Full Circle: Three Generations of Love and Learning at St. Catherine’s Montessori
By Renee Smith
Left: Pablo Lozano, Martha Laird, and family Gabriella, Victor, Elliot, and Luke John Lozano enjoying the sunshine. Right: Three generations of the Lozano family in front of the Christmas tree.
When Primary student Mara arrives at St. Catherine’s each morning, she’s walking a familiar path — one first traveled decades ago by her mother, Gabriella Lozano, and her three uncles, Victor, Elliot, and Luke John. Mara's grandmother, Martha Laird, smiles at the thought. “By the end of our first visit, we knew this was the right place,” she recalled. “We were looking for somewhere loving and safe where our children could blossom.”
Martha’s first visit to “the Castle” — SCM's previous campus — remains vivid in her memory. “We observed in Cynthia Blessman’s class, and it was beautiful: clean, orderly, and full of amazing materials. There was a sense that children could follow their curiosity without limits.”
Discovering Confidence and Connection
For Martha and her husband Pablo, one of the most enduring impressions of the school is how deeply students are respected and nurtured as capable, articulate individuals.
Gabriella, who attended St. Catherine’s from Primary through Upper Elementary, sees familiar values alive in her daughter. “One of the greatest lessons I learned here was the value of forgiveness,” she shared. “It’s okay to mess up — to ask for forgiveness and to forgive. You can be human. I already see that gentleness in Mara; even when she gets upset, she’s quick to forgive.”
She also carries with her the school’s emphasis on caring for the planet. “It’s so important to instill care for the world we live in. Recycling still matters to me, and I give that credit to St. Catherine’s.”
A Familiar Spirit & Lifelong Learning
Returning to St. Catherine’s as a parent has felt, in many ways, like coming home. “Even though it’s a totally different building, there’s this familiar energy,” Gabriella said. “The teachers are so loving and thoughtful— they actually listen to the child and accept them where they are.”
Gabriella senses a warmer atmosphere, and seeing her daughter’s guides through a parent’s eyes gives her new appreciation for the relationships she once experienced as a child with Sr. Edna Ann, Sr. Shirley, Ms. Jacinta, and Ms. Arteaga. “Maybe I always had the stricter teachers,” Gabriella said, smiling. “But I knew they cared about me.”
Martha sees continuity in the approach to learning. “There aren't grades here,” she said. “Students could take their work so far, and that independence grew with them.” Learning at St. Catherine’s is about going deep — exploring information far beyond the possibilities of textbooks. The focus is critical thinking and following where curiosity leads.
Looking Ahead
Mara and Gabriella hanging out.
Asked what she hopes her daughter, Mara, will carry from her own Montessori journey, Gabriella doesn’t hesitate. “Confidence and security in who she is — that’s why we’re here. The world is so different now, and it’s important to have a strong sense of community.”
Martha nodded in agreement. “It’s wonderful that all this great learning happens with such an emphasis on responsibility.”
Spanning three generations, the family’s connection to the school feels timeless and renewed. St. Catherine’s remains steadfast as a place where children grow in confidence, faith, and care for the world.
This story first appeared in the October 2025 issue of Alumni News.