Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School

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About Us
About Us

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School, a ministry of the Felician Sisters, is an independent Catholic school educating and transforming young men and women in grades 9-12 for lives of Christian leadership, stewardship, and service to all.
Admissions
Admissions

Students find their place at OLSH in a nurturing, yet challenging, student-centered environment.
Academics
Academics

Students at OLSH are well-prepared for success, taught by talented and caring faculty members, and encouraged to reach their potential.
Faith
Faith

Students are inspired to lives of Christian leadership through faith and service experiences at OLSH.
Athletics
Athletics

OLSH student-athletes build character, discipline, and sportsmanship through their participation in athletics at OLSH. 65% of OLSH students are student-athletes and 22 participated in all three seasons.
Arts
Arts

At OLSH, students are encouraged to express themselves creatively through visual arts, music, and performance.
Support OLSH
Support OLSH

The generous and faithful partnership of our benefactors allows us to carry out our mission of educating and transforming young people for a life of Christian leadership, stewardship, and service to all.
Community
Community

The most common word used by alumni to describe OLSH is "family." The family spirit is alive at OLSH!
Alumni
Alumni

History

The steel structure of the OLSH school building during its construction in the 1930s — OLSH in construction in the 1930s

Six young women pose around the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School sign — OLSH first opened its doors in 1932 to young women aspiring to join the Felician Sisters

The six young women who graduated from OLSH in 1935 pictured with a priest from the school — OLSH's first graduating class - the class of 1935

The doorway and statues inside the main entrance of OLSH — The front hall area of the school remains nearly unchanged from the way it appeared in the 1930s.

A group of young women learning from a Sister in a science lab — Young women attending OLSH in the 1940s were educated in science

A group of young women pose with arms up in the air around a basketball — Physical fitness and wellness was an important topic for the young women at OLSH in the 1940s

Three young women in the 1950s wearing the OLSH uniform of the time. — Through the 1940s and 1950s young women were admitted to the school as boarding or day students and did not have to be considering religious life to attend the school.

A line of graduates files into the OLSH school building in the 1950s. — A graduating class from the 1950s processes into the school building.

A group of young women who were in the Newtonian Math Club in the 1960s at OLSH — The Newtonian Math Club was one of the many activities young women could participate in at OLSH in the 1960s.

Young men and women at a ceremony for new students in 1970 at OLSH — Young men were first welcomed at students at OLSH in 1970

A group of young men and women sitting outside the OLSH school building in 1978, — Young men and women enjoying the OLSH campus in the late 1970s.

OLSH students and teachers attend the March for Life in Washington, DC in 1982. — OLSH students have attended every March for Life held in Washington, DC. This is the group from 1982.

A large group of students in front of the altar in the OLSH chapel celebrating Ring Day. — The class of 1996 celebrates the traditional Ring Day ceremony in the OLSH Chapel in 1995.

Construction on the OLSH school building in 2003 — In 2003, the school underwent a total renovation which was Gold LEED certified for its sustainable, "green" features.

Students operating technical equipment for the WCHR tv studio — WCHR, OLSH's student-run TV studio, was started in the 1990s and continued to expand its offerings through the 2000s.

The OLSH Angela Activities Center building — In 2010, the Angela Activities Center (gym building) was remodeled, earning a Silver LEED rating and providing expanded athletic and learning facilities.

photo of the class of 2012 on their first day of school — In 2012, OLSH welcomed its largest freshman class

September 1932: OLSH Academy opened its doors to 18 girls in the 9th and 10th grades who aspired to join the Felician Sisters.

1935: Six young women become the first graduates of OLSH.

1940s & 1950s: OLSH Academy admitted young women as day students and boarding students and lifted the requirement that the young women had to intend to become Sisters. Enrollment during this period grew from 30 to 80 students. Also during this time, OLSH added 6th, 7th, and 8th grades to the school. When St. Joseph School in Coraopolis opened, OLSH went back to offering classes to the 9th through 12th grades.

1960s: OLSH began gradually phasing out the aspirancy and the boarding facilities, which were on the third floor. Enrollment reached 100 students, and positioned OLSH for a new era.

1970: OLSH Academy became OLSH High School, and under the direction of Sr. M. Pulcheria Saukaitis '39 and the implementation of Sr. M. Augustine Grajewski '36, OLSH began to educate boys and girls, becoming co-educational.

1979: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a ruling which required public school districts to provide local bus transportation for private school students. This ruling allowed and continues to allow local students bus transportation to OLSH.

1980: Enrollment climbed to 200 students, and the 6-day cycle was established. Our Lady's Pantry was created to help feed the hungry in Coraopolis and neighboring communities.

1982: The auditorium was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt.

1985: OLSH broke ground for the Angela Activities Center and moved the gymnasium out of the main school building.

1990s: Enrollment continued to flourish, reaching 300 students, and OLSH started showing the Channel One news program.

1993: OLSH students first attended World Youth Day in Denver.

1994: OLSH earned its first accreditation from the Middle States Association of College and Schools, and the Youthtowne Young Scholars Program was established to provide a cost-free education to selected young women at OLSH.

2001: Students who participate in the Girls Hope Program began attending OLSH, first from the Clinton house and later from a new house built on the OLSH campus.

2003: A total, environmentally-friendly renovation of OLSH and the provincial house was completed. Students spent six months in temporary classrooms at the former Boyd School on University Boulevard while OLSH was under construction. The new building earned a gold LEED rating for its green features. The Tisch Family Library, an inter-generational space, opened in the new school, lending opportunities for the students and Sisters to interact.

2008: OLSH adopted the President/Principal model of governance, and Elizabeth Santillo was named its first president. That year also saw Woodcrest Residence, an apartment building for older adults, open on campus in a newly renovated, green building, the former St. Joseph Hall.

2010: A renovation and expansion project was completed at the Angela Activities Center. This project was the final piece in making the entire campus green. The new AAC seats 625 people, has two gym spaces, four locker rooms, the Michael McDonald Weight Room, two classrooms, an office suite, a concession stand, and the Sister Mary Christopher Moore Cafe.

2012: OLSH welcomed its largest freshman class and enrollment totaled 380 students under the leadership of president Terry O'Rourke Donoghue and principal Tim Plocinik.

2014: OLSH was named a Catholic Honor Roll School of Excellence by the Cardinal Newman Society.

2018-2019: OLSH won three WPIAL Championships in one school year - Football, Boys Basketball, and Girls Basketball - only the third school in WPIAL history to win those three championships in the same year. Additionally that year, the OLSH Spring Musical won the Gene Kelly Award for Excellence in High School Musical Theater for Best Musical. Each of these wins was the first ever for their respective programs.

2022: OLSH Boys Basketball broke the PA state record for consecutive wins. The team now holds the record with 74 consecutive wins.

Click above to learn more about the Felician Sisters of North America.