Alumni Night 2007

Alumni Night - January 4, 2007

St. Catherine’s Montessori hosted its third annual Alumni Night on Thursday, January 4th. This special event gave our current parents the opportunity to hear our alumni students speak on their high school and college experiences and also to answer any questions our parents may have. The purpose of this evening is to share with our parent community the wonderful lives our alumni students are experiencing with a St. Catherine’s Montessori foundation. If you were unable to attend, we hope to see you next year at the fourth annual Alumni Night!

Alumni in Attendance:

Henry Miller - a sophomore at Hendrix College (graduated from St. Thomas High (School)
Lindsey Calder - a freshman at Rhodes College (graduated from Westbury Christian High School and was valedictorian of her class)
Francis Deavers - a senior at St. Agnes Academy (applying to University of Texas and Georgetown University)
Lauren Copley - a junior at Episcopal High School
Nicolas Salcedo - a sophomore at St. Thomas High School
Daniel Morris - a sophomore at Strake Jesuit College Prep.
Conrad Lozano - a freshman at St. John's

The following are just a few of the questions that were asked of our alumni:

1. What was your favorite “uniquely Montessori” part of St. Catherine’s?

Lauren – I loved the Odyssey trips. You had to learn how to deal with issues and problems and how to work together in a community.

Henry – I loved all the projects that we did. They were interesting and really cool.

Daniel – I liked the trips we went on, especially Chain-of-Lakes. We learned to take care of ourselves and to bond with each other as we got to know the new members of our community.

Lauren – At. St. Catherine’s we were able to really get to know our peers and our teachers. We got to see many new places (like Costa Rica) and learn to
be independent and take care of ourselves.

2. What was your transition like from St. Catherine’s to high school?

Daniel – In high school there are so many more people in your class and you do not receive as much individual attention from the teachers. If you want to see a teacher, you must do it on your own time and schedule an appointment.

Conrad – I researched each school that I wanted to attend to make sure I chose one that would be a good fit for me. I was very prepared at St. Catherine’s for all of my classes at St. John’s. I have enjoyed meeting new people, even though it was a little hard at the beginning.

Nicolas – At St. Thomas the classes are a lot bigger and there are a lot more people to get to know. I felt very prepared for my classes.

Francis – The work at St. Agnes is really hard, especially because I take a lot of Honors classes. I think I was better prepared than my classmates – I could manage my time better and I felt I was more knowledgeable than some.

Lindsey – I had a rough time at Bellaire, because of the number of people and the impersonal nature of such a large school. At Westbury Christian I found the classes to be easy. I knew how to use my learning technique and how to take the initiative. I find college much more Montessori.

3. How was the transition socially from St. Catherine’s to high school?

The students as a whole said that the transition was hard at the beginning, but got easier over time and that the best way to make it easier was to become involved in an activity, such as choir or sports.

4 . How would you characterize your Montessori education?

Henry – I was a hands on, active learner in a school that was inviting, welcoming and friendly. I retained my passion for learning from SCM and I like to learn all types of subjects. In Montessori everything flows from one level to the other and builds on itself.

Conrad – St. Catherine’s was very helpful to me and developed me as an individual. I received so much attention from my teachers. I have a desire to know and a passion for learning.

Lauren – St. Catherine’s showed me a lot of kindness when I transferred here. It made learning fun and it made me want to learn. If you don’t understand something you get to spend more time on it and the teachers are so helpful. In high school if you don’t understand you have to keep moving with the rest of the class. The daily planner helped to keep me on task and helped me learn to write down all the tests, quizzes and homework that I had.

Francis – SCM cultivates a passion for learning, where you can learn at your own pace, you have a community feeling and you develop friendships that last forever. You don’t have to worry about grades as much and when I master a subject I get a sense of accomplishment. I want to do the best that I can do and I keep pushing myself to do better. I love to learn!

Daniel – I really enjoyed learning at my own pace. Without grades to worry about, everyone does their best. The teachers kept you on track and helped you to re-focus if necessary. The daily planners that we had helped me to learn how to manage my time and I still use a planner at Strake Jesuit