This is a long one. I want to make sure that I am thorough and fair.
Starting my daughter as a freshman at Paraclete during a Pandemic was challenging. Before the pandemic, Paraclete treated us fairly and without issue. I do have to say that the classes may need to be a little more challenging, not with the quantity of work, but in the challenging my daughter. Again, this is said having started the school during the pandemic. Students were asked to be more responsible for their learning and pay attention while at home when home was the respite from school. Couple that with the fatigue of sitting without the interactions with other students definitely mitigates my comments about the challenging nature of the school.
Communication
Communication with me has been great and I have been able to get all the information I needed whenever I asked. Excellent communication from the school. They currently send out a newsletter with lots of information on what's happening at the school and with the students overall. The administration has been nothing but absolutely kind and cordial and is forthcoming with answers to my questions. They have treated my daughter with respect and try to ensure that they meet her needs.
Teachers
I think that the teachers are great and attentive to the students.
At the behest of my daughter, she wanted me to say that one of the teachers there tends to be a little insensitive about his comments. This was especially noted when in a recent comment on an event that affected the whole student population. I hope that he is trying to challenge the students to think more critically, but it's not coming across that way. I will not doubt my daughter's assessment of the matter, though. She has a pretty thick skin and so if she's offended, then there is something there. Perhaps if the gentleman would study a bit more about social norms and practices with the younger generation (especially this one which is more in tune with each other), it may lead to better relationships with the students. Some teachers are set in their ways, but for the most part, neither my daughter (except the aforementioned teacher) nor myself or my wife have experienced any negative interactions. All interactions with me and my wife have been positive and pleasant. For the most part, the same is true for my daughter.
Sports
My daughter is involved with Volleyball and Basketball. The Basketball coach is fair and I feel that my daughter is learning a lot from the coach and the coach's assistants as well as her teammates. She always comes home with a smile when she talks about her practice and what she did that day. She is also excited that she is able to practice Volleyball with the higher-level players. Even though this participation may be due to the pandemic, my daughter is relishing being with the older girls and being challenged and learning from them.
Campus
I've visited the campus a few times and it's always neat and clean and is secure from the public, as all schools are and should be. Buildings are clean and classrooms are equipped.
Overall, 4 stars. The school excels at is having smaller class sizes and more attention to each student. She's safe with teachers that care for her, but I think that the academics could be a little more challenging. I don't begrudge them the difficulties in what had to be done to teach students at home, so take my opinion knowing that I have not seen the school in action when fully opened, except when we were touring the school before the pandemic. At that time, it looked like they knew what they were doing and had everything under control. read more