Strong Minds Loving Hearts

Silas Griffin is out to do great things. In fact, he's been doing great things since elementary school at St. Martin de Porres, an Independence Mission School. From SMdP, Silas enrolled at St. Joseph's Preparatory School where he excelled academically (National Honor Society), athletically (volleyball) and socially (various leadership roles in the Black & Latino Culture Club). Next, Si...

By the time her daughter, Hayah, was in fourth grade, Monique Coates was seeking change. At a local charter school, Hayah had done well; her grades were fantastic — predictably fantastic. That apparent lack of challenge coupled with the general environment spurred Monique and Hayah to make a move: starting in fifth grade, Hayah would attend St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in West Philadelphia. At...

Christine and Rick Conti love their students.  Christine loves them as kindergarteners. Rick loves them as fourth graders. But that love doesn’t stop when their students move on to first grade or fifth grade or even when they're in high school or college. As both Christine and Rick like to say… “You’re always going to be one of my kids.”  That passion for teaching, mentoring and guiding young...

"That one decision changed the trajectory of my life and my sister's life. My mom and dad weren't rich. But this investment changed generations of our families lives."That's how media personality and business strategist, Quincy Harris, thinks back on his experience at The DePaul School. Family. Connection. Community. Expectations. Achievement. Safety. Confidence. All of those...

Graduates from our 14 schools go on to attend some of the Philadelphia area's top archdiocesan, independent, magnet and charter high schools — often on merit based scholarships. One of the high schools where we've developed a strong pipeline? Philadelphia's Cristo Rey, where IMS students accounted for 24% of 2025's incoming ninth grade class — a data point that delights director of...

When Mary Holmes brought her daughter, Queenie, to St. Malachy Catholic School for her first day of kindergarten nearly 20 years ago, she stayed -- the whole day. That day turned into years of volunteering at the school which turned into countless full-time jobs -- from assistant to the principal to her current role as a 4th grade teacher -- all while earning his master's degree at Lincoln Uni...

Today, Spencer is thriving at Malvern Prep, taking on honors classes, joining new clubs, and growing as both a student and a young man. How he got there had a lot to do with where he came from: St. Rose of Lima Catholic School. At St. Rose, Spencer discovered his love for music, theater, and learning — and built the confidence that helped him take this next big step. In this episode of Strong Mind...

Today, Nate Brookins teaches fifth grade at The DePaul Catholic School. Before that, he coached basketball at DePaul — all while sending his kids to the school. And even before that, Nate was a student at DePaul. In this episode of Strong Minds Loving Hearts, Nate talks with DePaul Principal Colleen McKenzie about what's so magnetic about this place. Together, they reflect on traditions like t...

In this episode of Strong Minds Loving Hearts , Principal Nick Huck sits down with St. Helena-Incarnation Catholic School alumnus, Jason Jiang, to reflect on his journey from the classrooms of St. Helena to LaSalle College High School and now to Yale University on a full QuestBridge scholarship. Jason shares how the supportive teachers and close-knit community at St. Helena-Incarnation shaped his...