Our children have attended Catholic school since pre-school, and they have thrived in that environment. When we decided to move to Houston, my wife and I agreed that we would continue Catholic education for our children. Our requirements for the schools they attend are: teaching of our faith, quality of the faculty, academic excellence, and extra-curricular programs. After months of research and visiting many of the private schools in the area, St. Theresa Catholic School (STCS) stands out at the top of every category.

We have found that STCS has highly qualified teachers; many of them have obtained Masters/PhD degrees with years of teaching experience. The school also has a high academic level, not only in English, Math and Science, but in other subjects, i.e. Latin, Art and Music. The student to teacher ratio is under many schools we have visited, which allows teachers to be more attentive to the students’ needs. Last but not least, the school has numerous after school programs to choose from such as Choir, Piano, Violin, Soccer, and Basketball.

Now that my children have attended the school, I’m very glad to say this decision was one the best decisions we’ve made. The school promotes active learning and critical thinking that cultivates a collaborative learning environment with a rigorous academic curriculum.

The STCS faculty are very dedicated and genuinely care about the students. Each teacher sends home a weekly bulletin to communicate with the parents on current and upcoming classwork. They stay after school to assist with tutoring and are extremely responsive when we have any questions or concerns.

The religious education in the school is also outstanding and is manifest in the children’s behavior, manners, and the respect shown for everyone. While the academic program is highly rigorous and requires a tremendous amount of discipline, the school also has an exceptional emphasis on Art, Language, and Music. The rigorous curriculum and the thought-provoking homework demands full effort from both the students and the parents, and the results are positively rewarding. Our children are enthusiastic to go to school every day and eager to come home to tell us all about what they’ve learned.

We believe St. Theresa Catholic School provides our children the best education we can obtain. The school is instilling in the children the values of discipline, hard work, and a love for knowledge. These qualities are priceless as they grow up to become valuable contributors to our society.

Selecting St. Theresa Catholic School (STCS) wasn’t an easy choice. We had initially tried the public school route for kindergarten. Within the first week of school, we heard Felecia using words like “fart” and “burp,” very mild words compared to the language used by contemporary youth (and some of the older folks as well). We realized that those words were going to be a stepping stone to more offensive words, and we didn’t want that for her. We also noticed that she was starting to talk back to us as well.

After our job situation stabilized, we took the fastest route we could to get her out of that school and into a school with values that matched our own. Since we had gotten married at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church and had the children’s choir sing at our wedding, we applied to get her into the school. In the middle of the first semester, STCS welcomed Felecia and we noticed the bad habits she had picked up were changing. She’s more respectful now and actually asks to help around the house.

On another note, while in public school she was also going to CCE classes at our parish, St. Laurence. After she began attending STCS, her CCE teacher was so impressed that she actually asked Felecia to help her teach some of the class. How remarkable! She’s even taught us a few things about religion, and we were raised Roman Catholics!

She’s remarkable. I’ll catch her singing various hymns from church in both English and Latin. And I won’t even ask her! She loves music, whether it be singing or dancing. She’s learning solid values and that’s why we’re sending Felecia here. And she might teach us a little bit more along the way too.

Sending our children to Catholic school was something my wife and I decided before we even began having children. The decision was rather easy: my wife made it for us. Being raised outside of the Catholic Church my foundation in faith wasn’t as strong as hers. After meeting my wife, I began attending church with her and her family every Sunday. It was apparent that her faith was a present and steady part of her life. Before we were married we took marriage preparation classes in Irving, TX where I pledged we would raise our children Catholic. After marriage we moved to Sugar Land in 2002 and shortly after began attending St. Theresa. After the birth of our first child, Father Reynolds sent out a parish-wide survey inquiring about what types of services we would most like to have in the parish. One of the options provided was to have a school, which my wife and I listed as our number one choice. Based on the large number of young families in our parish, we weren’t surprised when the results of the survey came back and it was decided that there would be a school.

It happened to work out perfectly that the school would open the very year our eldest daughter was ready to start kindergarten. Even though there was just a shell of a building and a curriculum with no track record, we had faith in the vision of Father Reynolds. In meeting with the principal at the time, we began the application process and left the interview excited due to his tremendous knowledge of his faith, his philosophy on education, and his indecipherable vocabulary. He spoke of the kinds of characteristics he wanted to see in the teachers he was hiring and the feeling of pride and ownership he wanted the children to have in their school and their education. It was clear in the way he spoke of the school that he had a plan in place to ensure that our children would attend what would become a highly regarded school. We were confident we were making the right decision.

As the first day of school rolled around I was nervous for my daughter. Would she be as well-behaved as the other students? Would they all be little saints? Would she know as much about the Church as the others do? Had I let her down by not instilling in her the required knowledge of faith that she would need to thrive in a Catholic school? After all, although I had attended mass for eight years, I didn’t feel like I knew the church well enough to teach her. My fears, however, were all put to rest the first week. She talked about how much she loved her teachers and all the friends she had. Then she began telling us about everything she was learning each day, the prayers, the vessels used on the altar, the liturgical calendar. It was so inspiring. I began the RCIA process shortly after and hope to be baptized and brought into full communion with the Catholic Church.

This year my daughter is in the first grade and my second daughter started kindergarten. The new building is amazing. My children astound me with all they are learning. They have incredible faith and love retelling the bible stories they hear each day, or reminding me of one of the ten commandments any time they don’t like something I’ve done or said. They recite poems, read effortlessly, and desire to understand everything. My chest fills with pride when they sing aloud in perfect pitch the Latin prayers when we are at Mass. I notice that the people around us glance over their shoulders to see who it is singing. I sing loudly along with them.

Our school has changed our life and we are so grateful to have the teachers and administrators to help us mold our children into the people we want them to be. My wife and I are blessed not only by what St. Theresa Catholic School has taught and inspired our children to become, but also in what the school has taught and inspired in us.

We are one of St. Theresa Catholic School’s (STCS) newer families, transferring our two daughters at the start of the third and fourth grades. Having not been at STCS since the start of our children’s academic careers, STCS is not all we know. Neither were we parishioners of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church.

We live walking distance to some of Fort Bend’s newest and best public schools, and both of our children are qualified for FBISD’s GT programs. However we chose to forego public school for a more intimate Christian education, and our girls initially attended a small, private parochial school early in their lives. Yet, after fully evaluating each private school in the Sugar Land area, we still decided to commit to driving across town to bring our children to this school each day. Why? Because it is that important, and it is that worthwhile.

What would make someone do that you may ask? The reason is the teachers.

The moment you meet them, you recognize them as different. They possess an energy: a love of children, of learning, of God. Go to an open house and after speaking with them not only will you demand your children attend the school, you will want to attend the school too!

But it is not just their energy and love and motivation. It is their unique quality. Which other school has a college-level professor speaking Latin to second graders? Learning Latin can be overwhelming, but to our surprise it is one of our children’s favorite subjects. As is the arts program directed by an exceptional, full-time, accomplished artist from Spain. These are just two examples from among all of the outstanding educators at STCS.

Furthermore, they are not just good teachers, they are good people and they are good Catholics. They are role models who live their faith and help to set an example for our children, who, though our responsibility to raise, spend more than one-half their waking hours at school. The teachers at STCS care about, respect and inspire the children. And it matters; it rubs off on them. It’s been only a very short time and we have already noticed positive changes in our daughters.

None of this happens by accident though. It takes vision and planning. So credit must be attributed to the parishioners of St. Theresa Church who, under the guidance of Father Reynolds, so generously brought about and support the school. And no better a decision did they make than to enlist the Principal at the time, Jonathan Beeson. The classical education he designed is not only rigorous but as outstanding as the teachers he selects for STCS.

So we are confident enrolling at STCS was the best decision for our children, because they are outstanding too.

Family is the most important worldly institute. When our daughter was born, we were resigned to the fact that she would go to a public school. We didn’t even consider a private school as we never imagined it was possible for our family. We so accepted this fact that we purchased a home in Katy that shared a road with an exemplary public elementary school. In our minds it was set up perfectly for us. Little did we know, God had different plans.

I did not grow up Catholic; in fact, during a very difficult time in my life, I was baptized Catholic and joined the St. Theresa family. The amazing people in this Church accepted me without hesitation, and this began the growth of a major bond with St. Theresa Catholic Church. I do not use the word “family” lightly. I would most likely be very lost without the amazing people of this Church. During this time, Father Reynolds and Deacon Frank Cromer played a significant role; they were by our side praying with us and there to provide comfort.

After some time had passed, life brought me to Katy–seemingly far from my Church family. I took this time to “test drive” the churches here. They are wonderful in their own ways, but they did not have the warmth and love that I experienced during my days at St. Theresa’s.

As I mentioned before, I was baptized later in life, and my Godmother has been a major influence on my life. As my daughter was approaching the age to start kindergarten, she mentioned to me that St. Theresa had started a school. Selfishness made this decision difficult. We share our street with an amazing and large exemplary elementary school, however, I knew that if Father Reynolds was going to start a school, it was going to be the absolute best opportunity for any child. Not only would my baby girl receive the best education available, but she would enjoy endless opportunities each day to grow in her faith with her education.

Furthermore, I did a little research on the public schools. I read endless articles of children being chastised for their drawings of Jesus or for saying grace before lunch. I quickly realized that if God is not welcomed in a school, then neither is my child. All of a sudden, the sacrifice of driving 30 minutes one way each day seemed small in comparison to the relationship she would build with Christ at a Catholic School.

St. Theresa’s Catholic School (STCS) was obviously attractive to me. I promptly renewed our family as parishioners with St. Theresa’s and began to learn more about our school. We were impressed by what we found. My favorite aspect of the school is that it is still quite small. The parents of STCS proved to be just like the rest of the parishioners: welcoming and warm. As we attended the events sponsored by the school, we instantly felt like family. Not only is my child afforded the amazing opportunity to build a lasting relationship with Christ and receive an all-star education, but we have made amazing new friends as well. My kindergartener knows just about everyone in the school, and she loves getting up each morning despite our commute to see everyone. More importantly though, she is a part of a growing school; this unique feature is amazing for children. Furthermore, our child has blossomed into such a polite young lady. As we meet strangers and old friends, she blows them away with her intelligence and politeness, all fostered and grown by STCS.

We strongly encourage any parent to look into enrolling their children into STCS. It will most definitely prove to be the absolute best experience in your children’s life as well as your own.