Holy Heart of Mary High School
Encyclopedia
Holy Heart of Mary High School is a public high school
located in St. John's
, Newfoundland and Labrador
, Canada
.
Built in the 1950s by the Presentation sisters, it was originally an all-girls school called "Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School for Girls". The first classes were held on November 17, 1958. Historically the student population has often exceeded 1000 students, making it one of the largest in the province. Holy Heart offers several Advanced Placement courses, and is also the only school in Newfoundland that currently offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. It is also one of the few schools in the province providing courses in English as a Second Language.
Holy Heart's students have had strong showings in regional and provincial high school sports leagues, with teams in soccer, hockey
, basketball
, rugby
, and other sports. Students have also had successes with national academic programs such as Shad Valley and the Canada Wide Science Fair, and at provincial competitions in drama, debating, and other activities.
The music program at the school is nationally- and internationally-renowned. The Holy Heart of Mary Chamber Choir, led by Susan Quinn
, won a gold medal at the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna
, Austria
, in 1996, and has continued to win local and national awards since then, including First Prize for under-19 school choirs at the National Music Festival of Canada in 2007. It also performed at Carnegie Hall
in May of 2010. Several choir alumni perform in another highly-regarded amateur choir managed by Quinn, the Quintessential Vocal Ensemble
.
The instrumental program, led by Grant Etchegary, a winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence, enjoys a similar reputation throughout Canada.
The Holy Heart Auditorium, attached to the school, was refurbished in 2006 and has played host to a number of concerts from outside the school community.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Built in the 1950s by the Presentation sisters, it was originally an all-girls school called "Holy Heart of Mary Regional High School for Girls". The first classes were held on November 17, 1958. Historically the student population has often exceeded 1000 students, making it one of the largest in the province. Holy Heart offers several Advanced Placement courses, and is also the only school in Newfoundland that currently offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. It is also one of the few schools in the province providing courses in English as a Second Language.
Holy Heart's students have had strong showings in regional and provincial high school sports leagues, with teams in soccer, hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, and other sports. Students have also had successes with national academic programs such as Shad Valley and the Canada Wide Science Fair, and at provincial competitions in drama, debating, and other activities.
The music program at the school is nationally- and internationally-renowned. The Holy Heart of Mary Chamber Choir, led by Susan Quinn
Susan Quinn
Susan Quinn is an award-winning writer of non-fiction books and articles. Born in 1940, she grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio, and graduated from Oberlin College. She began her writing career as a newspaper reporter on a suburban daily outside of Cleveland, following two years as an apprentice actor at...
, won a gold medal at the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, in 1996, and has continued to win local and national awards since then, including First Prize for under-19 school choirs at the National Music Festival of Canada in 2007. It also performed at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in May of 2010. Several choir alumni perform in another highly-regarded amateur choir managed by Quinn, the Quintessential Vocal Ensemble
Quintessential Vocal Ensemble
The Quintessential Vocal Ensemble is an amateur choir based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The choir, formed in 1993, is led by Susan Quinn, and consists of approximately 40 members....
.
The instrumental program, led by Grant Etchegary, a winner of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence, enjoys a similar reputation throughout Canada.
The Holy Heart Auditorium, attached to the school, was refurbished in 2006 and has played host to a number of concerts from outside the school community.