Message from the Head of School

Archived Letters
January, 2005
March, 2005
September, 2005
August, 2006
December 2006

Books by K. Bohlin

Teaching Character Education Through Literature (London: Routledge, 2005)
Citizenship and Higher Education (London: Routledge, 2005)
Building Character in Schools (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999)
Building Character in Schools Resource Guide (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001)

March 21, 2005

Dear Montrose Parents,

Happy Spring! I enjoyed seeing so many of you at our musical Narnia. The cast, crew, and production staff gave 110% and three magical performances. Many thanks to all of our parent volunteers who assisted with set construction, costuming, orchestra, make-up, box office, flower sales, meals for the cast and countless other details. Our Family Workday was also a great success—we are grateful to all of you who have helped to keep our building in shape.

Twenty-fifth Anniversary
Our March 8th Twenty-fifth Anniversary Mass offered eloquent testimony to the significance of the Montrose mission. Fr. Brian Kiely’s homily on educational formation reminded all of us of the importance of parents, educators, God’s grace, and free will in each student’s growth as a daughter of God. I tried to secure a copy of his remarks to pass along to you, but I learned that he had only outlined them and spoke from the heart. I am afraid my paraphrasing will not do justice to his inspired words. Nevertheless, what follows are some points that gave me pause: He helped us to see our children—as well as ourselves—as works in progress, not unlike Michelangelo’s great slabs of marble from which he conceived the David and the Pieta. As educators and artists, we have a special obligation to cultivate our own souls, cutting away the rough edges, polishing our strengths and achieving contour by striving to walk in virtue and in holiness.

At Montrose we know that no one is perfect, and that our mistakes and shortcomings provide us with opportunities to grow and acquire perspective. We take confidence in the fact that God is the principal sculptor and that He invites us to work together with Him. We need God, His grace, love and mercy. We need each other. We also need self-knowledge, competence and determination. As we help your daughters to make their journey of faith, to strengthen their character, and to broaden their vision, we are keenly aware of the need we all have to keep growing and learning.

Parent and Faculty Enrichment
We encourage our faculty and parents to take advantage of the opportunities Montrose School provides for spiritual, intellectual and cultural growth. Please visit our online calendar for upcoming events and programs for parents. The next time you come to the school, drop by our Parent Resource Library in the Conference Room. In addition to our books on reserve, we have copies of good articles that you may want to take home with you.

We are grateful for your participation in our parent-advisor meetings. These are important venues for collaboration in your daughter’s education. If you have not met with your daughter’s advisor yet, please call the school for an appointment.

Our IT director, Jane Morgan, has been conducting a series of classes in instructional technology for our faculty. Katie Elrod and Mary Jane Sylvester led an in-service seminar on the new SAT for all faculty, and several teachers have attended professional conferences in their respective fields. We have tremendous opportunities ahead to enrich curriculum and instruction at Montrose School, and we will make this a central part of our focus next year.

Montrosian Pride
The third and fourth quarters at Montrose are both exciting and arduous for your daughters. Their effort and intellectual stretch will be rewarded with new learning and a sense of accomplishment. We are proud of our dedicated Seniors, whose college acceptances to date include: Boston College, Catholic University, Colby Saywer, Northeastern University, Providence College, University of Rochester, Rutgers, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Rhodes College, Gettysburg College, St. Michael’s College, University of Hartford, University of Dallas and Villanova. Several of these acceptances have been accompanied by generous scholarships and invitations to the honors program

The Juniors and Seniors will soon begin their Italian program: “Cibo per la Mente.” Food for Thought: Four Presentations to Prepare You for Your Tuscan Voyage, offers a series of evening seminars opening with a faculty lecture and followed by shorter student presentations. I have included a copy of this exciting program as well as a letter outlining some of the fundraising efforts for our In the Footsteps of Dante study abroad program. The Sophomores are currently enjoying a visit to Washington DC for their traditional American History tour of our nation’s capital. They are making presentations and leading tours of sites they have researched. Our Freshmen have just returned from their retreat energized and eager to take on greater leadership responsibility. The Middle School demonstrated an unprecedented level of creativity for this year’s celebration of Spirit Week and is now gearing up for Career Day and the Science Fair.

Members of our high school chorus participated in a Festival for Women’s Choirs at Smith College recently, and the entire chorus provided magnificent music for our Anniversary Mass. The Montrose Speech Team continues to excel and place in every event. We wish them all the best in their upcoming State Competition. Last week Kelly Smith ’05, Laura Smith ‘07 and the Sullivan School of Irish Step Dance provided us with a spirited St. Patrick’s Day assembly. Inspired by the performance, fellow Montrose students practiced Irish Step Dance at the Riverbend Nursing Home offering holiday entertainment to the residents.

On the Move to Medfield
On Monday April 11th, we will begin our school day in Natick and then travel by school bus to Medfield. Students will attend classes at the new site, have a pizza lunch, and enjoy a presentation from Mr. Arnold Tofias, former owner, on the history of the site. We will provide more details on the schedule when we return from Easter break.

Thank you for your generous support of our Auction, “Deep in the Heart of Montrose”. Saturday, April 2nd promises to be an enjoyable evening for everyone. We have another important night ahead of us on Monday, April 11th, when we will meet in Medfield at 7:00PM to discuss our plans for the new campus.

The energy of springtime is certainly tangible at Montrose. As the crocuses begin to push their heads through the melting snow, and the lacrosse team prays that the fields dry up, we wish all of our families an Easter Season filled with joy and new hope.

Warm regards,
Karen E. Bohlin