Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
Main Building as seen in February 2020
Address
3860 Main Street Eggertsville (Town of Amherst) Eggertsville , (Erie County) , New York 14226 United States
Coordinates	42°57′47″N 78°48′25″W / 42.96306°N 78.80694°W / 42.96306; -78.80694
Information
Type	Private
Motto	Christus Super Omnia (Christ Above All)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic (Sisters of St. Francis of Penance)
Established	1877
Founder	The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity
Administrator	Mary Cochrane
Head of school	Jennifer Demert
Faculty	85
Grades	9-12
Gender	Girls
Enrollment	497[2] (2015-16)
• Grade 9	125
• Grade 10	127
• Grade 11	136
• Grade 12	109
Color(s)	Maroon and White
Slogan	Empowering Young Women Through Excellence in Education
Mascot	Shamus The Shark
Team name	Sharks
Rival	Nardin Academy
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
USNWR ranking	3rd
Website	www.sacredheartacademy.org

Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity private high school for young women located in Eggertsville, New York, United States.^[3] It is operated independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

History

The Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart was founded by the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity in 1877 to provide an education rich in the arts, sciences, and humanities for the daughters of immigrant families. The school included instruction in matters of faith and development of moral character.

The first enrollment consisted of eight young women. By 1889 the academy's campus included the convent, a five-story school building, an annex, and a building used for science labs.

The academy outgrew its quarters on Washington Street in downtown Buffalo, New York. In 1928 the Sisters secured a 5-acre (20,000 m²) property in Eggertsville, and began supervising construction of the new building. On May 11, 1930, 230 students and 14 faculty members moved into the new Sacred Heart Academy.^[4]

In 1997 the campus was expanded by the purchase of an adjacent building, providing additional learning areas for SHA's music students. Clare Music Hall, named in honor of St. Clare of Assisi, opened in September 1999.

Over the summer of 2012, the academy expanded yet again. With the convent no longer in use, the school expanded to include a new state-of-the-art language and English section, which opened that fall. This area includes new technology and the school now being able to teach Mandarin Chinese, among other LOTE.

In July 2013 the academy received permission to demolish a 40-year-old garage in order to build a new gymnasium. The gym will also include a dance studio. The academy anticipates having use of the new gym by the 2014-2015 basketball season.

Academics

In 2013, the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart was ranked 3rd out of 131 western New York high schools in terms of academic performance.^[5] The school was also ranked #1 for its math department.

Notable alumni and faculty

• Beverly Eckert '69, co-chair of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee and a leader of "Voices of September 11" after her husband Sean Rooney was killed in the September 11 attacks, was a victim of Flight 3407
• Kristen Pfaff, musician best known as the bassist for alternative rock band Hole.
• Sister Marion Beiter (1907–1982), mathematician