This post was contributed by Danielle Kinnamont.
As a child, a Catholic school education was all I knew, attending Catholic school from the ages of 3-23. I grew up surrounded by religious sisters and priests, knowing that First Friday meant Mass and Lent meant lots of grilled cheese and pizza in the cafeteria. However, there were certain aspects of Catholic school that I did not appreciate until I reached my 20s; the idea of starting each day with a prayer, showing respect for your elders, being part of a family and an equal focus on strong academics and character development.
As I graduated college and began my first job “in the real world,” the thoughts of what I wanted for my future children entered my mind.
I really appreciated the sacrifices my mother had made to send my sister and I to Catholic school, especially when it involved volunteering and an extra job to help pay for our tuition.
It was clear that I wanted to do the same for my future children. In 2003 I remember saying to my future husband, “My children will be baptized in the Catholic Church and they will go to Catholic school. So if you want your children to be my children, those are my non-negotiables.” Though it was quite brash and hasty to discuss such things, in hindsight it seems clear that I wanted to make sure the man I was so rapidly falling for shared the same values and ideals that I did.
Fast forward to 2010, and we were discerning where was the best school to send our then four year old son Anthony. I toured a couple of local Catholic schools, but I just didn’t get that warm, fuzzy, familiar feeling I was anticipating. As a child, attending Catholic school was never a sign of a higher status or being part of an elite group. It was quite the opposite. It was learning to serve, to be generous with your time and talents, and sharing God’s love with everyone you encountered. I decided to keep looking, much as I had when I was searching for a local church, until I found the “right fit.” In February 2011, I toured Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg, MD.
I loved how friendly everyone was, how happy the students seemed and how very familiar and heartwarming everything was. After my tour, I met with the principal and had an opportunity to ask her questions about curriculum. My son was quite advanced, and I wanted to make sure that opting for a small Catholic school did not mean he would end up lagging behind compared to the larger, more heavily funded public schools. I was very satisfied to hear about the challenging curriculum. Her statement at the end of our meeting was confirmation that we were right where we belonged. She handed me a medal of Mother Seton, and said, “Pray to her. She was a mother. She understands what a difficult decision this is for you to make.”
I have not for a moment regretted our decision. My older two children are absolutely thriving in a nurturing environment where they are not only excelling academically, but are also growing to become great, faith-filled, compassionate people.
