Treasures are found, sometimes, in the most unlikely of places. Such is the case with the Montefalco School.
Founded in 1958 in Morelos, Mexico, the Montefalco School is a world-class Catholic education for girls ages 6-18. This area is 2.5 hours away from Mexico City; a rural place where most residents are poor. Public education throughout the country is abysmal, and Morelos is no exception. The Montefalco School provides a lifeline for girls who might not otherwise have a future.
“In the beginning, we were just a farming trade school,” said Claudia Mtanous, director of the Montefalco School. “It was a place for local girls to come and learn how to sew, cook and take care of animals.”
In 1968, Montefalco founded a middle school, where science and math classes were taught by television with some in-house tutoring. Eventually, they opened a full-fledged high school in 1984 with a focus on business administration. The elementary school was opened 15 years ago. The school is a 100% scholarship school, though a few families pay a small portion. Breakfast, lunch and a snack is available at a reduced cost.
Excellence in Rural Mexico
Today the school has 452 students. 55 seniors will graduate this year. 100% of the girls go to college, an incredible statistic when one considers that only 17.5% of the Mexican population went to college in 2020 (according to Statista).
“We are really proud of this. We have a program where every year two seniors get a full scholarship to Pan American University. The rest of the girls will go to nearby public universities,” said Claudia Rodriguez de la Vega, a member of Montefalco’s Foundation. “Really, what we see is that universities fight to get our girls. They realize how good our students are.”
“When it came time to apply to college, the school really accompanied me through the entire process. For any doubts, they were always there,” said Celeste Hernandez Catalan, a 21-year old graduate.
In 2016, Montefalco began giving out scholarships to university students with high academic performance for their living expenses.
A Different Kind of school
Montefalco’s vision is to give each student a holistic education with a sense of the Christian life, so that they will have a positive impact on society. When the girls come to school, they are coming to a place where they are cared for.
“I came to Montefalco in middle school, after being in public school,” said Hernandez. “It was really wonderful. I adapted really well. From the beginning, I felt listened to.”
Local families realize the opportunity that Montefalco offers, and many will travel from far away to bring their daughters. Last year, one girl made a 1.5 hour commute every day – back and forth – in order to get to school.
Each student can take part in a mentorship program, where she meets with a mentor twice a month.
“Topics discussed are up to the girl. The trained mentor is there to help her solve her own problems and work towards her goals,” said Mtanous.
The school has a small oratory, that seats 120 people. For school-wide masses, there is an open-air auditorium where the whole school can gather. Daily mass and confession are offered. There is also a chaplain who is available every day if parents or students want to talk.
“Religion is at the foundation of the school. We have the mass, the possibility to speak to priests, mentoring. I really liked this aspect of the school,” said Hernandez. “I felt like I could trust everyone.”
Because Montefalco is in a rural area, security is a concern.
“We are in a very vulnerable area. There is narcotrafficking, kidnapping, and extortion here. Because of this, nobody can take a walk outside by themselves. But, once they are inside, it is like paradise,” said Mtanous.
The school itself is beautiful. The inner courtyards of Montefalco are filled with manicured grass and colorful flowers. For the students, coming to a place of beauty and love every day seems like a dream.
The day begins at 7:45 am, giving the girls 15 minutes to spend “time with God” or quiet time. The day ends at 2pm.
A Focus on Business
Every Montefalco high school student takes business classes. During senior year, the girls create a business product and present it to the school. Much like the TV show “Shark Tank”, a panel of judges give out prizes to the top three teams.
“At Montefalco, we had classes in accounting, business administration, marketing, human resources and how to delegate functions. We even had classes on business law,” said Hernandez. “Today I am at the Pan American University studying business, and for many of my classes, I had already learned about these subjects in high school. I feel really prepared.”
After school, Montefalco offers several extracurricular activities.
“Twice a week, we have basketball for 1.5 hours,” said Mtanous.
On Fridays, everyone in the school stays until 5pm, working on a practical workshop. These workshops include: chess, basketball, choir, drawing, guitar, makeup artistry, math, English, first aid, embossing, event planning, home management, stained glass, emotional management, dance and volleyball. Other activities for the girls include Lego robotics and math Olympiad.
The Montefalco students also take part in several community service projects every year: such as visiting nursing homes, a school with Down syndrome children, building food pantries and giving out food to needy families.
A Partnership with Parents
One of the ways that Montefalco differs from other Catholic schools is the extent to which parents are expected to get involved.
“When a parent comes to the school, I interview them. That conversation lasts for one hour. We are interested to see how invested they are in working with us to teach their child. If the child comes to Montefalco, the parents are an integral part of the education,” said Mtanous.
During this initial meeting, the principal also interviews the girls.
“We want to know if the girls themselves actually want to come. Because if it is only the parents who want her to come, and not the girl, it won’t work,” she said.
Montefalco parents must make a commitment to take six parenting classes during the year. They are allowed to choose out of 12 to 15 class offerings by theme.
“These classes are designed to confront difficulties and how to be better parents,” said Mtanous. “We are constantly refining the topics, and then we bring in experts on each topic. For example, if a couple is facing marital issues, we have classes on marriage. Or they may be having issues with their adolescent. We have classes on how to deal with adolescents’ problems.”
If the parents do not uphold their commitment to take part in the classes, they will not be allowed to re-register their daughter the following year.
Sharing the Value of Faith
When it comes to the Catholic faith, the school administrators have noticed something interesting.
“The Catholic faith is our identity. We see many families that are baptized Catholics but not practicing. If we see that they are interested in the school, and interested in coming closer to the faith, they can come. We even accept people who are of a different religion or atheists. If they see a value in what we are teaching, they can come,” said Mtanous. “The majority of the parents will grow in their faith because the child does. We see that the child wants to go to mass or the choir. Often, the parents will follow the child.”
Montefalco graduates remain forever grateful for what the school has given them.
“I feel really lucky,” said Hernandez. “Montefalco has prepared me well. For all of us girls who went to the school, it has been a really good opportunity.”
| Number of alumnae: 1531 History The Montefalco School is part of the Montefalco hacienda; a regional Opus Dei conference center. The first records of this area date back to 1616, when 850 hectares were leased to Don Pedro Cortes, the grandson of Hernando Cortes, the conquistador. At the beginning of the 20th century, the hacienda was a prosperous sugar mill only to be attacked during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917). The entire property was burned and looted, with the church miraculously being spared. During Mexico’s agrarian reform, the extensive hacienda was reduced to just over 30 hectares. In 1951, the land was donated to Opus Dei Father Pedro Casciaro and a group of Mexican professionals. Their goal was to create a center for spiritual formation and social justice for the local population. Today, the Montefalco Hacienda – on the other side of the property from the school – runs spiritual retreats, seminars, leadership classes for youths, community service projects, theology and philosophy classes. |