I didn't know how to get into the posting, so I picked someone who was close to when I started school, 1955-1958.
My test to get into the school was knowing the tables. Brother Director asked me questions, and I answered them. I was admitted to the 4th grade, but I was 7 y/o at the time. It wasn't my idea, but I had no choice: my father made me, and it wasn't because I was a wild child. I have good memories from that school, and the summer camp, because I went to both - for 3 years.
I remember at the beginning of the 7th grade, Brother Richard (took Brother Directors place) came up to me in the Rec Room, and told me that I lost my status. I asked him what he meant. He said that there's a new student in the 4th grade 2 months younger than me, so I was no longer the youngest student in SCH.
Seeing as how I was there year round, I got to know most of the Brothers. Some were good, some were metza-metza, but if there was any sexual assault by a Brother with a student, I, or rather, we never heard of it. If anyone was a target for that, it was me. Many times (once is too many), I was the only kid in school on holidays, because I was not picked up for a few days after it started. Oh, I had the run of the place (yeah, right), but a lot of the Brothers went home for the holidays, too. I was never approached.
OK, now I can talk about the "campus." Right beside the school, we had a track, bike barn, and football/baseball field. In back of the school, there was a pond. In the summer, frog hunting. In the winter, skating, sledding, and building tunnels around the edge of the pond, from the snow removed from the pond (snow permitting, and iced down by the Brothers). There was a large ramp on the side of the pond, which was iced down, so you could sled down the ramp onto the pond. That was winter entertainment.
In the summer, we biked, played Flag, Releivio (?), and just goofed off. One night, in the summer, we all went accross the street to see the Russian Sputnik in the sky. I didn't see it, but others claimed they did.
Now, here's where I lost it. I've had it here, and I want to go home in South Boston. I talked my best friend, Bradley Stratton, to come with me. We put our bikes in back of the bike barn, and at 9:00 pm, we'd make our break. At 8:30, Brothers Director and Richard called me down to their room. Bradley ratted me out. I just told the Brothers that I wanted to go home, and I told Bradley that I was mad at him. Anyway, a month or so later, I was out of there.
For at least 20 years (maybe longer), I've been trying to find Brad. I've tried searches, family/friends, ancestry, etc, but I don't have enough info for them to start with. The last time I saw him was about 50 years ago, but I just want to thank him for ratting me out: 9 at night going to South Boston? It could have been fatal.
Well, I'm sorry I didn't give too much info on Sacred Heart School, but when you're a kid, a real kid, you'll remember the good stuff. I do remember a slap or two, also.
By the way, when I started there, one of the Brother's had a dog named Queenie.