Empowering Minds Transforming Hearts
“Transform
the
one child at a time”
the world, time”
“For the sake of one child, I would have founded the Society.”
—St. Madeleine Sophie Barat
Transformation is at the heart of a Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School education. This starts with our mission—to transform the world, one child at a time.
More than just a school, Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill is a home. You come as you are and are cared for with great love.
This is a place that encourages the love of learning, where intellectual curiosity and spirituality are cherished and nurtured.
This is a community that advocates service to others and inspires personal growth. Our students engage in self-discovery and forge life-long friendships.
This is an education that challenges students to find their passion and their purpose. Our students cultivate the habits of heart and mind to make a difference in our world.
This is Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School.
Empowering Minds Transforming Hearts
Founded in 1929
Empowering Minds
“To hold to routine for fear of innovation is weakness of mind.”
—St. Madeleine Sophie Barat
Our program inspires the potential in every child.
Our teachers are academic specialists who create classroom environments in which faith, integrity, leadership, and growth are foundational to learning. Students learn by doing; here, you will see active, engaged, and dynamic teaching and learning.
How do we know this works?
Sacred Heart schools have been educating students to transform the world with love for more than 200 years. And, yes, the world has changed a lot in that time. So have we.
As Janet Erskine Stuart, Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ), said, “Let us not rest on our beautiful past.” Growth, innovation, and transformation are what we are all about.
JK3-6th Grade Co-ed Student-to-Faculty 7:1 7th-12th Grade
Young Women
Villa has taught me to work hard in every aspect of my education. Before coming to Villa, I was never engaged and went along mindlessly memorizing information. Since coming to Villa, I have learned there is more to my education than rote memorization. Education is also about connecting themes and using this knowledge, not only in my subjects, but also in my life.
Jada M. ‘21
“Education is about connecting themes“
Grounded
Five goals of a Sacred Heart education
1 A personal and active faith in God
2 A deep respect for intellectual values
in Faith
We educate to a personal and active faith in God and form our students through the heart of Jesus—with gratitude, generosity, compassion, and forgiveness. Our students reflect a joyful hope as they study and learn every day.
We are home to children and families of all faiths and teach our students to understand the religions and spiritual traditions of the world. As a Catholic, independent, Sacred Heart school, love is at the center of everything we do, and our education is grounded in the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education
EXPLORE MORE: vdoh.org/about-us/our-mission/goals-and-criteria
“Our teachers truly know each and every
truly come to every child ”
The relationship between faculty and students at Villa is unmatched. Our teachers truly come to know each and every child, both individually and academically. They care about students and support us constantly as we strive to be the best students, athletes, leaders, performers, and friends possible.
Charlotte S. ‘21
Our Sacred Heart educators enter the classroom with only the highest of expectations for each and every student.
Our small class sizes allow our teachers to know each student and assess how each student learns best—engaging each student’s heart and mind.
We focus each student on a path towards transformation and hope to realize their full potential.
Transforming
Transforming Learning
GROWTH MINDSET AT WORK
Our one-on-one writing conference program provides students an individualized opportunity to craft their writing and develop skills that serve them throughout their academic careers and beyond. The relational process of connecting one-on-one with a teacher regularly encourages a growth mindset through the cycle of feedback and critique to further refine a written work. English instructors build strong relationships with students, crafting individualized instruction to meet each student where she is and to build confidence and competence. The ultimate goal of this program is to cultivate independence and empower young women to use their voices.
“Yyour child will ready to transcend
leave us transcend boundaries”
We proudly carry on the tradition of Sacred Heart education, nurturing in our students a desire to see the humanity in others and use their talents to spread love in the world. In St. Louis, we have a distinguished past and a limitless future.
Sending your child to Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School means you are investing in the gift of education for your child. Your partnership with us will lead your child to discover that the possibilities are endless; your child will leave us ready to transcend boundaries and transform lives the world over. Our mission is great—it involves the whole world.
Michael F. Baber Head of School
InspiringCuriosity
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School is a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, an association of 25 Catholic, independent schools across the United States and Canada who share a common mission. There are educational institutions affiliated with the Society of the Sacred Heart in 41 countries around the world. The truly international character of Sacred Heart education helps to foster a global awareness in our students as we strive to build a more just world.
GLOBAL VIEWPOINTS
The development of a broader perspective of the world at all grade levels is an integral component of Sacred Heart education. Our students gain exposure to different cultures, languages, and perspectives during their time here. Our lower school students learn about other cultures during our annual International Festival and through our art and cultural exchanges with Sacred Heart schools in Uganda, Taiwan, France, and Mexico.
Our Network Exchange Programs offer students in grades 7–12 the opportunity to live, study, and participate in service in the U.S. and in countries around the world.
Our 64-acre campus not only offers a beautiful setting for our school but vast learning and play opportunities as students head outside to observe and discover. Designated as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, our campus nature trail winds through the woods, providing a working landscape to explore and interact with nature.
When you visit, you may find bird houses made by our students, a lowropes course, an outdoor classroom, sustainable gardens, and a chicken coop! We encourage students to embrace sustainable practices as they grow plants in our school garden and care for chickens that were hatched as the early childhood students were learning about basic embryology.
Cultivating the Arts
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School cultivates aesthetic values and the creative use of imagination. Students across grade levels have the opportunity to explore, create, and perform through our fine arts and performing arts programs. Actors, writers, artists, musicians, and dancers all find the opportunity to grow in their skill and craft, helping to develop their self-confidence and maturity as individuals, community members, and citizens.
VISUAL ARTS
In our increasingly visual world, the development of an appreciation for beauty and the arts is an important part of a Sacred Heart education. Our fine arts program begins in early childhood and continues through senior year. Our lower school art studio and middle and upper school fine art suite are places for our students to express themselves visually and hone their craft.
PERFORMING ARTS
From lower school to middle and high school, students are encouraged to be a part of one of the many performances that occur on our campus each year. Our students can be found behind the scenes, on the stage, and everywhere in between.
SCHAEFER FAMILY STUDENT LIFE CENTER
When complete, The Schaefer Family Student Life Center will be the heart of our campus.The beautiful theater brings our performing arts program to the next level and will host daily assembly and lower, middle, and upper school performances.
Students scored 3 or higher on recent AP exams 81%
2.8 m
In scholarships awarded to 60 members of the Class of 2020
Students Age 3 through Grade 12
Student Clubs
“Sacred Heart education aspires to make you open-eyed, alert to the needs of others, and generous and courageous in service.”
—Life
at the Sacred Heart, 1985
Our love and service to others makes our faith stronger, and at Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill, we inspire students to be active in and informed about the world around them. Goal Three of the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education means that Sacred Heart schools commit to foster a social awareness in our students. We prepare students to be anchored in purpose and serve the common good in an interdependent world.
Service is embedded in our curriculum. We provide opportunities for direct service, advocacy, outreach, and partnerships to work for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. Through giving back, students evolve into responsible, compassionate members of their community with a lifelong commitment to service.
Changing World with Love
Of students in grades 7–12 participate in at least one sport 72%
Athletics aren’t extracurricular. We consider athletics co-curricular and a vital part of educating the whole child, enriching the lives of our students. Lower school students hone motor skills and practice teamwork and grit in daily PE.
Through athletics, our students build relationships and practice resilience, integrity, leadership, and teamwork. Students grow in courage and confidence as they discover new abilities, cultivate strengths, learn from mistakes, develop empathy, and exercise resilience in meeting challenges.
Teamwork
2
Sacred Heart schools have been innovating for more than 200 years. To inspire this innovation and engage students fully, inquiry and reflection are foundational.
Our classrooms are not passive places where information is simply transferred; they are active learning environments filled with teachers who are experts at asking the right questions and students that earnestly search for the answers. Critical thinking, problem-solving, and synthesizing information are all part of learning here.
Our students not only develop solutions to today’s problems, they learn to think out of the box so that they will be prepared to tackle the future’s challenges.
LOWER SCHOOL MAKERSPACE
The lower school makerspace is full of possibility! From graphic design and robotics to circuitry and coding, students explore how to use technology in everyday life to solve problems. Our second graders create rural, urban, and suburban settings by building backgrounds and foregrounds with cardboard, construction paper, and Legos, making the scene come alive through the use of stop motion animation. Sixth graders design and make custom wood signage for the nature trail and campus outdoor spaces by utilizing a router and web-based software.
RULL FAMILY INNOVATION CENTER
The Rull Family Innovation Center is where ideas come to life. Students use cutting-edge technology, software, and tools to run simulations, collect, share, and analyze data, and build and program models. The versatile space allows students to easily transition from design and planning to making projects a reality in the lab.
Creating Innovators
CONGÉ
Congé is a surprise day of fun for our students. They show up to school thinking it is a normal day—but, surprise, it’s Congé! It is one of our favorite traditions shared with all Sacred Heart schools, where studies are put aside and we focus on joy. The unforgettable day is filled with games, dance parties, competitions, and lots of surprises.
CHRISTMAS BASKETS
Each year, on the last morning before Christmas break, our students and families come together to help our community. Students, families, and alumni assemble baskets of food for those in need. After Christmas Baskets Mass, where the baskets are blessed, our students deliver them to local organizations and families.
PHILY WEEK
Phily Week, named for our foundress, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, is a week focused on giving back. Our upper school student council chooses a charity to support and plans fun fundraising activities, such as a beach-themed dress down day. This week brings us together as a community and showcases the leadership skills of our student council members.
Fostering Community
All are welcome at Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill. Our students see the inherent dignity in everyone. Our community strives for relationships characterized by inclusion and mutual respect. Dialogue and listening are encouraged as we strengthen our community and seek to foster understanding and love. Our Sacred Heart traditions bring our community together in meaningful ways throughout the school year.
Our Mission
Inspired by the vision of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart, Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School strives to educate the heart and mind of each child in a nurturing and challenging environment. We are dedicated to educating the whole child and preparing our students for lives of faith in God, integrity, leadership, and service to others.
Our mission is to transform the world, one child at a time.
Choosing a school for our children is a big decision and one we didn’t take lightly. We are so thankful we made that decision seven years ago.
Our children love going to school each day, and, as parents, we know they are in the best hands from the moment we drop them off at school.
They are getting an amazing education while being supported by caring and loving faculty and staff who are deeply committed to educating our children in the Sacred Heart tradition. We are blessed to be a part of the Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill family and truly feel like we are home.
Wes & Mara C.
Parents
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill