Athletics

Athletics are an important part of the balanced development of the whole person, providing opportunities for physical growth, teamwork, leadership, perseverance, and community. At St. Helena Montessori, we value both competition and participation: experienced athletes are challenged to develop their abilities, while students new to a sport are given meaningful opportunities to play, improve, and contribute.

Through athletics, students learn to recognize and appreciate one another’s strengths, work toward common goals, and discover what they are capable of through effort and practice. They experience the responsibilities of being a teammate, the discipline required to improve, and the character needed to meet both victory and defeat with humility and confidence.

As with all aspects of school life, we encourage students and families to approach athletics with a sense of proportion and purpose. Sports are one part of a rich and balanced life that includes academic work, family and community, the development of new skills, and the deepening of faith. In this way, athletics become another avenue for the formation of the whole person—developing discipline, resilience, generosity, and a healthy understanding of oneself in relationship with others.

Athletic Opportunities

St. Helena Montessori offers interscholastic athletic opportunities beginning in Elementary and continuing through High School, with programs designed to expand as students grow.

Students in grades 5–8 compete directly as St. Helena Montessori in the North Bay Catholic School League, alongside approximately a dozen other area schools. The school fields teams in volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, and track and field in the spring. Track and field extends participation to our younger Elementary students as well, with children beginning as early as Kindergarten able to take part.

At the High School level, St. Helena Montessori partners with St. Maximilian School in Napa, allowing our students to participate in a broader interscholastic athletic program. Through this partnership, high school students currently have opportunities to compete in soccer, volleyball, and basketball.

Together, these programs allow students to experience athletics at a level appropriate to their age and interests—from a first experience representing their school to sustained participation and increasingly competitive play through the adolescent years.