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From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! The second week of the program has drawn to a close, but we still have plenty of leveling up to do. The Scholars continually wow me with their discoveries, breakthroughs, and use of creative and critical thinking as they continue to reach heights and levels that we never thought possible. Scholars are collaborating to design and create cookies that are delightful to see and taste (“Edible Art”), a creative group of magicians are adding new tricks to their repertoire and perfecting their sleight of hand (“AbracaDECATS!”), and aspiring disc [...]

From the Director's Chair Dear Parents, It’s hard to believe we’ve already wrapped up our second week of DECATS! The days have flown by, and I want to take a moment to share some highlights and celebrate the incredible experiences your Scholars have enjoyed so far. This week has been both dynamic and inspiring as we continue to explore our theme: The Next Level. Our Scholars are embracing the challenge of pushing beyond their comfort zones—growing intellectually, socially, and spiritually through meaningful, hands-on experiences. In Manners, Scholars practiced introductions, small talk, and table setting. They’re looking [...]

From the Director's Chair Week One inside the DECATS gaming deck has been a total Level Up! Thank you for saying “Yes!” to this epic summer quest. Your Scholars have navigated through the consoles of the Game Center with energy, curiosity, and courage—and we couldn’t be more excited to be on this journey with them. Each morning, we power up with assemblies that set the tone—filled with music, movement, and celebration. With our DECATS theme songs on repeat, the energy is truly out of this world. It’s a joy to have parents join us in the [...]

From the Director's Chair Dear Parents, Our Scholars have launched into their DECATS adventure with incredible momentum, energy, and joy. From the very first day, they’ve shown that they are ready to take it to The Next Level—in learning, leadership, and personal growth. Each morning, our assemblies are alive with song, dancing, and prayer. The sense of community forming among our Scholars is inspiring, with new friendships and growing confidence across the campus. Our foundational courses have set the stage for powerful development. In Manners, Scholars practiced  introductions and first impressions—skills that will serve them for [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! I am delighted to write with an update on how much leveling up has already happened during the first week of DECATS Houston at Strake Jesuit. From the first moment of Monday’s program the energy level was off the charts, and it only went up from there. During their first period courses, our youngest Scholars started learning about proper handshake and introduction etiquette, other Scholars started learning about their prefrontal cortex in Executive Functioning, while our Wellness squads began learning how to keep their bodies strong and healthy. Our [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings, DECATS Families! The final week of our program is always filled with many experiences, such as course presentations and the culmination of our service project. Our community gathered over 300 pet toys and several pounds of pet food to donate to SPCA Houston! During Thursday’s Closing Celebration, our Scholars explored their creativity together and developed a powerful performance that was a wonderful display of critical thinking and leadership. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your Scholar’s growth this summer. I pray that all the Scholars walk away [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! On Thursday morning, over a year of planning, months of building courses, and hours of exploration and discovery culminated in our annual closing celebration day. What amazes me most about DECATS, beside the fascinating breakthroughs, remarkable insights, and moving acts of kindness is how quickly it all goes by. It seems like only yesterday we were gathering together for the first time, starting to learn our new theme song, and learning the standards of our time together. We played hard, learned more than one might think possible, and explored [...]

From the Director's Chair ​​Dear DECATS Families: The final week of DECATS has been incredible as we wrapped up our "Exploration Awaits" journey together marking 30 years of DECATS. I want to sincerely thank you for trusting us with your children's care and well-being this summer. It has been a true joy to witness their learning and growth. We are confident that our Scholars will take all they have learned and make a difference in the world. This week, our Scholars were actively engaged in completing their culminating activities. Our Manners Scholars demonstrated their dining etiquette [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings, DECATS Families! It is with gratitude and joy that I share with you that the second week of DECATS has been amazing! Our Scholars are working at learning using their gifts and talents! I am so proud of them and thrilled to share a few highlights from this week with you. As the second week comes to a close, our “Manners” Scholars refined their social skills of introduction and small talk. They look forward to putting all of these skills into practice on Tuesday during our Manners to Morals Day. Our [...]

From the Director's Chair Greetings DECATS Families! The second week of the program has drawn to a close, but we are nowhere near the end of our exploration. The Scholars continually wow me with their discoveries, breakthroughs, and use of creative and critical thinking as they continue to plumb the depths of the great power that they possess. Scholars are collaborating to design and create cookies that are delightful to see and taste (“Edible Art”), a creative group of architects are making a plan to try and survive various extreme weather scenarios (“To The Extreme”), and [...]