School Leadership

I would say a key value at Montcrest School is that individualized approach to learning. So acknowledging that children learn in different ways and then providing alternate ways of teaching in order to solidify those concepts, that's a key one for us. The community and leadership portion, I do believe, is a strong value as well. I talked a little bit about some of the leadership opportunities that Abby has had a chance to participate in, and it really spans through even from some of the earlier grades. There are opportunities for some of the older students to have a reading buddy in a younger grade. I think the Grade 5s and Grade 2s are paired together. There's lots of house spirit activities. So again, a chance for kids across the school to come together and participate in activities. So that sense of community and leadership, I think, is key. And then the nurturing part that I talked about before; looking at the child as a whole, both the academic and the emotional side of being at school.

There's definitely an open-door policy in terms of reaching out to the head of school or head of teaching and learning. So they're very welcoming and open to having that dialogue with parents.

I would want students to know that they are really cared for and that they matter at the school—the school is still open to new ideas and this is a place where they can be themselves.

We're all family. And I think you'll find that as soon as the first week of school. You'll feel it, I promise you, you feel it. And I saw from the very beginning that the Montcrest Parent Association really does help the school build that nurturing community. But I think you might actually be quite surprised as you progress through the first month of your child's year at school. There's no other school with a Head of School that sits on top of a dunk machine and lets the kids throw balls at her in like five-degree weather. That's just family, right? That's what you do. You do things for family.

One word to describe Montcrest: I say ‘dedicated.’ Montcrest  has always been so dedicated to the students, families, and even the community. They're always finding ways to better the school, and be available for the community that they serve, and striving for excellence.

The values and goals at Montcrest definitely align. I feel that the families that we have had a chance to meet and become friends with definitely share those values. It's hard to describe what a typical family is like because there's so many different dynamics that are represented, which I really enjoy, because it's truly representative of what communities and our culture is like.

If I could think of one thing to improve on, I think I'd like to see more diversity in the school. I think that's part of the nature of independent schools, however. The students, the faculty, and the parents certainly have been indicating that they also see that and want to see change. So there's an organic growth of that movement. I'm part of a committee right now that's working on improving that in the school. The school is really working on changing that in a substantive way. And I can see that both from the staff, from the faculty, and from the kids, which is really interesting. And so part of Montcrest valuing what their kids want and what their kids say is also appreciating that the kids want more and want to understand more and want to learn more about the world. They're doing really hard work and really good work in ensuring that that's happening.

What Montcrest delivered to us was a feeling when we walked into the school, and we talked to Michael and his team and we talked to people, it was the feel. It was also the facilities. It was the athletics that made us choose Montcrest too because Cody loves sports so much.

I feel what differentiates the school from others are the clubs and the opportunities that are given through them. There are so many extracurriculars and clubs at Montcrest. I joined the Montcrest Singers. They opened up a whole pathway to my interests and talents. They also helped me develop so many skills. In Grade 8, I was the Assembly Captain. That's where I would speak with a microphone to the whole entire school and give weekly updates like what's going on. And so I found that that definitely helped me develop leadership skills, public speaking skills, and so many skills I use to this day.