung outside each classroom's door and still hang there today.

Lesson passed on
The students that fill those rooms now feel a sense of encouragement.

Sixth-grader Michaela Scorsone said her school has "taught me to always believe in God and that you can always talk to God, no matter what."

The teachers "don't get mad at you if you get a bad grade," said fifth-grader Maureen O'Brien. "They just want you to do your best."

Classmate CaiLi Wachtel, who recently transferred to Sacred Heart, was accepted by her peers immediately.

"Within the first week or two, I made new friends," she said.

Parents say their children bring home the lessons from Sacred Heart.

"I was impressed that my Kindergartener came home one day and memorized the Hail Mary," said Debbie Angrisano, parent to two students and a teacher's assistant at Sacred Heart. "And my third-grader reminds me to pray whenever we hear an ambulance."

This would be heartening news to Ms. Holland.

"I expect the children, no matter what they do, that they are acting as Christians." [[In-content Ad]]

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