Following God's Plan at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School

Published on
BradeenFamily 2024

Read the following testimonial by Mandi Bradeen, a mom whose children attend St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School. 


"When it came time to send our oldest son to preschool, we learned that there’s a cost for preschool no matter where you go - public or private. We figured we may as well send our kids to preschool at St. Anthony which is familiar (I am a former student) and is conveniently located just a few minutes from our home. But the plan was to send him to public or charter once he hit kindergarten because that made the most sense for us financially based on our income and expenses.  

At the end of his second year of preschool, we began exploring our local options but nothing compared to St. Anthony. We now had two boys in the preschool program there and it just felt right. The staff was vocal about wanting us to stay. We knew that it would mean making sacrifices financially, but we had to make it happen.

There’s so much to love about St. Anthony. We love the small, tight-knit community. It’s refreshing to see so many of the families actively involved in school and parish functions throughout the school year. The smaller class sizes mean our kids aren’t lost in the shuffle of a huge school. Communication between staff and parents is plentiful, and proves that the well-being of the kids is the main focus. We appreciate the genuine care the staff takes in getting to know and educate our children - everyone including lunch room and classroom volunteers, office and parish staff, teachers, and Father Tony. It truly takes a village and we are so glad we have found one like St. Anthony!  

We are beyond grateful that the school is willing to work with us. We even opted to have our boys baptized last year at the ages of 5, 3 & 1 so they can continue to celebrate future sacraments with their classmates, which was quite the change from our original plan.  

We are confident our kids are receiving a well rounded education here while also learning how to be kind human beings who will contribute to society in a positive way.  And best of all, every aspect of their education is grounded in the Catholic faith.  We can’t wait for our third and final son to start his journey at St. Anthony this coming fall!”