Montessori’s going strong, thanks to Angie Saxe, Teresa Chocano, Tom Rubottom and Moriah Armstrong.
By Margie Doyle
Teachers, students, parents, supporters and friends of the Orcas Montessori School gathered to celebrate earlier this month at a party at the Orcas Senior Center.
Board President Angie Saxe led the festivities honoring school founder Moriah Armstrong, current director Teresa Chocano, Head Guide Tom Rubottom and others who’ve been instrumental in the success of the school.
Jennifer Johnson Fralick spoke of the moment 25 years ago when Moriah Armstrong asked if the island’s first preschool could be housed in Fralick’s home. The Montessori preschool program is based on the educational philosophy and methods of Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician and a pioneer in childhood education, who convened her first classroom in Rome in 1907. Her philosophy and methods have been tested for over 100 years.
The school’s website states: Orcas Montessori School helps its 20-25 students create a “community of learners” in which the younger students observe the developing skills of the older students, while the older children develop leadership skills and help the younger students. This approach fosters independent learning and a lively, cooperative system.
“When children encounter interpersonal differences, we seek to help them work out those differences not by relying on an external system of rewards and punishments, but by developing their own sense of discipline and community.”
Orcas Montessori School accepts children from 2 -1/2 to six years. It is a 501C3 non-profit organization and welcomes visitors to its location at 1147 North Beach Road in Eastsound; please call 360-376-5350 to arrange a good time.
