At St. Catherine’s Montessori, the final year of each three-year cycle is a transformative experience. This “leadership year” crowns the work of the earlier years, allowing students to flourish academically, socially, and emotionally in ways unique to Montessori education. 

This year’s panel discussion, “Completing the Montessori Journey: Alumni Parent Perspectives on Choosing SCM High School,” provided an invaluable opportunity for our community to hear directly from parents who have navigated their children’s journeys through St. Catherine’s Montessori High School and beyond. Moderated by Sarah Lewis, SCM’s director of college counseling, the panel included four alumni parents who shared their observations on how their high school graduates approached academics, social life and extracurricular opportunities, and reflected on the unique strengths of the Montessori high school model.

A unique aspect of a St. Catherine’s education is our deep respect for the natural stages of a child's growth. Dr. Montessori identified a series of distinct six-year stages from birth to 24 years, which she called the four planes of development. By understanding these stages, we can better support each child as they grow from infancy to adulthood.

Since the founding of St. Catherine’s Montessori, Dominican charism has been a guiding light for the school’s work with students and families. The Dominican pillars of prayer, study, community, and preaching are present in harmonious collaboration with our Montessori pedagogy at every level. Though these two aspects of our school are often mentioned alongside each other, the connection goes beyond a parallel coexistence.

Jacob graduated summa cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and a minor in Core Texts and Ideas.

The Mirza family—Nazia, Thaha, Musa, and Iman—embodies what it means to be a St. Catherine’s family. Since joining SCM in 2017, they quickly became familiar and friendly faces on campus, attending and hosting Sociables, participating in PSO, cheering for the SCM Owls, and enjoying the school’s events and traditions.

Sophia graduated magna cum laude from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. 

Sarah graduated with honors from Nottingham Trent University with a Bachelor's of Art in Design for Film and Television. 

Ruth graduated cum laude in May from Whitman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies. She also graduated as a member of Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honor Society.