Learn about the SHMS Difference

 

Since its founding in 1924, Sacred Heart Model School has been known for its rigorous and innovative approach as a model teaching and learning environment that combines the latest advances in teaching with the creative flexibility to determine its own best practices. 

This tradition of trailblazing continued in 2020 when Sacred Heart Model School became the first Catholic, and private school in Kentucky authorized to offer both the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) and Primary Years Programme (IB PYP).  

The IB focuses on the future and is widely accepted as the best practice in education, going above and beyond core content to connect concepts across subject matter areas. 

From Junior Kindergarten through Level 8, our IB classrooms are active, student-centered, inquiry-based environments where we challenge students to take academic risks and develop their research, writing, and critical thinking skills. In addition to successfully navigating a rigorous academic curriculum, SHMS students are learning and developing the 21st-century skills and character traits they will need to become globally-minded problem-solvers. 

Additionally, every student at SHMS benefits from a holistic focus on STEM education and experiences. With the latest technology and space for interactive learning, our students learn things like robotics and coding at every grade level. 

At SHMS, our rigorous education, International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes, World Language instruction, STEM focus, 8:1 student-teacher ratio, arts integration, and innovative classrooms of the future set us apart as a model school for education. We educate the whole person through a comprehensive approach that prepares our students for success in high school and beyond. 

 

The focus in the PYP is on the development of the whole child, preparing and inspiring each to become compassionate, lifelong learners. The questions of “why” and “how” are invited, embraced, and explored as students take a deeper dive into the content. We empower PYP students to become independent, well-functioning, and self-motivated learners. 

 

In the MYP, we encourage students to discover for themselves that learning can be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience. Learning “how to learn” is as important as the content they are mastering. We emphasize mastery of skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, research, and self-management.