At Back to School night on August 17, our families celebrated the opening of two beautiful and newly renovated Lower Elementary classrooms with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

We had a tight window of time for the renovation this summer and wanted everything ready and in place for the children on the first day of school. Construction started the Monday after the last day of school in June. With everyone working together, the project came in on schedule and within budget.  The new configuration showcases two large and airy classrooms that lead out to the gardens, have maximum natural light, brand new bathrooms and kitchenettes, and flexible floor plans for open circulation. We achieved our goal of using environmentally friendly materials in the construction, and selected fixtures and fittings with high standards for energy and water efficiency.

Thirteen current and former GMS students participated in the 2015 Summer Film Camp.

Their feature length film entitled Gestalt debuted at local movie theater RED Cinemas on Monday, July 27 at 7pm. Special thanks to the Kotis family, proprietors of RED Cinemas, for dedicating two of their theaters for the showing and then also opening a third to accommodate all of the guests. It was standing room only!!

The students, led by Middle School teacher, Jonathan McLean, spent four weeks learning all that basics needed to make a high quality film - script and screenplay writing, scoring a sound track, sound and video editing, pre- and post-production, location and studio shoots, etc.

Check out their film trailer below.

The GMS Board of Trustees made its top priority the complete renovation of the Lower Elementary wing this summer as the next stage of facilities modernization. This renovation ties to the development of a complete site master plan for our campus.

Since we had such a tight window of time and wanted everything ready and in place for the children on the first day of school, construction started the Monday after the last day of school in June.

With everyone working together, we are proud to report that we are on schedule and within budget and will be ready for Back to School Night on Monday, August 17.

The new configuration showcases two large and airy classrooms that lead out to the gardens, have maximum natural light, brand new bathrooms and kitchenettes, and flexible floor plans for open circulation. We achieved our goal of using environmentally friendly materials in the construction, and selected fixtures and fittings with high standards for energy and water efficiency. We can’t wait for you to see the finished product on August 17.

The Lower El renovation is clearly consistent with the goals of the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan. Funding for the project comes from Vision 2020 donations and capital reserves.Tuition is not funding these improvements to the campus.

This summer, two of our Middle School faculty, Deirdre Kearney and Jenny Kimmel, attended Montessori teacher training at the reknowned AMI Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies located in Huntsburg, OH on the campus of the Hershey Farm School.

Deirdre joined GMS in 2007 and teaches Humanities in the Middle School. Jenny joined our faculty as an intern with our gardening program in 2003. She is the director of the environmental education curriculum at GMS and oversees the GMS Land program in Oak Ridge.

The AMI Orientation to Adolescent Studies offers an overview of Dr. Montessori’s approach to adolescents within the whole framework of human development. By exploring Montessori theory in depth, the participants will come to understand the contribution of the third plane of development (12-18 years of age) as crucial to the development of the individual and will be significantly prepared to aid development during this important time of life.

An important part of the orientation is to experience the life of the adolescent: their studies, their practical work, their community life, their growing need for independence, and their need to work side-by-side with adults. Through time spent in the prepared environment of the farm, participants explore this need for independence and an awareness of human interdependence, both of which become concretely realized and internalized in Montessori adolescent communities that genuinely provide a “school of experience in the elements of social life.”

The Greensboro Montessori School prides itself in offering a well-rounded, integrated curriculum beginning in the toddler years and continuing through elementary and middle school. Lessons emphasize the interrelationship and interdependence of all things, and are presented in engaging, multi-sensory ways that challenge and inspire our students.

Life today and in the future demands confidence and innovative thinking. It requires a person to be able to work both independently and collaboratively; to anticipate problems and to find solutions, tom manage time and resources, and to see the big picture without ignoring the details. The Greensboro Montessori School nurtures each student to be a creative, eager learner. Students are acknowledged for their efforts and successes, building the confidence and independence that will position them for success on any path they choose.

"I like the fact that you were allowed the freedom to think outside the box."
- Francis Wong, GMS Alumni, Class of 2006, 2010 Morehead-Cain Scholarship Winner, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

"Montessori has been a life changing experience. From Primary all the way until now I’ve loved coming to school almost everyday and I never realized why all of my friends from other schools hated going. This school has been the best experience of my life."
- Allie Allen, GMS Alumni, Class of 2010

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[dt_sc_h2]We asked GMS parents to share some thoughts about GMS. This is what they said:[/dt_sc_h2]

The staff and faculty are extremely welcoming everyday when we come in! They know our child and always take the time to speak to her with love and kindness which warms my hear. GMS Parent

The daily structure of the classroom and assignments provide my child the opportunity to learn how to manage his time and organize himself. This will be invaluable throughout his life. GMS Parent

The knowledge by daughter displays in everything from geography and language to math and science is greater than any school I've seen. She has certainly surpassed me when I was her age! GMS Parent

GMS provides an education that is developmentally appropriate and individually tailored for my child. This has provided my child with confidence in his abilities and thus contributed to a love of learning. GMS Parent

Fostering the development of knowledge, skills and abilities that will be (and are currently) essential for students and their families in navigating the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood, and well beyond....an excellent foundation from which to embark and explore! GMS Parent

"We've always been so happy with the education, mentorship and friendships Soren received from his time at Greensboro Montessori. He has grown into a wonderful young man."
Scott Huette, father of Soren Huette, GMS Class of 2007, Winston Churchill High School in Eugene, Oregon Class of 2011.

"My voice always mattered, no matter what age I was."

Last summer in August, I sat down to share a cup of coffee with Olivia Meyer-Jennette, GMS Class of 2009, as she was preparing to enter her sophomore year at Tufts University in Medford, MA, just outside of Boston.

Olivia is the older of two sisters who were both "lifers" at GMS. Olivia first enrolled in the Primary program at age 4 and her younger sister, Augusta, now a junior at the Middle College at Greensboro College, enrolled as a Toddler.

When asked what she values most about being a Montessori alumni, Olivia quickly responded, "I love that at GMS, people really love to learn. I really love learning! And the teachers also support learning non-academic things in a school setting, like learning how to be a good person and how to treat your friends. I specifically remember learning how to say 'It hurts my feeling when you say...'" This is a simple, yet powerful phrase that we coach even our youngest students to use in the conflict resolutions that are facilitated at the classroom peace table.

Olivia went on to say "I felt the teachers always treated me like an equal. They never treated me like I was small. My voice always mattered, no matter what age I was. And most importantly they encouraged me to listen to myself."

After Olivia graduated from GMS in 2009, she transitioned to Grimsley High School and directly into the International Baccalaureate program for which she says she was "vastly over-prepared." On the one hand, she said "it was a lot of work" but at the same time she commented that she managed the workload "because (she) chose to find enjoyment and relevance in it."

In the process of deciding where to go to college, Olivia was confident in one thing... she was looking for a place that would promote individual thought. She explored schools far and wide, and ultimately settled on Tufts. Through her first year of study at Tufts, she decided to pursue a major that would allow her to combine her passion for visual arts, art history and languages (currently she is studying both Spanish and German). She found the perfect match in a program entitled International Literary and Visual Studies, which offered a core structure plus the flexibility to choose a concentration in an era, culture and/or language that matched her interest.  She has also dabbled in some graphic design classes which she says she has liked more than she thought she would. Over the summer, she put that new knowledge to use as she assisted her mother, Jennifer, in developing and managing an on-line garment shop on Etsy called Surya Leela Designs.

In her free time, Olivia loves to read, run, make art and practice yoga. When she is home from college, Olivia spends a lot of time reconnecting with two old friends from GMS, Julie Canziani and Niki Shumaker, whom she says are still her two best friends after all these years. And when she's in Boston, she loves to ride the train and take the Green Line to visit her favorite art museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She has dreams of one day working in an art museum.  In addition, Olivia also volunteers one night each week teaching English as a second language through a program called C.O.R.E.S., which assists Salvadoran and Central American refugees with immigration-related needs.

What an amazing example of a young renaissance woman who has found her voice and is now helping others find theirs!!

The son of a flight instructor and an aerospace engineer, RJ Gritter (GMS Class of 2005) grew up hanging around airplane hangars with his mom and dad. He fondly recalls his dad letting him tinker around with mechanics' tools from a very young age. Any of the GMS teachers who had RJ as a student, even from toddlerhood, knew that he was always thinking like an engineer.

He started building and flying radio-controlled airplanes in Middle School. In high school while attending the Early College at GTCC, RJ began to earn recognition and sponsorship opportunities while participating in flying competitions across the country. Not surprisingly, in 2010 RJ enrolled at NC State in the Aerospace Engineering Program.

Guided by his passion for flying, the semester that RJ finished high school, he also began a "summer job" at Atlantic Aero (a Greensboro based company dedicated to aircraft service, sales and maintenance). There he joined a team that was testing out a new Honda flying test bed engine. He continued with the project "on the side" as he started his first semester at NC State.

Within a few months the project at Atlantic Aero took off and RJ was invited to return to the project full time. It was a fantastic opportunity since it perfectly aligned with his field of study! He took a one year hiatus from NC State and worked at Atlantic Aero with a team of three engineers, plus a Japanese R&D team from Honda Jet, to prep the new engine for market. He helped build instrumentation systems that communicated to the engine and displayed metrics on the cockpit dashboard. RJ's co-workers (professionals in the industry) trusted his skill, knowledge and determined spirit enough to allow him to work on projects independently. RJ says, "There were some things that I just had to teach myself and I was grateful that my teammates let me do it." Test flying that engine was the pinnacle of his experience!

The following semester he returned to his studies at NC State. About his return, RJ said "The work experience made me appreciate school a lot more!  I could immediately apply the engineering principles from class to my experience on the Atlantic Aero project. I found that I was very unique in my department because I had practical knowledge."

These days RJ reports that he lives in the lab on campus, and even when he is not doing projects for school, he enjoys building aircraft models for pleasure. For the past two years he has been president of the Aerial Robotics Club at NC State. This summer he will be working on a graduate-level project developing un-manned aircraft prototypes. And next March he will travel to Poland with two other pilots representing team USA at the world championship for Indoor Aerobatic Flying. He has also earned a name for himself as a featured pilot in a documentary exhibit called Flight Adventures at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis Planetarium.

RJ enjoys keeping in touch with his classmates from GMS. When asked to recall a specific fond memory of his time at GMS, he said, "There are so many, its hard to think of just one. I really appreciated the relationships that I formed with all of my classmates. As for my experience as a student at GMS... I wouldn't have had it any other way." Montessori alumni stay connected to each other long after graduation.

In September, RJ will be flying one of his aerobatic radio-controlled airplanes in the Winston-Salem Air Show. He will graduate from NC State in 2015 and has plans to pursue graduate school as a means to help him realize his dream of becoming a professional aircraft designer and test pilot.

Francis and Elena Wong are siblings who graduated from GMS one year after another. Francis (Class of 2006) went on to attend the Early College at Guilford and Elena (Class of 2007) later enrolled at Grimsley High School. Though their paths diverged in high school, they reunited when these Montessori alumni were both accepted at UNC Chapel Hill. This Fall Elena will start her senior year at UNC studying Psychology with a minor in Spanish for the Professions, and Francis, who just graduated with a degree in Economics, will begin a PhD program in Economics with a concentration on Public Finance at University of California at Berkeley.

About his time at GMS, Francis remembers being in a "math class of one" when he was in Middle School; a unique example of how he was supported to learn and excel at his own pace and was never restricted to stay within the confines of a specific textbook or prescribed curriculum just because of his age or grade. Francis says "it was such a strong primer for learning math on the college level." That experience parallels a math course experience that he had at UNC where the professor challenged him to approach math with the perspective that there is never just one right answer!

Francis also fondly recalls the overnight field trips that he took as a student at GMS and remarks that those trips are just one way that Montessori education helps students "look outwards" and move their learning to world beyond the classroom. For Francis, that philosophy of looking outward is the most compelling aspect of his experience at GMS.  In fact, as a recipient of the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill, Francis has spent a lot of time looking out into the world. Throughout the last four years, the Morehead-Cain program has sponsored him in educational opportunities including grassroots public service in Argentina, research with Oxfam in Zambia, reconnaissance work in Ethiopia with an "off the grid" solar power company, and an independent project with the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta. The last opportunity solidified his desire to pursue a career in academia and launch straight into PhD level work and research. He looks forward to moving to the San Francisco Bay area in mid-July.

When asked about her fondest memories at GMS, Elena shares that her relationships with her teachers are what stand out the most. Whether it was through the Middle School advisory program or the overarching culture of support and respect shared between the students and faculty, Elena values the depth and closeness of the friendships that she formed. "At GMS there was always a level of comfort and trust between us. Even after GMS, I never felt intimidated to approach my teachers or my professors with questions," Elena says. Today that translates to her experience at UNC where one of her professors is her running partner. Elena also keeps close ties with her GMS Middle School English teacher, Kathy Pitney, whose family lives in the RDU area. They have dinner together on a regular basis and Kathy invites Elena to come over and do laundry at her home. Elena says, "she always sends me back to school with several home cooked meals."

This summer Elena will complete the second of two internships she has had with the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, where she also participated in a Leadership Essentials program. She looks forward to returning to UNC in the Fall to finish her degree and continue as an RA for the Connor Community. She'll also be competing on two of the university's Ultimate Frisbee Teams. Sources say that she's one of the MVPs on the women's and co-ed teams.

In 1997, the first 8th grade graduating class of Greensboro Montessori School was comprised of three students. Sarah Coates (now Whittemore) was one of the three proud students who received her GMS diploma that June.  They are now our oldest Montessori alumni.

Sarah's younger sister, Emily, graduated from GMS two years later and then their brother, Ethan, graduated in 2006.

Both Sarah and Emily matriculated to Grimsley High School from GMS and then went on to study at UNCG. Sarah received her BA in Psychology in 2005, and Emily received a BA in Spanish in 2007.

Music has been a major influence in their lives since they were very young. They participated and traveled with the Greensboro Youth Chorus and then with the Grimsley Madrigal Singers. But even before that they took on lead roles in GMS musicals during Middle School. They fondly recall a performance of "Persephone" which was an intensive week long children's opera production, and from time to time they still catch themselves humming the tunes.

Where are they now?

Sarah moved to Orlando, FL seven years ago to pursue a full-time career with Disney World. Sarah works at Epcot Center as a featured vocalist in the world-renowned Voices of Liberty, a premiere a cappello group. She performs seven shows per day. Outside of her full-time job, she also enjoys doing solo and session recordings for television and radio jingles. Sarah's husband, Scott, is also an entertainer/actor at Disney and stars in the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue in Pioneer Hall at the Magic Kingdom.

After finishing her first bachelor's at UNCG in Spanish and traveling abroad to Cuervanaca, Mexico and Medellin, Colombia, Emily worked as a paralegal for a local law firm that specializes in immigration law. She then decided to pursue a career in health services and returned to UNCG to obtain BS in Nursing. Upon graduation in 2011, she joined Cone Health System and works as an RN on the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit. Emily recently married her college sweetheart Josué Monge and they are expecting their first child in September. She is already looking forward to being a new GMS parent!

When recalling her days as a student at GMS, Emily says "Montessori education has given me an appreciation for nature and for taking time to explore the outdoors."

Sarah credits GMS with encouraging her to have a "life-long love of learning, and to be confident in [her] own unique abilities and to follow [her] passion."

"We both still keep in contact with many of our classmates from GMS. When we see them, it seems like we just pick up right where we left off."

At GMS, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Coates family for being the pioneers who laid those first foundational blocks for what has become an exceptional Montessori Middle School that embodies the best elements of a progressive, creative, and process-driven program designed for and by adolescents. Thank you Paul Coates and Cindy van Laar!!