Sacred Heart School

Mission Statement

Sacred Heart School fosters the religious, academic and social development of every child, recognizing that knowledge enlightened by faith and realized through service is at the heart of Catholic education.

Vision Statement

Through the continuous presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, Sacred Heart Catholic School in Cullman will strive to be the best parochial school

in the Diocese of Birmingham, Al: loyal to the Magisterium and its teachings, and to its Benedictine legacy of “ORA ET LABORA” –prayer and work and treating each person as Christ; adhering to the curriculum set by the Diocesan Catholic School Office; growing in the number of students enrolled and 

     resources committed to ensure the needs of the faculty staff, and students are met both now and in the future; operating the best primary school in the  Cullman area; operating according to sound and effective educational principals and business practices especially the management of monies; offering

 an environment that reflects being in a family, i.e., warm, welcoming and transparent.

Beliefs

• All students are children of God with special talents and needs.
• Following Benedictine tradition, all students are received, seen, treated as Christ, each student will be taught to see Christ in others, especially their teachers and their fellow students.
• Students are members of ever-enlarging groups beginning with the family and moving out into society. In cooperation with the family, the school seeks to guide, and direct the students in the development of their unique potentials.
•  A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes student learning.
• Students need to be actively involved in solving problems, producing quality work demonstrating their understanding of essential knowledge, and skills. The coalesces into challenging students to achieve their personal best.
• Assessments of student leaning should provide students with a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their achievement and meaningful contexts to apply their knowledge.
• Students leaning is the chief priority for the school and the commitment to continuous improvement is imperative if our school is going to enable students to become confident, self-directed, and lifelong learners.
• The responsibility for advancing the school’s mission is shared by the teachers, administrators, parents, the parish, and where applicable, the community at large.

History

On December 14, 1878, the Notre Dame Sisters from Milwaukee arrived in the small four-year-old German town of Cullman, Alabama. Two days later, they opened the school for Catholics and non-Catholics. By January 1879, the attendance numbered 100, and one year later, the number enrolled was 150.  The Notre Dame Sisters staffed Sacred Heart School, then known as Mary Help School, for twenty years, 1878 - 1898. The Sisters were then asked to return home because the school was considered small and very far from home. Immediately, Abbot Benedict and the monks at St. Bernard Monastery began to look for a community to take over the school. In September 1878,a group of five Benedictine Sisters from San Antonio, Florida, arrived in Cullman. These five sisters staffed the school from September 1898 to June 3, 1899.As soon as it was known that Mary Help Community was established as an independent Mother House, requests for admission were received. The community of sisters began to grow. Thus, the Mary Help community held charge of the Parochial School in Cullman until the summer of 1902, when eight Benedictine Sisters from St. Walburga Convent, Covington, Kentucky, joined the Mother Mary Help group in Cullman. At this time, June 1902, the name of Mary Help School was changed to Sacred Heart School.  Over the years, the original wooden frame church and the first two-story wooden school building has been replaced by the present beautiful, stone structures. Sacred Heart School received State Accreditation on January 22, 1973. It was the first church school in Alabama to be accredited. Two years later, accreditation was received from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Over the 140+ year history of the school, there have been many changes. However, the primary purpose of the school continues to be one providing an instructional program within a Catholic Christian atmosphere of love and guidance. Sacred Heart's parish, school, and families continue to work together to form a cornerstone of excellence in education for Cullman, Alabama.