Empowerment Seminar for Middle School Girls & Parents to be Held 5/19

Mount St. Dominic Academy, in partnership with Success Street, LLC, is proud to invite the public to a special event titled Empowering Middle School Girls to Lead with Confidence. This seminar, designed for middle school girls and their parents, will take place on Monday, May 19 at 7pm in the Doris M. Byrne Performing Arts Center at Mount St. Dominic Academy in Caldwell. Light refreshments will be served.

The evening will feature guest speakers Kristen Niemczyk-Kistner, Ph.D., and Melissa Dupree, M.S., BCBA, of Success Street, LLC, who will share research-based strategies for building self-esteem, strengthening leadership skills, and fostering meaningful parent-child connections. The event will also include a Q&A session, allowing parents and students to engage directly with the experts.

Attendees will learn practical tools to support emotional development, develop leadership qualities through hands-on learning, and build stronger family bonds through shared experiences and reflection. The goal is to help both students and parents feel more equipped to navigate the challenges of adolescence with confidence and resilience.

The seminar is part of the school’s broader empowerment platform, the S.H.E. Project. The S.H.E. Project (Strength, Hope, Empowerment) was created by Mount St. Dominic Academy to extend its 131-year legacy of educating and empowering young women. Rooted in the school’s Catholic, college preparatory mission, the program offers opportunities for girls to explore leadership, service, and self-expression in ways that are tailored to how they learn best. The May 19th event is just one example of how the S.H.E. Project helps young women connect, grow, and thrive.

Success Street, LLC, specializes in coaching and clinical psychotherapy services for teens, young adults, and parents. Their work focuses on areas such as trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, executive function, parenting, and life transitions. In addition to individual services, they also provide professional development and wellness events for schools and organizations.

Mount St. Dominic Academy, founded in 1892 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, is an independent Catholic college preparatory school for young women from diverse backgrounds. Known for its innovative academic programs, the Mount offers signature opportunities such as the L.E.O. Entrepreneurship Program, Health Sciences and Social Justice Concentrations, and the Directed Research Senior Capstone—expanding in the 2025–2026 school year to include both juniors and seniors through a partnership with Harvard University.

The Mount also provides dual enrollment options with Seton Hall University, expanded STEM offerings, and unique leadership experiences like the S.H.E. Project summer camp. With small class sizes and personalized instruction, the school maintains a 100% college acceptance rate. Recent accolades include a “Gold with Access” award on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll, AP Computer Science Female Diversity Awards, and back-to-back Gold Medals in the Best of Essex awards for Best Private High School.

The Mount is currently accepting applications for the Class of 2029. Private family tours and “Mountie for a Day” shadow visits are available for 8th graders and transfer students in Grades 9–11. Visit here for details. For more information or to register for the May 19th seminar, visit here.