Exchange Program Connects Students with Sacred Heart Communities Nationwide

Since 2009, Convent & Stuart Hall has partnered with other Sacred Heart Network Schools to offer 8th-grade students the unique and enriching opportunity of a student exchange program. The annual program connects each of our participating students with a student from another Sacred Heart Network School. Each student then visits the other, living with their host student, attending classes, and engaging in school activities. This immersion provides students with insights into the culture and community of another Sacred Heart school, while also building a deeper appreciation for our shared values.

Over the years, Convent & Stuart Hall has connected our students with schools in Princeton, Chicago, Halifax, Greenwich, Bryn Mawr, New Orleans, Houston, Forest Ridge, and St. Louis, among others. This year, Convent & Stuart Hall hosted two students: Lucia, an 8th grader from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans hosted by Convent 8th grader Claire, and Amelia, an 8th grader from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich hosted by Convent 8th grader Caroline. Both students made easy transitions into the class, no doubt aided by their own familiarity with attending a Sacred Heart school. Their presence offered our host students, and the school community as a whole, the chance to learn from and connect with peers from different parts of the country. 

The student exchange program continues to be a highlight for our participating 8th-graders, sharing with them an appreciation for the diverse yet unified Sacred Heart community.

“My exchange was a very great experience. I had so much fun visiting Sacred Heart Greenwich and having my exchange student come back with me to Convent. I loved meeting everyone at her school and hope to do it again in high school.”
– Caroline, Convent Gr. 8 

“This was a very different and exciting experience. I was able to understand what other schools are like, and what living in another city is like (even if it was just for a week). I really enjoyed exploring New Orleans and learning about some of its landmarks…Overall it was an amazing experience and it made me appreciate our school more.”
– Claire, Convent Gr. 8
 

Photo of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans by Claire, Convent Gr. 8