Last fall, student-athletes kicked off the 175th year of sports at Sacred Heart Greenwich. Each season, teams come together to compete with spirit and heart. From the school’s earliest days, sports have played a role in the Sacred Heart experience, shaping generations of students and forging lasting bonds. Over the years, Sacred Heart sports have evolved, thrived, and left a mark on the school’s notable history.
The Sacred Heart school in New York City first opened its doors in 1848. During its early years, only a few physical activities took place on campus, including designated walk breaks between classes. Students also played a hula hoop game, which originated at the Sacred Heart schools in France in the early 1800s. This activity involved tapping a hula hoop with a stick to keep it rolling as long as possible, which helped young girls strengthen their hand-eye coordination as they kept the hoop balanced.
Sacred Heart schools did not emphasize sports for their students during the 1800s, as cultural conventions saw athletics as unladylike. Until 1920, girls wore their regular school uniform during physical education (PE) classes, in contrast to what students wear today during sports and PE classes. Following 1920, the PE uniform consisted of a one-piece outfit adorned with a white button-up and stockings underneath.
PE classes paved the way for girls to begin playing basketball and field hockey. In 1920, the school added these sports as extracurricular activities and soon after constructed a swimming pool for girls to use during their free time. A few years later, the school introduced the practice of calisthenics in order to encourage better posture. Calisthenics is a form of exercise that requires little to no equipment and instead uses a person’s body weight to build strength.
The Sacred Heart schools in Greenwich and New York City did not introduce interscholastic sports for girls until the late 1960s, partly due to challenges such as transportation accessibility. Nevertheless, once competitive sports became an option, Sacred Heart teams enthusiastically competed against other girls’ schools in basketball, volleyball, field hockey, and occasionally lacrosse or softball.
Coach Sarah Hill has worked with teams at Sacred Heart for 40 years. She has instructed multiple levels of field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse at the Upper and Middle School levels. She spoke to the importance of tradition and rivalry in helping cultivate school spirit.
“Long ago, as far back as I can remember, a PE teacher and coach, Margaret (Peg) Melford, was influential in developing numerous athletic foundations and traditions,” Coach Hill said. “The oldest tradition is the Green and White Team rivalries. I believe this tradition helped foster the athletic program as well as cultivate Goal IV, a building of community within the school culture. This helped encourage students to participate and explore different athletic offerings.”
The community and school goals helped encourage students to participate and explore different athletic offerings. Their progress was evident in the fall of 1975 when the Sacred Heart field hockey team achieved an undefeated season, along with both the varsity and junior varsity badminton teams, as reported in the June 1976 Horizons magazine. Since then, Sacred Heart has continued to grow its athletic programs. In 2015, the school added an athletic center including regulation courts for basketball, volleyball, and squash. Following this addition, Sacred Heart installed turf fields to signify an increase in the level of competition.
Sacred Heart has been a member of the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) since the late 1970s. The FAA and NEPSAC tournaments allow for traditions and rivalries among schools and cultivate school spirit. Coach Hill offered insight into the varsity field hockey team’s history in both leagues.
“The FAA league was not formed until the late 1970s. Prior to this, teams played the closest private schools around the area, and Sacred Heart athletics quickly became one of the strongest athletics schools,” Coach Hill said. “The many seasons of coaching have produced so many fond memories for me, each with their own special highlight. However, one of the most recent memories is when our varsity field hockey team (Fall ’19) won the New England Class A Tournament–a first in the school’s history.”
Sacred Heart teams have evolved into formidable champions, securing multiple titles in recent years. The integration of sports has brought about a transformative shift within the school, enriching its culture and fostering a sense of unity and pride among students, faculty, and the wider community. Through dedication, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence, Sacred Heart athletes elevate the school’s reputation on the playing field while embodying the values of sportsmanship, teamwork, and perseverance. This success not only reflects the commitment of the athletes but also underscores the school’s dedication to providing opportunities for personal growth and achievement beyond the classroom. As champions on and off the field, Sacred Heart teams stand as an example of the positive impact of sports integration within the school environment.
“Developing a community where girls can build confidence, feel connected and accepted by others, learn to be resilient despite winning or losing, and the importance of how to work together to achieve a common goal,” Coach Hill said. “As the sport offerings grew, we have continued to value the importance of [Margaret Melford’s] philosophy as they helped Sacred Heart athletics become as successful as they are today.”
Featured Image by Casey Smith ’26
