About
Our Sacred Heart junior high program prepares students in grades 6th – 8th for the opportunities and challenges that await them in high school and beyond. With a comprehensive curriculum rooted in the Catholic faith, our junior high students are provided with a strong foundation for spiritual growth and future academic success. Click to view the current Sacred Heart junior high school curriculum.
Our dedicated team of educators and small class sizes, averaging 10-20 students, create a supportive and collaborative junior high learning environment. Furthermore, our small classes enable teachers to provide more personalized and hands-on learning experiences tailored to the needs of their students.
Beyond academics, all Sacred Heart junior high students are welcome to participate in a variety of extracurricular, service and leadership activities. From sports and fine arts to music and more, every junior high student at Sacred Heart has the ability to shine while pursuing their talents and interests in a faith-building atmosphere.
Faith Formation
At Sacred Heart, we are committed to instilling Catholic faith and education in our students as they journey through their formative years of junior high. Our devoted educators serve as guides and mentors in helping students deepen their understanding of Catholic teachings and strengthen their relationship with God in all that they do. Faith is woven into every part of the school day from morning Mass to afternoon sports, providing students with a continual sense of purpose and reverence. Junior high school students attend Mass three times a week, Adoration once a week and religion class daily. Students are also encouraged to perform works of service and mercy through mission collections, outreach and service opportunities.
Fine Arts
With an exemplary fine arts program, Sacred Heart junior high students have the opportunity to hone their artistic abilities and create art that reflects their faith and values. Whether it’s painting portraits of the saints or molding religious sculptures, our students foster an appreciation for beauty and art grounded in the Faith.
Music
Our junior high students at Sacred Heart have many opportunities to cultivate their musical talents and performance skills. Both 7th and 8th grade students take choir class during one semester of the school year. They also regularly lead the congregation in music during school Masses, adding a sacred dimension to their musical instruction through active participation in the Liturgy.
Children & Youth Choirs
The Sacred Heart Parish Youth Choir is open to all parish youth in Grades 2-12! The Youth Choir will sing at 10:30am Mass every third Sunday of the month during the Fall 2025 Semester. Youth Choir rehearsals will take place every Wednesday afternoon from 3:40pm – 4:40 pm in Church, beginning Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025. Rehearsals are required for choir members in Grades 2-8. Please contact Mary Del Olmo at 603-377-0595 to sign up or for more information.
String Orchestra
A unique offering at Sacred Heart is the String Orchestra, which is open to junior high students in addition to all 5th-12th grade students and adult parishioners. This year-round program is divided into three trimesters: Jan – Apr, May – Aug and Sept – Dec and performs at community celebrations, serenades residents of local elder care facilities and plays for family and friends throughout the year.
Fees:
- Students: $75 per trimester with a 1-year commitment
- Adults: $100 per trimester with a 1-year commitment
Once a player purchases their own private instrument, a discount of $25 per trimester is offered; scholarships are available.
Click HERE for more information or contact Cathy Strabala at 720-470-7576 (voice or text) for answers and/or to enroll.
National Junior Honor Society
Membership in the National Junior Honor Society is an esteemed privilege for qualifying students in junior high. Students eligible for membership are those in 7th – 9th grade with an overall quarterly average of 96 and no class averages below 90. The qualifications for membership are:
- Leadership: based on teacher and self-evaluation. Members are expected to lead by example of a good student and respectful citizen.
- Service: based on completing the required number of service hours (10 for each year). Hours are to be turned in to Mrs. Taylor by the first Friday in May of the school year. Hours can be completed during the summer before the school year.
- Character: based on teacher and committee assessment. Members are expected to exemplify the definition of character in their lives both in the classroom and outside of the classroom.
- Scholarship: candidates must have an overall average of 96 for each quarter with no class averages below 90.
National Junior Honor Society officer elections are held during the first two weeks of the school year. Current freshmen who were installed prior to the current school year are eligible to run for officer as long as they have never been on probation with our chapter of NJHS and are demonstrative of the four pillars on which the society was founded. Our 2023-24 NJHS Officers are: President & Secretary: Samuel Strabala and Vice President & Treasurer: Cameron Whitecotton.
For more information about NJHS, see our SHCS Handbook (Sec. V) or contact our NJHS Advisor Mrs. Jaime Taylor at jtaylor@shmuenster.com
Field Trips
Sacred Heart junior high students attend occasional field trips throughout the year for educational and spiritual enrichment. Each year, our 8th grade class attends a special Diocesan 8th Grade Mass and Vocation Day held at St. Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth. On this day, our students gather with other 8th graders across the diocese to pray and learn more about discerning God’s call in their lives. The 8th grade class also takes a celebratory end-of-year trip to Main Event before their promotion to high school.
8th Grade Promotion
Each year, we celebrate the growth, hard work and achievements of our 8th grade class as they make the transition from junior high to high school. All family and friends are invited to join in celebrating our 8th grade students as they embark on the next chapter of their journey at Sacred Heart Catholic School.
Summer Reading
Our summer reading program has two main purposes. First, our summer reading program aims to benefit students by preventing the “summer slide” in literacy, so that students can have a happy and successful start to school next year. Second, our summer reading program aims to promote a love for reading books that are both wholesome and enjoyable. Children entering sixth through eighth grade should read daily for at least 15-30 minutes.
6th grade Summer reading list
6th grade
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
- The Cay by Theodore Taylor
7th grade Summer reading list
7th grade
- The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
- The Pearl or The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
8th grade Summer reading list
8th grade
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Tales from Shakespeare (e.g., Twelfth Night, Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about Nothing)
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (w/audio)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Night by Elie Wiesel
