AROUND SCHOOL
The South Family:
WHY WE ARE A HOLY CHILD FAMILY For Lauren and Pat South, finding Holy Child School at Rosemont seemed like fate. “We ran into four families in one week who all brought up Holy Child,” said Lauren. Raised outside of Pittsburgh, the Souths were not familiar with the Main Line private school landscape and were looking for a place to send their daughter Meg for Kindergarten. “The person who most swayed me had older children,” added Lauren. “This mother was an interior designer and shared, ‘I’ve gone to a lot of schools, I know a lot of people, and I’ve never heard one person say a negative comment about that school.’” She insisted that Lauren and Pat look at Holy Child. The rest is history. Now with daughters Meg and Julia in grades 7 and 4, the Souths are a veteran Holy Child family and are deeply involved in the community. Lauren, who is co-owner of Barton South Communications (a marketing and branding firm), is a past Parents’ Auxiliary President, former Holy Child Shops Chair, and was instrumental in helping us navigate our Holy Child School at Rosemont rebranding in 2015. Pat, who is managing director and co-founder of SRS Capital Advisors, serves on our Investments Committee and has coached our Lower School girls’ basketball for six years. The Souths appreciate how Holy Child offers opportunities for the varying interests of children. “Meg loves math. She went into school thinking she wasn’t great at math, and in seventh grade it’s one of her favorite classes,” said Lauren. Julia, who is in fourth grade, never misses an opportunity to join the variety of extracurriculars that the education here affords. “There are so many things about school that Julia loves.” explained Lauren. “She’s the first one to say, ‘Sign me up!’ She loves her academics, but she certainly loves the wealth of activities that are available here.”
kids are thriving. “ Our You can’t argue with that because that’s all any parent wants for their children.
”
The Souths are happy with how well the girls are doing and how they can find their niche at school. “I love at Holy Child that children don’t have to be sporty, or social, or nerdy, or any of that. They can be a little of all of it. And it’s OK. It’s actually celebrated,” shared Lauren. As Meg approaches the end of her seventh grade year, the Souths are also able to see some of the outcomes of her education. These Holy Child outcomes do not come as a surprise to the Souths.
18
CACHET | Spring 2020 | Holy Child School at Rosemont
“We heard all about the strong Holy Child culture of friendship and respect, and how well prepared all of the graduates were for the future,” said Pat. “The number one striking characteristic that comes out of Holy Child is a level of confidence that I don’t see all the time in other kids of their same ages,” said Lauren. She values how the students communicate with adults at ease, are articulate, and take risks in their learning.
Lauren views Holy Child’s urge to try without fear of failure as a hallmark of a Holy Child education and hopes that her daughters take this mindset with them after graduation. “I want them to continue to be courageous and take risks, and I feel that Holy Child does a really great job at preparing them to take smart risks.” Pat added, “We value the fact that our daughters have/are growing up with an amazing combination of self-confidence, joy, and respect for others, all of which comes from the strong culture at the school. The school has really delivered on what they promised.” Lauren has now become one of the parents whom she met 10 years ago on her school search, encouraging prospective parents to explore the Holy Child community. “I always say, ‘You must look at this school. It is so warm and welcoming and your kids will thrive.’” Added Lauren, “Our kids are thriving. You can’t argue with that because that’s all any parent wants for their children.” D