In February 2017, Darla Prescott (Directress of Academics and Education) and Austin Smigel (Director of Administration and Finance) asked me to return to a school that I first worked with in 2000. At the time of my first visit, Washington Montessori Charter School was brand new. It occupied rented space in a small East Carolina riverfront town. Washington, North Carolina, has a population of 10,000 or so in the city limits and, perhaps, a few hundred thousand living within driving distance. It’s a community made up of retirees, some families who move in with children, and long-term residents. I have to say, it may be off the beaten path, but it has its charms.
Washington Montessori Charter School currently serves approximately 394 students from age 3 through the 12th grade. What makes their story worth telling is the incredible job they have done over the last 17 years. I’ll try to let the photographs included in this article paint the picture for you, and you’ll find a link to a video that I’ve included in the Montessori Family Alliance members area.
The high school is in its third year and currently has about 50 students. The middle school has about 40, and it appears the middle and high school will begin to grow steadily over the years ahead. What I want you to pay attention to is the fact that there is a Montessori high school operating in a small town far away from any Montessori center. I also want you to notice the attractiveness of the design of the buildings that they’ve constructed.
Two elementary buildings have soaring ceilings and light baffles that I found very appealing. The high school made me feel comfortable immediately. They have a full high school gymnasium, used by all students, and staffed by two full-time
phys-ed teachers.
The early childhood program is limited by the typical challenges that you see in many charter schools. Their own students have to pay tuition until kindergarten, and they are not guaranteed that they will have a space when they enter the kindergarten lottery. The existing early childhood buildings and the middle school are modular buildings.
The campus has 36 acres of fields and forest. These kids have a pond, stream, and quite a bit of eastern forest in which to play. The teachers make good use of the fields and forest. Nature is one of their areas of emphasis. The school has set up soccer fields and has a number of team sports for elementary and secondary students.
Like all charter schools, Washington Montessori is a school of choice, and children apply to attend from five different counties. About one-third of the school comes from a community about an hour away, and those parents have gotten together to purchase a school bus and provide a driver to shuttle the children back and forth. Everyone else carpools.
When I first met the community 17 years ago, I was impressed by its dedication to peace education and social justice. As the years have gone by, that has not diminished, but I have to tell you I was not prepared for the look and feel of the new campus constructed since my last visit. If you can, go see it. Teachers, parents, and administrators of the school have done a
fabulous job.
See for yourself. Check out the video at http://tinyurl.com/wa-montessori. This is just one of many resources available to members of the Montessori Family Alliance. If you are receiving a copy of Tomorrow’s Child from your school, you are a member of the Alliance. Just ask your school’s administrator for the access code.
Tomorrow’s Child / January 2017 / p 26
