ONTESSORI CHOOLO U N TA I N EER

Lighting the way for education since 1976

HandinHand

2014-15 MMS Annual Report

Mountaineer Montessori:HandinHand with our Students & Community

From the beginning, nearly 40 years ago, Mountaineer Montessori School has united students, teachers, parents and the community hand in hand to create a better future for children, our school… and the world. “Hand in Hand,” the MMS 2014-15 Annual Report, highlights some of the ways we continue to work together to promote excellence in education and serve our community.

Enrollment: Currently, 125 students are enrolled at MMS—a school record. This number reflects growing community interest in alternatives to one-size-fits-all education, our reputation as a premier, time-tested Montessori school and expansion of our programs through the eighth year. We strive to honor the confidence that our families and the community have placed in us in all we do.

Faculty and staff: Jennifer Carriger and Suzanne Sanders were named MMS Co-Directors last February. They bring extensive experience in Montessori and traditional classrooms, educational leadership and non-profit management to their leadership posts. We are grateful for their grace, vision and professionalism through the many transitions we experienced and for their steady leadership into a new school year and beyond.

Several outstanding new faculty members joined MMS in the fall of 2015. They join a highly-experienced and dedicated team of educators committed to nurturing each child’s full potential. (For more information, please see the “Faculty and Staff” section of our website.)

Training: To ensure continued educational excellence, MMS once again made a significant investment in Montessori training and professional development for teachers and staff. This year, four faculty members pursued certification programs offered through the American Montessori Society or the Association Montessori Internationale, the two most widely recognized Montessori credentialing organizations worldwide. In addition, faculty from the Virginia Center for Montessori Studies led AMS Montessori Assistant training for 12 faculty members this summer. Positive Discipline training was also provided to MMS staff as well as parents this summer.

I am a small part of the worldI have a small hand to hold

But if I stand by your sideand you put your hand in mine,

Together we can be so strong and bold.

Co-Directors Jennifer Carringer & Suzanne Sanders

Co-Directors Jennifer Carringer & Suzanne Sanders

Upper ElementaryEgyptian fashion show

Upper ElementaryEgyptian fashion show

MMS 2015 Faculty & Staff

Middle School: West Virginia’s only Montessori middle school program opened at MMS in August of 2014 to statewide acclaim. In its charter year, students experienced a rich program of student-centered, hands-on, land-based learning that emphasized STEM, micro-economy/entrepreneurship and community service. Led by MMS parent George Phillips, students surveyed the historic Carriage Trail, producing a detailed, historically annotated technical map that is now available for sale. The program is off to a very strong start in its second year with 10 students and growing community interest.

Learning support: At MMS, experienced specialists work hand-in-hand with students, teachers and parents to nurture learning and provide additional educational support as needed. In recognition of our program and her work with students with dyslexia and other learning differences, MMS Co-Director Jennifer Carriger was honored as “Teacher of the Year” by the WV Learning Disabilities Association in the fall of 2014. In addition to her administrative duties, Jennifer continues to lead our Student Support Team, and provides academic screenings to MMS students of all ages. This year, Kathryn Rhoads, a former primary lead guide, has joined our learning support team, providing additional support in reading, spelling and handwriting.

Peace curriculum: MMS students practiced the Montessori peace curriculum through a range of public service and community outreach activities. These included an annual food drive for Manna Meal, participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day March to the Capitol, offering art activities to children in June and October during FestivALL and creating a “little free library” for our middle school neighbors in South Hills.

Glass Classroom: MMS joined with schools around the world to celebrate the centennial of the “Glass Classroom,” an actual working Montessori primary school that ran for four months during the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. To showcase Montessori education and how it can benefit all children, MMS presented a full-sized elementary classroom in the Charleston Town Center Mall for two days during FestivALL in June. Visitors to our Glass Classroom were able to view students at work with Montessori materials from all areas of the curriculum.

Trout in the Classroom: Care for the environment is an important component of the Montessori curriculum, from primary through middle school. One of our lower elementary classes took that commitment to a new level last year with help from Trout Unlimited and MMS parent Brent Best. The students nurtured trout fry in an aquarium for several months and released the then-mature fish into a local stream in the spring. This wonderful project offered students hands-on biology lessons and insight into the connection between water quality and aquatic life.

I am a small part of the worldI have a small dream in my eyes

But if I tell you my dreams and you add your dreams to mine,

Together we can reach up for the sky.

I am a small part of the worldI have a small voice ringing clear

But if I sing out for freedom And you add your voice to mine

Then together we have nothing left to fear.

Middle SchoolCarriage Trail map project

Primary students explore their environment

Primary students explore their environment

Lower Elementarytrout release

Lower Elementarytrout release

Lower Elementarytrout release

Community as classroom: The Montessori “classroom without walls” approach to education took many avenues this year. Students participated in off campus learning opportunities in Charleston, throughout the state and beyond. These included field trips to the Clay Center, the WV State Capitol, Kanawha State Forest, Blenko Glass, Charleston Broom and Mop Company, Heritage Farm Museum and Village in Huntington, the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Andy Warhol Museum, COSI in Columbus, The Mountain Institute and the city of Asheville, North Carolina.

Arts: Our strong art and music curriculum continues to inspire creative excellence. The MMS music program, which includes Orff, vocal, recorder and piano opportunities with Karen Morris and strings instruction with Bernard DiGregorio of the WVSO, was further enriched by a joyful songwriting and singing workshop led by MMS alumna Mira Stanley and Chuck E. Costa, an award-winning indie-pop duo. Some 25 works by MMS students, created under the direction of Barrie Kaufman and Nancy Johnston, were displayed at the Clay Center as part of the Art-for-All show during FestivALL. Many students received awards for their creations, and Becca Moore’s lower elementary students received special recognition for a quilt they made to honor Dana Gilliland, our late Head of School.

Academic enrichment: The MMS classroom program is enriched by a range of learning opportunities, including our Montessori-designed Plus Program, summer camp, Destination Imagination, drama, yoga, art, ski cub, cross country and chess. Under leadership of Coach Jason Winesburg (an upper elementary lead guide), the MMS Gilliland Knights Chess Team won the state championship in its team category and Sohan Kukkillaya, a lower elementary student, was the state champion in his age group. Congratulations!

Building community: We celebrated hand in hand to raise funds for our school and strengthen connections with our community throughout the year. Some of these wonderful events included our popular Spaghetti Dinner, Annual Book Fair and Bake Sale, Race for Education, Lemonade Day, annual tie-dye day and school picnic.

A community of learners: Parent Night events and activities presented by the MMSPO throughout the year offered parents and friends opportunities to learn more about Montessori education -- each other. These included several popular “Montessori Meet-Ups” held over the summer.

Hand in handDreams combine

Voice with voice, together for all time

Hand in handDreams combine

Voice with voice, for all time

Lower Elementary tripto Charleston Broom & Mop Co.

Lower Elementary tripto Charleston Broom & Mop Co.

Lemonade Day

MMS Art-For -All participants

MMS students at summerAdventure Play Camp

MMS students at summerAdventure Play Camp

Financial resources: Donations, sponsorships, grants and event proceeds provided critical funding for MMS programs, and enabled us to sustain our commitment to making our school accessible to the community. Thanks to an exceptionally strong annual appeal in 2014, successful special events, generous contributions and sound fiscal management, MMS has been able to minimize tuition increases while strengthening programs and expanding our financial aid offerings. A strong and bright future awaits us in the year ahead if you will join with us, hand in hand, to ensure another year of excellence and innovation in education.

“Hand in Hand” is dedicated to our late Head of School, Dana Rowe Gilliland, who passed away in February 2015. Dana was a beloved mother, teacher, community leader and friend who inspired our school to reach up for the sky. “I am born to be an educator..and to have such clear a calling is a rare and wonderful gift.” We are so fortunate that she chose to share that gift with us.

*Lyrics from the song "I Am a Small Part of the World" (Sally Albrecht) performed by MMS students at a memorial service for Dana Gilliland.

I am a small part of the worldTake my hand.*

Dana Gilliland workingwith MMS students

ONTESSORI CHOOLO U N TA I N EER

Lighting the way for education since 1976

Primary and Elementary / 308 20th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304Middle School / 804 Myrtle Road, Charleston, WV 25314304.342.7870 / mountaineermontessori.org / info@mountaineermontessori.org

Lower Elementarymath

Lower Elementarymath

Annual school picnicAnnual school picnic

Glass Classroom at theTown Center Mall

Glass Classroom at theTown Center Mall

State chess championsState chess champions

Celebrating the Glass Classroom at FestivALL

Celebrating the Glass Classroom at FestivALL

Sharing lessonswith parents on

Shadow Night

Sharing lessonswith parents on

Shadow Night

Sharing lessonswith parents on

Shadow Night

Celebrating Native American heritage at Thanksgiving

Celebrating Native American heritage at Thanksgiving

Martin Luther King Jr. Day March to the Capitol

Race for Education

Song workshop with Mira Stanley and Chuck E. Costa

Song workshop with Mira Stanley and Chuck E. Costa

Upper elementary ancientcivilization timelines

Alumni Night