In 1882, a group of Presentation Sisters from Ireland, immigrated to Fargo, North Dakota and opened St. Joseph's Academy, the first Catholic school in Fargo. In 1897, the school was renamed Sacred Heart Academy and moved into a new building on North Broadway. Sacred Heart originally provided primary and secondary education. After the 1950 academic year, the school moved to a new building, and was renamed Shanley High School in honor of John Shanley, the first bishop of Fargo. Less than a decade after opening, the school was severely damaged by the 1957 Fargo tornado, an F5 tornado that destroyed much of north Fargo.