Held mid-year, the Junior Ring Ceremony is the most memorable event for Upper School students. In a candlelight ceremony, junior students are presented with their school rings.

History

Marking the passage of the juniors into the community of Stuart women, the Junior Ring Ceremony has long been a Stuart tradition.

Stuart's school ring is very unique in that it features a deer slaking its thirst. When Stuart's founding mothers brought Reverend Mother Agnes M. Barry to tour the project site in an old jeep in 1960, Mother Barry saw a deer and its fawn drinking from a stream on the property. This was a clear sign to her of the merits of building a Sacred Heart school here, and the deer became the symbol for Stuart.

What Students Can Expect

The senior class is heavily involved in the planning of each year's event. Senior girls select a class member who will bestow the ring to the junior. This is a closely held secret until the ring is actually presented. If the junior has a family member who is a Sacred Heart graduate, she may also be invited to present the class ring.

Juniors are instructed to wear their rings with the deer facing inward during their remaining time at Stuart. At graduation, the girls are instructed to turn their rings so that the deer is facing outward— a sign to society and the world of their commitment and willingness to share their talents, skills, faith and service with others. The graduation ceremony is concluded with a welcome into the Stuart Alumna Association, after which the group moves to the lobby for hugs, photos, refreshments and the "turning of the rings."

The 2019 Junior Ring Ceremony is on December 13 at 1:30 PM. Click here for the live stream page.