Interview with Sacred Heart School of Halifax Alum, Laura Faloon

You're not known as a number or just in the context of the school; the teachers know you personally. When you walk down the hallway, someone's there to say, "Good morning, Laura," and they know your name, and they know what you've been up to.

I'm still super proud to be an alumna of Sacred Heart, and I've been in university now for two years. It's just a really special feeling having that connection still to my high school that I know a lot of my friends don't have with their high schools. So, it really does leave a lasting impact on you.

The values we had at Sacred Heart School of Halifax are the same ones at every Sacred Heart School internationally. Those same values are instilled in you as a young student in the same way they are anywhere across the world. And that is such a unique thing about the school's values.

The longer I was at Sacred Heart, the more positive I felt about the school. As in, I really felt like they were there through every step of your journey. They understood how each chapter was important for each student, and they were able to adjust the individual experience to how that student wanted it.

They're doing a great job with the international networking, keeping alumni close to the school and involved as much as the alumni choose to be. They really give you that opportunity to stay involved with the school, and they're doing a great job in that aspect as well.

The school leadership, as a whole, is very united. They all stand for the same things and all have those values that they show very intentionally.

While it was difficult academically, they do a great job of supporting you, and it sets you up so well. Also, they have many pathways to take where you can tailor your own academics to how you want them to be.

You can really make the experience your own and create such a unique and special relationship with your teacher and those around you to create a really supportive environment.

Sacred Heart has a lot of extracurricular programming, and they're also spending a lot of time expanding it.

They want you to do well; they want to support you, and it ends up creating very long-term relationships. I had some teachers in Grade 8 who I had again in Grade 12, and throughout those years, even if they didn't teach me, they still knew me.

I would say the students at Sacred Heart are very diverse, whether that's in perspective, background, aspirations, hobbies, or anything like that. But I would say, in common, everyone is motivated and driven. They want to succeed, and that makes it easy to be in an environment like that because it pushes you to do that as well.

You get a buddy, and they're someone you can look for on your first day. They help you get settled, and they have a really good process going there, from the beginning tour to when you start school. It's a really great system that they have implemented.

I am so grateful for my experience at Sacred Heart in the process of starting my university time at Queen's University. I really felt like I was prepared academically and could focus on all the other exciting things that were going on as you move to university, knowing that I had a solid academic background supporting me.

They have the academics, but they also have everything else to support you and really build you into a great person and support you along that journey.

While there are countless reasons that you should go to Sacred Heart, those three really stick with you: the academics, the community, and the holistic approach to the education they provide.