Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart (Woodlands, WA, or WASH) is a private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

, Roman Catholic girls' high school

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....

 in Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...

. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...

.

Sports

Woodlands competes in the Independent School League

Independent School League (Illinois)

The Independent School League is an athletic league comprising nine private secondary schools in the Chicago metro area. All of the schools are also full members of the Illinois High School Association; the governing body for most high school athletics and competitive activities in the state...

 (ISL), and as a member of the Illinois High School Association

Illinois High School Association

The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

 (IHSA). WA sponsors volleyball, tennis, field hockey, basketball, soccer, and softball as varsity sports. The school sponsors golf as a club sport, in addition to being affiliated with North Suburban Crew and the Lake Forest Scouts ice hockey team to permit participation in crew and ice hockey.

Activities

• W.A.C.O.R: Woodlands Academy Council of Representatives.
• Service Club: each advisory (see above definition) elects a member to represent them and report back information pertaining to service.
• H.O.P.E. (Help Others Protect Esteem)
• Campus Ministry
• Spirit Club
• Baking Club
• French
  French language
  French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
  
   Club
• Audio Visual Club
• Common Ground
• Japanese Animation Club
• Recycling
  Recycling
  Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
  
   Awareness Group
• Harry Potter
  Harry Potter
  Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
  
   Forum
• La Nouvelle (A literary magazine)
• WAstyle (style magazine)

Traditions

Over the over 150 years of the school's existence, a number of secular and religious traditions have evolved, some of which are unique to Woodlands:

• Congé is a day when classes are cancelled and students spend the rest of the day having fun. It is often not announced in advance.
• Sacred Heart Awards are awards given to two members of each class and a faculty member at the end of each quarter. Students submit nominations based on compassion and service.
• Goûter are snacks and other refreshments which are served on special occasions, or as a surprise to students and staff.
• Wildcat of the Week Award is a spirit award given to students who show the most school spirit. The winner is decided by the student council.
• Cache Cache is a French game of hide and seek played on special days throughout the year.
• Red and White Days are days when students are allowed to dress out of uniform while wearing the school's colors.
• Honors Assemblies are held twice a year to honor academic achievement.
• May Crowning is a traditional Catholic ceremony which honors Mary
  Mary (mother of Jesus)
  Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
  
  , by crowning a statue of her with a wreath of flowers. Students and faculty choose the participants.
• A Ring Ceremony is held every Spring where Juniors are given their school rings by members of the senior class.
• Lambs at the Crib is a Christmas tradition involving the school's crèche scene
  Nativity scene
  A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
  
  . Each student is assigned a figurine of a lamb to place by the scene, and moves it closer to the manger as students complete projects or good works.
• Switch Night is a night when the non-boarding students spend the night at the boarding house.
• Feast of Mater Admirabilis is an October religious celebration which honors Mary, and the sophomore class.
• Mass of the Holy Spirit and Flag Ceremony is a celebration of the school's diversity. The celebration begins with a procession of students and staff carrying the flags of their homelands to the chapel for mass. The flags remain in the chapel for the remainder of the year.
• Feast of Sain Rose Phillippine Duchesne is celebrated each year to honor the saint who brought the message of Sacred Heart education from France to North America in 1818.

Notable Alumnae

• Susan Saint James
  Susan Saint James
  Susan Saint James is an American actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.-Early life:...
  
   is an actress best known for her work on television (McMillan & Wife , Kate & Allie
  Kate & Allie
  Kate & Allie is an American television situation comedy which ran from March 19, 1984 to May 22, 1989. Kate & Allie first aired on CBS as a midseason replacement series and only six episodes were initially commissioned, but the favorable response from critics and viewers alike easily convinced CBS...
  
  ).
• Jenny Sanford
  Jenny Sanford
  Jennifer Sullivan Sanford is the former First Lady of South Carolina, heiress, and former investment banker.She was married to Governor Mark Sanford, whose initial campaigns she substantially funded...
  
   is the former first lady of South Carolina
  South Carolina
  South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
  
  .

External links

• Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart — official website
• Official Sacred Heart Schools Network page