In a world where access to content is unlimited and the tools we use are ever-evolving, St. Catherine’s must prepare our graduates with a foundation of critical thinking and research skills, alongside intellectual curiosity, flexibility, and empathy—the human skills necessary to adapt and thrive amid rapid change.

 

Intellectual growth occurs when students feel a sense of belonging in a caring community of role models; when an academic experience opens students’ minds to unlimited possibilities; and when spaces support curricular and co-curricular learning opportunities.

 

Our girls’ joy of learning is cultivated by academic experiences and appropriate challenges led by excellent faculty and staff who know them, care about them, and celebrate them.

Academic Experience

Foster a vibrant academic experience for girls that inspires them to develop a foundation of skills and confidence to fully realize their individual aspirations and potential.

Selected Strategies

• Inspire courage and confidence as girls learn to navigate uncertainty.
• Implement academic support that can benefit a range of student learners.
• Adapt evolving technological advances for use in the classroom and help girls manage and design with new technologies.
• Maximize the benefits of our coordinate partnership with St. Christopher’s across divisions.

Focus on Girls

Educating girls is the core of St. Catherine’s, central to its founding and its future, so we encourage our students to discover their talents and embrace life’s challenges with a mindset that inspires curiosity, confidence, humility, and joy in learning. 

Selected Strategies 

• Integrate findings of evolving research in cognitive science on how girls learn best, what contributes to their success, and how to mitigate forces that work against their future.
• Provide a supportive environment in which girls are emboldened to question, challenge, and disrupt the societal pressures, including social media, that can target young women.
• Continue to design courses, programming, spaces, and opportunities that are dedicated to providing girls with leadership in real-world experiences.

Faculty and Staff

Recognize that the faculty and staff are the bedrock of the St. Catherine’s academic experience and give them the tools to put talent and knowledge to work to advance learning and discovery for students while achieving personal and professional fulfillment.

Selected Strategies 

• Examine the traditional workplace model to cultivate a healthier school culture necessary to engage dedicated, high-performing employees.
• Ensure that we offer an attractive compensation package and compelling messaging that enables us to attract and retain excellent teachers and staff with diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
• Provide engaging opportunities for faculty and staff professional development, especially focused on the learning needs of today’s students.
• Create time and space for faculty collaboration and sharing of ideas on curriculum and pedagogy.
• Provide additional space and opportunity for faculty and staff to have a voice that helps shape our learning community.