05/29/2026
Eight years ago, we arrived in California from Kansas City with excitement, hope, and if I’m being honest, a fair amount of fear. Leaving behind everything familiar was intimidating. We wondered how our family would fit into a new community, a new school, and a completely new life.
What we found at was so much more than a school.
From day one, we were welcomed with open arms. Our children were invited to playdates. Parents reached out. Friends included us in birthday parties and gatherings. Complete strangers became familiar faces, and before long, they became dear friends. The warmth of this community set the tone for our entire life in California and made a new place feel like home.
Over the past eight years, AMS has helped shape not only my children, but our entire family. It strengthened their faith and, unexpectedly, deepened my own. Through school Masses, volunteering, friendships, and countless moments of service and community, I found myself growing alongside them.
One of the greatest gifts of AMS has been the people. The incredible teachers who pour their hearts into their students every day. The families who show up, volunteer, support one another, and invest so deeply in this school. There is a level of dedication, generosity, and community here that makes American Martyrs truly unique.
I am endlessly grateful for a place where my children felt safe, known, and loved. A place where they formed lifelong friendships, discovered their strengths, deepened their faith, and were guided by passionate educators who cared about who they were becoming—not just academically, but as people.
As we close this chapter, my heart is full of gratitude and sadness. It’s hard to say goodbye to a place that has given us so much.
Thank you, American Martyrs, for helping raise our children, for welcoming our family, and for giving us a community that will always feel like home.
I will hold school in my heart forever. 🤍 Once a martyrs family, always a martyrs family 🙏💙
