Mrs. Margaret Taranto, AHN’s Middle School Coordinator, shares her goals for students in our growing middle school program.
I believe in the value and importance of single-gender education for young women. Particularly in times when they may be bombarded with negative messaging, I want to give our students the tools to question and combat those messages. When they graduate from eighth grade, my goal is for them to know they are uniquely gifted, strong, and valuable individuals, and to realize their intrinsic value comes from their accomplishments – not others’ opinions. I want our students to know their gender does not make them less suited to pursue whatever interests them. Academy of the Holy Names gives young women opportunities to be challenged and to challenge others’ thinking. It is very important to me that our students learn to advocate for themselves and know they are in control of their educational experiences. I want our students to discover themselves as multi-faceted individuals and see the positive impact they can have in society. I also want them to develop a growth mindset and embrace the value of learning from their mistakes. This is a critical period of growth in a young woman’s life, and the atmosphere provided here in a small, single-sex school empowers them and helps them develop into women of faith, strength, and conviction.