Beyond Textbooks: Sacred Heart College’s Whole‑Student Mission

Tonight, for Kolcha Tuesday, we’re heading west to a high school that’s shaping minds, hearts, and character. In San Ignacio, Sacred Heart College has built a name for itself, not just for strong academics, but for developing the whole student. From spirituality to sports, music to mentorship, the school believes learning should go far beyond the pages of a textbook. News Five’s Shane Williams has the story from San Ignacio.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

Up in the hills of San Ignacio sits a campus many in Cayo proudly call their school of choice, Sacred Heart College. With more than nine hundred students filling the high‑school classrooms, the place buzzes with energy, ambition, and a strong sense of faith. But administrators say Sacred Heart is defined by its philosophy, not it’s size.

 

Dr. Berta Cambranes, President, Sacred Heart College

“SHC is a Catholic institution, and we’re guided by Catholic ethos. Our mission is to create a holistic individual. We focus of course on academics and in addition to that we also look at the arts. For example, we have art, we have music, we look at sports. Our PE classes are very important to us. Our students are engaged in all the sporting competitions that we have. We also look at spiritual, which is very important to us. We have our masses every week. In addition to that, our students also participate once a year in a retreat.”

 

Holistic education here means balance. For Campus Ministry Director and Junior College lecturer Emmanuel Mangar, one of the most visible examples of that formation is the school choir.

 

Emmanuel Mangar, Campus Ministry Director

“These students that are here in the choir, some of them started with the choir three years ago and have stayed with us since, and they’ve grown in their leadership roles. Just having courage to maybe speak right. Their public speaking has definitely improved in front of other students, in front of audiences. Think about it, we have mass every week. And it is close to five hundred to a thousand students weekly.”

 

The choir is more than music, it’s mentorship, discipline, and spiritual leadership. From one guitar and a small sound system, the program has grown to nearly twenty singers, multiple musicians and full technical support. And the skills students develop don’t stay on campus.

 

Fernando Mesh, Student, Class 4G

“I feel like being in the choir helped me a lot develop musically, thanks to Mr. Mangar. I developed a lot of musical abilities and I am, I usually go host events around town and thing, and that has helped me a lot, yeah. I’m gonna continue doing that in the future.”

 

But Sacred Heart’s holistic vision reaches far beyond the chapel. In classrooms and clubs, students are encouraged to sharpen their intellect and discover new interests. For Bianca Reyes, her choice is the chess club.

 

Bianca Reyes, Class 4D

“Last year in December I won best female player for the Blitz Tournament. That’s three minutes each. So I think that’s a very fond memory.”

 

Shane Williams

“What can other students who are thinking about coming here look forward to?”

 

Bianca Reyes

“I would say them other clubs that we have. It’s not just chess club, it’s if you wanna be more active in the community we have Red Cross. We have the Interact Club that’s also here. So you have a lot of options.”

 

With choices ranging from chess club to Interact and Red Cross to drama, students say there’s something for everyone to feel at home. And when challenges arise, there is support.

 

Amanda Dixon, High School Counselor

“We really want to offer space where students feel safe so that they know that they’re not alone on their transition in high school because. Different forms have different concerns for us, and developmentally it’s a huge part of the adolescence. So we’re there to support them on their journey, both academically, because at Sacred Heart we’re really about holistic education. So not just with their academic struggles, but their peer struggles, their family struggles or just understanding their identity. So we really want to advocate for our students at the counseling department”

 

Leadership, too, is cultivated intentionally. Lyna Silva and Chloe Martinez are the Student Council President and Head Prefect.

 

Lyna Silva, Student Council President

“To me what it means to be a Sacred Heart student is putting your all in everything that you do, performing to the best of your ability and always keeping God first in whatever you do.”

 

Chloe Martinez, Head Prefect

“I feel like Sacred Heart College, all the students here wear their white and grey with pride and anybody that came here can say that too.”

 

For President Dr. Berta Cambranes, the hope is that students carry that white and grey pride throughout their lives after SHC.

 

Dr. Berta Cambranes

“We prepare students holistically, so when you’re getting a graduate from Sacred Heart, you know that it’s a well-rounded individual.”

 

And maybe that’s the true heartbeat of Sacred Heart College, an education focused not just on turning out graduates, but on shaping grounded, confident young people ready to give back to their communities. In San Ignacio, for Kolcha Tuesday, Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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