Julia Ward
Sacred Heart School, a private, Catholic, co-educational school in Kingston for students in preschool through grade 12, is proud to announce that sophomore Julia Ward of Kingston won high honors in this year’s first WordWright Challenge, a competition for American high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different forms of prose and poetry.
During the first meet in October, Ward placed among the 145 highest-scoring 10th graders in the entire country; more than 65,000 high school students from 48 states entered the challenge, the premise of which is that attentive reading and sensitivity to language are among the most important skills students acquire academically. Students are challenged with analyzing texts that range from short fiction to poetry and by authors contemporary or from the far past. The text for the first WordWright meet this year for 9th and 10th graders was an essay by John Updike.
Students will participate in three more meets over the coming months; medals and certificates will be awarded in June to those who achieve and/or improve the most over the course of the year.
Questions posed by the WordWright Challenge ask students to both recognize the emotional and/or rational logic of a piece of writing and to observe the ways in which a writer’s style shapes and shades meaning.
“Congratulations to Julia for an outstanding performance in the WordWright Challenge,” said Sacred Heart High School Principal Dr. Michael Gill, extending thanks to English teacher Winifred Dick who oversaw Sacred Heart’s participation in the event.
About Sacred Heart School
Sacred Heart School is a private, co-educational Catholic school system, providing educational opportunities for students from preschool through grade 12 for35 communities throughout the South Shore and Cape Cod. As a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence, Sacred Heart School welcomes students to a learning community which is academically challenging, and rooted in the Gospel. Students develop critical thinking skills, engage in service to those in need, and deepen awareness of global perspectives.
Situated on 100 acres in Kingston, MA,the Sacred Heart campus encompasses an Early Education Center, Elementary School, and Middle- High School. The school offers a strong liberal arts curriculum and cutting-edge technology programs in combination with extensive athletic, arts, and extra-curricular activities to ensure students a well-rounded education.
Founded in 1947, the school has seen many changes since its inception, including the recent construction of a $2 million Science and Innovation Center, upgrades to the Observatory, the addition of a large organic garden, and extensive beautiful athletics fields and facilities.
The campus is in use throughout the year as the site of many sports events. Sacred Heart also offers several vibrant summer programs focusing on academics, leadership skills, and traditional athletic programs. Sacred Heart is also home to Camp Morningstar, a long-standing recreational camp with sailing, swimming, sports, games and field trips.
Sacred Heart is proud of its near 100% college acceptance rate at outstanding schools in the United States and around the Globe.
Sacred Heart is led by President Sister Myra Rodgers, CDP, High School Principal Dr. Michael Gill, Interim Elementary School Principal Shaun Morgan, and Early Childhood Center Principal, Sister Angela Provost, CDP.
Sacred Heart School welcomes students of all faiths and diverse backgrounds. The school is committed to developing the whole student, offering an independent school atmosphere and top-tier academics.
The Sacred Heart School campus is located at 251-399 Bishops Highway, Kingston, MA 02364. For additional information about the school, please visit www.sacredheartkingston.com or call 781-585-7511.
