At Alcuin, our students bring their passions with them wherever they go.

Sometimes those passions show up in the classroom. Sometimes they show up on the stage, on the field, in the studio, or in the lab. And sometimes, before the sun is fully up or long after the school day is done, they show up on the ice.

Brothers Milo and Jiji, along with their friend Santiago — all in Primary and Lower Elementary — play hockey together for different Dallas Stars club programs. This spring, they all traveled to St. Louis to compete in the Yeti Series Hockey Tournament, carrying with them not only their skates, but the same habits of mind we work to nurture at Alcuin every day.

Each of these students has embraced the challenge in his own way. Milo and Jiji are currently “playing up,” competing against older athletes in higher divisions. For Santiago, that commitment often begins early in the morning before school, when he wakes up to attend twice-a-week practices in addition to his regular afternoon practices. Between early mornings, afternoon practices, travel, and tournaments, hockey asks a great deal from each of them, requiring focus, independence, and responsibility — all qualities that reflect the Montessori way of learning and growing.

But for these students and their families, hockey is not simply an activity. It is a commitment.

For both families, hockey is a privilege with a clear expectation attached — it happens when schoolwork is done. Milo and Jiji's parents have even drawn a deliberate parallel to the Montessori framework, emphasizing that whatever one chooses to do, they commit to it fully. Santiago and his father share this same mindset, understanding that hockey requires not only talent, but consistency, preparation, accountability, and hard work. This discipline teaches these students that engagement is a choice, and choosing means following through, speaking to the intentionality of a Montessori education.

In our classrooms, students learn to take ownership of their work. They learn to manage their time, make intentional choices, and grow through purposeful engagement. On the ice, those same lessons take on a different form. They prepare. They adapt. Most importantly, they support their teammates. These lessons are also a reminder of our mission statement as we prepare students to embrace challenges with confidence and innovation, whether that challenge is an older and bigger opponent or finding the balance between school and extracurriculars.

At the Yeti Series Tournament, Milo, Jiji, and Santiago went 3-0 in round robin play and ultimately finished second overall. It was an exciting accomplishment, but more than that, it spoke to something deeper: years of not only hard work, but teamwork. On the ice and in the classroom, these students are finding their rhythm, building resilience, and discovering that the work they put in today helps shape who they become tomorrow.