A Message from Dr. Scott Schroeder, Sacred Hearts Academy Head of School

July 12, 2019

Aloha Sacred Hearts Community,

I am now at work as the Academy’s Head of School, getting ready for the start of a great school year. I want to mark this beginning by expressing my gratitude for all the support and best wishes I’ve received and my deep pride in our school and our community. I particularly want to thank Betty White for her generous help in getting me oriented to the Head of School role.

I will be spending much of the coming year getting to know the Academy and building relationships.  Charting the path ahead for the Academy will be driven by a deep understanding of our school’s greatest strengths and how to leverage them to meet the educational needs and emerging interests of families on Oahu.  Of course, we will continue our core dedication to programs, ways of teaching and a campus environment that is distinctively beneficial to girls and young women.

During the next few months, I will be doing a lot of listening to learn what your ideas and ambitions are for our school and for yourselves, and I will be providing meeting opportunities for those conversations. While I have my own personal perspective that comes from years of professional experience in Catholic education, as well as years as a Sacred Hearts parent and member of the Academy’s Board of Directors, I intend to broaden that perspective so that we can set a direction that will make Sacred Hearts Academy the school that every parent with a daughter should consider for their child.

I will do my utmost to serve the Academy with wisdom and enthusiasm. I am wholly committed to Sacred Hearts’ educational mission and to positively impacting Hawaii and the wider world around us through the presence and efforts of our outstanding graduates.

Sacred Hearts Academy is an exceptional institution, and I am honored to serve now as Head of School. I am excited about our future and the great things we will accomplish together!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Scott J. Schroeder, PhD
Head of School


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2019-2020 Yearbook & Student ID Picture Taking Opportunity

Portraits of Hawaii (POH) will be at Sacred Hearts Academy on Friday, August 2 from 7AM to 3PM for picture taking. Please bring the completed order form and payment to the auditorium.

Students: please wear your Sacred Hearts Academy white uniform blouse with collar and cuffs attached, clean and pressed. The tie must be with the proper knot. Hair must be natural, with only natural-looking highlights. No extreme hair styles, colors or highlights. Students can wear up to 2 earrings with no extreme sizes or gauges. No facial jewelry is allowed for picture taking.

This is the second opportunity for picture taking for the 2019-2020 school year. We encourage you to take your picture at this time as there will only be one more session in September. Students will not be allowed to miss class to have their portraits taken during the school year. Thank you for your understanding.

Portraits of Hawaii Order Form

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2019-2020 Yearbook & Student ID Picture Taking Opportunity

Portraits of Hawaii (POH) will be at Sacred Hearts Academy on Thursday, July 11 from 7AM to 3PM for picture taking. Please bring the completed order form and payment to the auditorium.

Students: please wear your Sacred Hearts Academy white uniform blouse with collar and cuffs attached, clean and pressed. The tie must be with the proper knot. Hair must be natural, with only natural-looking highlights. No extreme hair styles, colors or highlights. Students can wear up to 2 earrings with no extreme sizes or gauges. No facial jewelry is allowed for picture taking.

This is the first of multiples opportunities for picture taking for the 2019-2020 school year. Other opportunities will be available in August and September.

Portraits of Hawaii Order Form

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First Male Leader of Sacred Hearts to Focus on Empowering Women

Scott Schroeder, a dean at Chaminade University,
will take over as head of school at
Sacred Hearts Academy when longtime
leader Betty White retires this summer.

Do you subscribe to the Star-Advertiser? Check out an article by Susan Essoyan featuring Sacred Hearts Academy's new Head of School, Dr. Scott Schroeder. 

After a nationwide search, Sacred Hearts Academy has decided the best person to replace its longtime leader, Betty White, is right in its Kaimuki neighborhood. 

Scott Schroeder, professor of management and dean of Chaminade University’s School of Business and Communication, will be the first male head of school in the 110-year history of the all-girls Catholic institution. He will join Sacred Hearts on July 1. 

“Every day we teach our girls that gender doesn’t matter,” Gwen Yamamoto Lau, chairwoman of the academy’s board of directors, said in an interview. “It’s the person most qualified for the job, for the team, for the play, whatever it is. … So similarly, when we were selecting our head of school, gender did not stand in the way of us selecting the very best candidate." 

The move does not signal any change in its commitment to women’s education, officials said. 

“As the academy’s first male head of school, Dr. Schroeder will continue the academy’s mission of empowering women to make an impact in our world,” White said. “His appointment magnifies the vital importance that this empowerment comes through the collective and collaborative efforts of both males and females in our daily lives.”

White came to Sacred Hearts fresh out of college as a teacher, and her career there spans 48 years, the last 28 as head of school. In January 2018 she announced her intention to retire, and she will overlap with her successor for a month before retiring July 31.
Schroeder knows the school well already, having served on its board of directors since July 2013 and as chairman as of July 2017. He stepped down from the board in October to apply for the position as head of school. 

“He is such a humble leader, it was not until he actually applied and we reviewed his resume, I was just blown away at his caliber and credentials,” Lau said. 

Sister Regina Mary Jenkins, president of the Sacred Hearts Academy Corporation, cited Schroeder’s “proven track record and vast experience in education” in announcing the appointment Thursday.

Schroeder earned his bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University, his M.B.A. at Arizona State University and Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles, specializing in management and psychology. He also did postgraduate work as a fellow at Harvard’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education.

“I am committed to Sacred Hearts being a school where you can’t wait to get to in the morning, a place where you are helped to do your best and develop great memories,” he told students and faculty at an assembly Thursday. 

Along with his Chaminade experience, Schroeder developed a graduate program at Antioch University, taught at Claremont Graduate University and was dean of academic affairs at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. 

Lau called his focus on organizational leadership and strategy “a huge plus” along with his commitment to teaching. 

“He’s been in the administrative roles, but he’s kept the faculty lens, too, because he still teaches,” Lau said. “That keeps him grounded, keeps him connected to students. … And with his interest in psychology, he really understands how to work with people at many different levels.” 

The school has 885 students in preschool through grade 12. With a faculty and staff of 120, there are just two nuns remaining on the faculty. 

White navigated the transition from a faculty made up largely of members of the religious order, who served for love, to lay teachers, a financial challenge that has tripped up some other Catholic schools.

“Betty’s incredible leadership and management skills have played an integral role in evolving our academy into the outstanding educational institution it is today,” Lau said. “We have been extremely blessed to have Betty with us for so many years.” 

White shepherded Sacred Hearts into a new age, adding a student center, performing arts center, visual arts center and multiple science and computer labs. She spearheaded programs for girls in science, technology, engineering and math.

“She has served as a mentor and positive role model to thousands of Hawaii’s young women, inspiring them to become leaders with character in our communities,” Lau said.

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Foodland's Shop for Higher Education Scholarship (February 6 - March 19)

Sacred Hearts Academy is once again participating in Foodland - Hawaii's Shop for Higher Education program!

Each year #Foodland awards (100) $2,000 college scholarships to deserving high school seniors across the state each year. Customers are encouraged to select their favorite Hawaii high school (#SacredHeartsAcademy Code: 7587) when they check out at any Foodland and Sack N Save store.

Every time you shop through the end of the program, you earn Maika'i points for your 'ohana AND matching points for the Academy! The more points a school earns, the more scholarships it receives. #ShopForHigherEducation kicks off tomorrow, February 6, and runs thru March 19.

Each year with the help of the Academy's collective 'ohana, family and friends, Academy seniors have been eligible for scholarship monies. Let's make the big leap by having as many parents shop at Foodland and earn points for our school! #GoLancers
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