We are proud to share this guest post by Rose Parham, who is raising two girls who are students at the Keystone School, offering her parent perspective about how the school challenges and nourishes students.
Our girls are Katelyn (age 9) and Madelyn (age 7). They love school and are active in sports. Both girls attend the Keystone School, a private school in San Antonio.
What do I like about Keystone? The kindness and thoughtfulness of the community, and the nurturing environment from the teachers, faculty, and staff. My children are challenged academically and excited to go to school.
Keystone Challenges and Nourishes Students
Keystone embodies hard work, high expectations, and joyful learning. The culture at Keystone challenges and nourishes students; that combination brings out the best in each child. Keystone wants their students to be good people, and they apply what they learn in the classroom to the greater world.
What makes Keystone unique is that the teachers guide students in their passions outside of school—in local, regional, national, and international concerns. A few weeks ago at the San Antonio Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student Visionaries Dinner, three upperclassmen at Keystone were recognized for their advocacy on behalf of patients and families. Two of them were leaders of a team that won the Research Award and were runners-up for Student Visionaries of the Year, having raised $73,687 in seven weeks. Another Keystone student led a team that raised over $50,000 and won the Advocacy Award.
Keystone Students Develop Leadership Skills
One of the ways that Keystone demonstrates innovation and flexibility is through the leadership class that students take in fourth grade. In that class, parents representing a variety of fields make presentations to the students. There were talks on how to make companies successful, how to create and build a business, how to create a life to service others, and so on. Parents play a vital role in supporting the Keystone community.
The faculty at Keystone are remarkable. Forty-one percent of faculty hold advanced degrees, and they average 20 years of professional experience in education. The accelerated curriculum begins in kindergarten, where teachers nurture their natural inquisitiveness. That continues through the Lower and Middle School. In Upper School, students are taught how to frame questions, find answers and think broadly.
School Traditions at Keystone
Keystone has many traditions, and one of the biggest is Valentine’s Day. There are classroom and grade-level parties. Also, juniors distribute gifts such as candies, balloons, stuffed animals and flowers to raise money for the Junior Prom and for a nonprofit organization that the juniors chose.
Another tradition at Keystone is that the sixth graders read out loud to Little School students.
School Search Advice
We learned about Keystone by searching online after we moved from Dallas to the San Antonio area. We were looking for a school with good academics; once I visited the campus and met the students, I decided on Keystone. I was impressed with their leadership and the kindness of the Upper School students.
My advice for families who are doing their own school searches is to visit the campus and meet the students.
School choice is important because every family and child is different. You want to find a community that is the right fit for your child. You want your child to thrive and look forward to going to school. We found that for our girls at Keystone School.
Charter Moms Chats
Watch Rose Parham, who is raising two girls who are students at the Keystone School, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on April 26, 2023 at 1:00 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.
Rose Parham is a self-taught baker at The Kneaded Cupboard LLC, specializing in cakes for special occasions and weddings. She has a Pharm. D. from Texas Tech University. She is raising Katelyn, age 9, and Madelyn, age 7, who are students at the Keystone School.
Andrea Banks is the Director of Enrollment Management at the Keystone School.
Read More About Private School Options
- “Guide to Enrolling in Catholic Schools in San Antonio for 2023–24,” San Antonio Charter Moms, January 31, 2023
- “Tips from Fusion Academy About Things You Can Do with Your Teen this Summer,” Haley Segovia, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 31, 2022
- “Jennifer Semanko Shares Her Pre-K Teacher Tales from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Jennifer Semanko, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 23, 2022
- “Incarnate Word Virtual High School Offers Catholic Online School for Girls,” Anne Schaefer-Salinas, San Antonio Charter Moms, August 18, 2021
- “Catholic Preschools in San Antonio,” San Antonio Charter Moms, June 16, 2021
- “Choosing Online Private Schools,” San Antonio Charter Moms, May 13, 2021
- “St. Anthony Catholic School: A Fresh Look at Catholic Education,” Patricia L. Ramirez, San Antonio Charter Moms, March 30, 2021
Read More About Parent Perspectives
- “Megan Garcia Shares a Parent Perspective from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Megan Garcia, San Antonio Charter Moms, February 14, 2023
- “Anna Koalenz Searched to Find the Right School for Her Son,” San Antonio Charter Moms, September 8, 2022
- “Erin Stinson Offers a Parent Perspective from Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran School,” Erin Stinson, San Antonio Charter Moms, February 23, 2022
- “Bonnie Salas Is a Parent and Leader at Brooks Academy of Science and Engineering,” Bonnie Salas, San Antonio Charter Moms, January 26, 2022
- “A Mother’s Angst: Kathleen Gomez Exercised School Choice in the Age of COVID,” Kathleen Gomez, San Antonio Charter Moms, May 27, 2021
- “Parent Perspectives: How Lety Gómez Became a Parent Leader,” Lety Gómez, San Antonio Charter Moms, May 18, 2021
- “Stephanie Adams Shares Her School Search Experience,” Stephanie Adams, San Antonio Charter Moms, May 2, 2021
