About Us
History of Sacred Heart School
In 1877 Catholic missionaries were sent by Archbishop Peter Kenderich of St. Louis to take care of the spiritual needs of the few Catholic families in the area. The first Catholic Church was built in 1877 and continued to be served by missionaries until 1891 when the Reverend Donovan of St. Louis was made the resident pastor.
It was in 1916 that Sacred Heart School was established. It was constructed under the direction of Father Frank J. Adreian, pastor of Sacred Heart Church. He arrived in Poplar in 1913 and seeing the growth of the parish, he realized the need for a parish school.Three Ursuline Sisters from Arcadia served as teachers. The enrollment was 67 students. The sisters taught grades one through 12. In 1955 the School Sisters of Notre Dame took the place of the Ursuline Sisters. The High school was discontinued.
In 1959, Sacred Heart parishioners pledged more than $100,000 a new school building. Under the guidance of Father Joseph H. Huels, the new school building was started on January 29, 1961, and was completed in 1962.
In 1975, the School Sisters of Notre Dame withdrew and were replaced by the Ursuline Sisters of Maple Mount, Kentucky. Along with lay teachers, the sisters taught 164 students in grades preschool through eighth. The preschool and kindergarten classes were added in 1980. After the Ursuline Sisters withdrew, lay principals took over the administration of the school. In 2009, sisters from the Congregation of the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Most Blessed Sacrament were sent to the school. The congregation’s focus is on teaching young children. The Sacred Heart parishioners continued to respond to the needs of the students and their families by establishing the Sacred Heart Children’s Endowment Fund and The Frances Scott Bell Endowment. The Children’s endowment is for the education of the parish children and the Francis Scott Bell Endowment funds the parish’s work with the poor.
In 1985 a new multipurpose building, which included a new cafeteria, additional classroom, meeting rooms, parish offices, and gymnasium. Last addition to the school was the breezeway between buildings.
All the present and past parishioners’ sacrifices have been given because the communities love their children and the wonderful reputation of Sacred Heart School in the community. Students who leave us do well at Notre Dame Regional High School or in the local public school systems. In the past our eight graders have gone to four different public high schools. Many of them graduate in the top thirty percent of their classes. The high school teachers tell us they can easily spot our students because of their manners, kindness to others, and their academic skills.
Sacred Heart School Enrollment Form
Sacred Heart Pre-School Enrollment Form
Sacred Heart Preschool
Sacred Heart Preschool offers families a safe and loving Christian environment for the important little people in their lives. We do this while also striving to provide an excellent academic foundation.
We have recently incorporated The Creative Curriculum for our 3 and 4 year old Preschool classes. This highly praised curriculum features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, thereby enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills in a positive and exciting environment.
We prepare the youth of today, for their future lives in the church, and in society as a whole. Each one of our students are respected as an image of God, treated with kindness, love and encouragement. We teach morals, self-discipline and proper manners, as well as provide security for children coming to us at various social/emotional, physical and cognitive developmental levels.
We have competitive pricing, and offer full or half day options, all which fit the needs of this area, and our surrounding communities. We are a Non-Public Certified school, certified through Missouri Accrediting Non-Public Association.