Student Life

Live your best life. Truly.

Spend a day on Santa Catalina School's campus and it’ll become clear just how close our students are. They’re more than classmates. Their support, care, and encouragement for each other cultivate a true sisterhood.

These bonds are built through shared experiences that go way beyond the classroom. In extracurricular life, students dive into athletics, the arts, and student clubs. They throw themselves into school traditions and engage in community service. They learn from one another in a global community that benefits boarding and day students alike.

This is where lifelong friendships are forged.
 

Boarding Life

Boarding school expands your idea of what’s possible. Gain independence, embrace new experiences, and live with your new best friends.

Traditions

From Halloween Dinner to Ring Week to Cake Auction, traditions are an important part of life at Catalina, uniting students with generations of alumnae and each other.

Monterey

Not many schools can claim gorgeous seascapes as their backyard. We take full advantage. Beach bonfires, paddle boarding, and seaside reading are all common activities for Catalina girls.

 

 

A Santa Catalina School girl laughs while laying on the back of another girl on a couch.

One thing I love about living at Catalina is constantly being surrounded by friends. Whether it's after school for sports, doing homework at night, or leaving campus on weekends, there's always someone to hang out and have fun with.
Andriana '25

Amy Azevedo Mulgrew '02

From: Livermore, CA

Degrees: B.A., applied mathematics, UC Berkeley
M.S., applied mathematics, CSU Long Beach

Mrs. Mulgrew's ties to Catalina began when she was a boarding student. “I am still inspired by the teachers I had here. They showed me that I could do anything, and that support carried me through much of the rest of my education.” After graduating in 2002, she attended UC Berkeley and California State University Long Beach, where she also taught math. She enjoys crafts, swimming, and playing with her three young children.

Santa Catalina School girls sit on the lawn and in hammocks outside C2 on a clear sunny day.

My favorite spot on campus is the lawn outside Study Hall (especially when the hammocks are up). It is just such a wonderful place to chill with friends and soak up the sun.
Riley ’24

Claire Lerner

From: New York City

Degrees: B.F.A. and M.F.A., State University of New York

Ms. Lerner is an award-winning photographer and painter who has taught at Catalina for more than 20 years. Prior to coming here, she was a member of the photography faculty at Monterey Peninsula College. Her work has been exhibited both locally and internationally and has been collected by a broad range of private and public institutions.

Singers form a semi-circle on stage with the red curtain drawn behind them.

I am involved in many clubs. Some of my favorite clubs are ecco! (Catalina's a cappella club), Multicultural Club, and Granny Club, where we learn to sew, knit, and do various handcrafts.
Anna '25

Blake Riley

From: St. Louis, Missouri

Degrees: B.A., political science and religious studies, Saint Louis University

Mr. Riley began teaching at Santa Catalina in 2006. He and his wife live on campus with their two daughters. Mr. Riley loves the collaborative nature of the Religious Studies department, where teachers work together on service projects, spiritual retreats, and weekly chapel services. “We want students to feel comfortable and confident to reflect on faith, and we want them to be open to the spiritual and God,” he says.

 

 

Student Life Blog

Take a peek inside life at an all-girls boarding and day school—and get some advice along the way—with our student blog, Study Hall Stories.

Read the blog

Two girls walk through campus near sunset; one girl is wearing a field hockey uniform.

 

 

Campus Tour

On the scenic Monterey Peninsula, a short walk from downtown Monterey, the Santa Catalina School campus comprises 36 acres of flowering gardens along with traditional and modern buildings that house spaces for learning and living.

 

 

 

 

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