150th Anniversary
150 Years of Sacred Heart Schools Chicago
Rooted in Heart. Ready for the World.
For 150 years, Sacred Heart Schools Chicago has been more than a place of learning. It has been a place where friendships begin, confidence grows, faith takes root, and generations of students discover who they are meant to become.
This year, we celebrate the people, traditions, and moments that have shaped our story since 1876 while creating new memories that will inspire generations to come.
Welcome to a year unlike any other.
Welcome to 150 years of Sacred Heart.
A Legacy 150 Years in the Making
Some schools measure their success by the years they've been open. We measure ours by the lives we've shaped.
Since 1876, Sacred Heart Schools Chicago has inspired generations of students to lead lives of intellect, faith, courage, and compassion. Across classrooms and stages, on playing fields, through acts of service, and within lifelong friendships, our community has carried the Sacred Heart mission into the world for 150 years.
Today, that legacy lives on through every student, parent, grandparent, alum, faculty member, staff member, and friend who has been part of the Sacred Heart story.
Throughout this anniversary year, we'll honor the moments that brought us here while celebrating the people who continue to shape what comes next.
Because while we're celebrating 150 years of Sacred Heart, we're really celebrating the generations who have made Sacred Heart what it is.
1876: Mother Elizabeth Tucker, RSCJ, and three other Religious of the Sacred Heart arrived from St. Louis to open the Academy of the Sacred Heart for Girls in a small house on Dearborn Street.
1878: The school quickly outgrew its first home and moved to a new building at State Street and Chicago Avenue, adjacent to Holy Name Cathedral.
1929: After outgrowing the location on Pine Grove Avenue, the RSCJ built Sheridan Road.
When the Sheridan Road building opened, the Academy served girls from first through twelfth grade; boys typically left after third grade until Hardey Prep was formally created in 1935. Then, the boys school continued through eighth grade.
The original chapel became a library in the 1970s, then was restored as a chapel again in the early 2000s. The Stations of the Cross were painted by Melville Steinfels, whose art teacher at Senn High School was a Pine Grove alum, Johanna Doniat. [Melville Steinfels was grandfather to Jane Steinfels, our current Formation to Mission & Campus Ministry Director.]
The new wing was built in 2004.
Take Sacred Heart With You This Summer!
Download and print your very own "Flat Sheridan" and bring the spirit of Sacred Heart with you on all of your summer adventures. Whether you're traveling across the globe, visiting family, attending camp, exploring Chicago, or enjoying your neighborhood, we want to see where Sacred Heart shows up.
How to Participate
1. Download Flat Sheridan
[Downloadable PDF]
2. Take It Everywhere
Bring it along on your summer adventures and snap photos wherever you go.
3. Share Your Photos
Post your photos on social media using: #SHS150 and #RootedInHeart
4. Bring a Photo to School
Print your favorite photo and bring it with you on the first day of school to add to our "Where in the World is Sacred Heart?" bulletin board!
Celebrating 150 Years Together
Full calendar launching soon!
September 2026
First Day of School
Mass of the Holy Sprit
Red & White Induction
Spirit Week
October 2026
Alumni Weekend
Fall Gathering
November 2026
Alumni Giving Day
December 2026
Hot Dog Lunch
Lamb Campaign
February 2027
L'Esprit
March 2027
Small Dinners at Driehaus
Kids Carnival
Alumni Bar Crawl
April 2026
Fish Fry
May 2027
Grandparents Brunch
High School Alumni Angel Brunch
June 2027
Golf Outing