Letter from the Head of School

Welcome and thank you for your interest in Katy Classical Academy! 

My name is Shelley Mills, and I have had the privilege of serving the KCA community for the last 10 years as founder, board member, and Head of School.  As you scroll through our website, I hope that you begin to sense the uniqueness of KCA and of our approach to classical Christian education.  

The program that we have built at KCA has its origins, at least for me, back in 2003 when my husband and I made the decision to pull our eldest son out of public school and begin to homeschool him.  That first year was incredibly difficult.  Not only was I inexperienced in teaching all that a 5th grader needs, but also we had no community, no friends, no one to join us in this endeavor.  At the end of that school year, we looked back at what we had accomplished: practically nothing.  It was a lonely, boring, disheartening year.  Furthermore, our next daughter was due to begin 1st grade the following year.  We really did not know if it would be possible to educate them both from home.  

It was then that in the Lord’s providence we stumbled onto a homeschool co-op; a group of like-minded families who pooled resources to teach their children, share their expertise and concerns, learn from one another, and grow together in community.  

With this support structure in place, actually educating our children at home became possible.  However, these early co-ops were informal and had no curriculum for education, and thus over the next years I became convinced that a more rigorous plan was needed for the longterm success of this model.  After much prayer, education for myself, several cross-country moves, and co-op iterations later, KCA began in 2011.

From the very beginning of KCA, we have believed in the idea that, with some support and community, parents can be the primary educators of their children.  We offer strong, Biblically-integrated curriculum and intensive language education, all taught within the classical disciplines of art, history, logic, rhetoric, and apologetics all in service to this idea.

KCA has grown and changed over the years, but there are a few other core principles that we have held from the beginning that ring true to us even now.

1)  We want to be a community of learning.  KCA began with 7 students and 7 moms sitting around a living room discussing literature.  We all wanted to have our children study within a community, where they were challenged by their parents, by other teachers, and by their peers.  These original KCA families began a journey, an endeavor where we were very intentional about creating a community of like-minded people.  A learning community is a bit more than a school.  We are aiming to be a place where families help each other to educate and train their kids, where relationship-building is encouraged, where deeper learning is cooperative and where we build more than just knowledge –  we build community and relationships.  

2)  We believe that learning extends far beyond the classroom.  We have tried to create learning experiences and environments for students and families that help make them into lifelong seekers of truth and knowledge.  Egyptian Day on campus, Greek Field Day, Teddy Roosevelt Museum, Sock Hop, Worship band, Anne of Green Gables Day, and Science Fair are just a few examples of experiences designed to engage students outside of the formal classroom setting.  We want students to flourish in learning through discussion, projects, dissections, experiments, debate, food, and other kinesthetic class experiences (including live animals in science class!) that make learning more memorable and enjoyable.

3) We are firmly committed to a classical curriculum taught by passionate educators, taught in a way that develops our students’ intellectual abilities.  If a teacher is passionate about their subject, then the student will follow that pattern.  Our goal is to put those most passionate about a certain subject in front of your student.  We have a whole page here on the website detailing what we mean by “classical curriculum.”  I would encourage you to check it out and learn more.

4)  We believe in student empowerment and intentional engagement at KCA.  In our second year, a group of students approached the administrative staff about forming a prom committee, and from this committee was born the idea of student leadership, which has grown every year.  We want to intentionally value a variety of opportunities, both curricular and co-curricular, for the development of each KCA student.  The classroom, campus activities, social gatherings, the fine arts integration, and community service are all part of the experience of learning for KCA students.  KCA exists to empower students to pursue areas they are passionate about, and to grow in those passions with proper instruction and teaching.

We hope you will consider a KCA education. If you would like to learn more about the school, its curriculum, and special programs, please contact us to talk further about KCA, or to schedule an interview.

We look forward to meeting your family.

Sincerely,

Shelley Mills

Head of School