Words of Appreciation
Connie and Joel Bartlett
I would like to take a moment to give you a quick update on Emme. She finishes her first semester at Mater Dei HS with a 4.4 GPA while taking a full load of Honor classes in English, Biology, Geometry, and French. She also participates in Academic Decathlon and was selected to represent Mater Dei in the competition team. She manages to continue club swimming and made her first appearance at the winter Junior Olympic competition this past month. As we are getting ready for the second semester, I sigh in relief while reflecting on her academic journey.
I am thankful for your leadership and the curriculum you set up that gave Emme a solid academic learning; for teachers in the French department who enhanced Emme’s natural affinity for language; for the teacher in the math department who nurtured and encouraged Emme to perform at her best in her most challenging subject; for the teachers in the English department who recognized Emme’s gift for writing and motivated her to pursue her passion and never settle for less; for the teachers in Science who stimulated Emme’s curiosity and fostered the love for exploration of the unknown; and all the other teachers who shared with Emme their wisdom and embraced her with their kindness. Without all of you, Emme would not have the foundation necessary to succeed in high school. She carries the Carden Hall work habits and discipline which allow her to juggle multiple subjects and extracurricular activities well. More importantly, she still talks about what she learned from Mr. Jones during the weekly assembly. It is not easy to find an institution that has high academic standards and character development under one roof.
A friend chided me one day and asked if my private school tuition investment was worth the price. I said without hesitation “absolutely, and in retrospect, I would have been happy to pay more”. The return on my investment is a healthy, happy, well-adjusted teenager with an insatiable appetite for learning and a generous, kind, loving daughter who “enter(ed) to learn” and now is ready to “go forth to serve”.
Read More
Cassie Piasecki
I am writing this letter to you today after returning from Paisley’s Parents Weekend at Santa Catalina School. I want to share with you what her teachers said because I feel it is such a wonderful testimonial for Carden Hall.
We spoke to three of her teachers, French 2, Geometry, and English. Her Geometry teacher told us that Paisley was VERY well prepared for Geometry and that her Algebra 1 skills were high compared to the majority of the other students. All of her teachers praised her for being such a great student. What really stood out to us were the adjectives that kept being repeated by each of them: well organized, excellent penmanship, deliberate, helpful, responsible, self–motivated, courteous, and the list went on. Now, we weren’t surprised, but after hearing key words over and over, it was like hearing Mr. Jones at a morning assembly. These were all of the characteristics instilled in her at Carden Hall.
Thank you for all of the wonderful skills and values that you taught my daughter. Carden Hall will always hold a special place in our hearts!
Carol and Jim Spowart
You may have our wonderful news! Skylar received word from a Trustee at Thacher that she has been accepted. She shined at her three interviews, and I contribute so much of it to her last nine years at Carden Hall. She had a total SSAT score of 97%, which is 7% higher than the median at Thacher, which has only a 20% acceptance rate. Her essays were touching and grammatically perfect. The entire Carden Hall team was nothing but supportive throughout the admission process.
Thank you so much for everything over the last fourteen years. We have referred many families to Carden Hall during that time. We have happy, kind, intelligent children who understand that they are fortunate and appreciate the lives that they live.
Rebecca Proffitt
Thank you for preparing our daughters for the world they’re entering. Both completed the U.C. school system in 3 years. The basics and good study habits taught by you and your staff prepared them to achieve high standards.
Roger and Laura Green
We are grateful for the education our three daughters received at Carden Hall, not only because of the excellence in the overall curriculum, the exceptional teaching methods and the foundation of knowledge obtained, but also because of the more intangible benefits of the Carden philosophy which seems to instill a passion for learning and a desire to excel, which lingers for a lifetime.
