Wilmington Montessori School

Coordinates: 39°48′12.98″N 75°28′58.11″W / 39.8036056°N 75.4828083°W / 39.8036056; -75.4828083

Wilmington Montessori School is a Montessori school located in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, serving ages 12 months through sixth. It is Delaware's second oldest and largest independent Montessori school.^[1] Its facility has more than 30 classrooms, a library, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor performance stages, music and arts rooms, three age-appropriate makerspaces, outdoor playing fields, and wooded walking paths.

Academic approach

The curriculum is rooted in Montessori principles found in the Montessori Method. The school implements an open-ended curriculum intended to allow students to progress at their own pace. Montessori classrooms are multi-age, operating on the philosophy that the youngest children learn by watching the older children and the oldest children demonstrate true understanding of a concept when they can explain it to a younger child. This method is intended not only to teach children to collaborate and work together but also to inspire them to strive for their personal best in a non-competitive atmosphere. The social curriculum emphasizes the concepts of grace and courtesy throughout the program levels.

History

In 1963, the school was initiated by a group of Delaware parents. It began as Wilmington Montessori Association with fourteen children in a storefront in downtown Wilmington and was incorporated in January 1964.^[2] The school later moved to the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden.

On November 14, 2008, Wilmington Montessori initiated a school-wide single-stream recycling program to help the school reduce its carbon footprint and to teach its students the habit of recycling and the benefits to the Earth. The program was supplemented with a grant from Delaware's Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control.^[3]

Notable faculty

• Marie M. Dugan was the founding head of Wilmington Montessori School. She served as the Interim Executive Director of the American Montessori Society in 2004. She is currently the Chair of both the AMS Centennial Campaign Committee, the AMS Archives Committee and the Keynote Committee for the Montessori Centennial Conference in 2007. She is a former President of AMS, former Accreditation Commission member and former Chair of the AMS Heads of Schools Section, serving on the Board of Directors of AMS for 13 years. She is currently the co-representative to the United Nations as an NGO. Marie was the Head of the Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, Delaware for 25 years before retiring in 2000. She returned to WMS as interim head of school from 2012 until 2014. She is currently an educational consultant, serving CMTE/NY and AMS in both independent and public schools.^[4][5]
• In 2007, teacher Lisa Wilson-Riblett shared first place as "Teacher from a Center or Preschool" in the 9th Annual Governor's Awards for Excellence in Early Care and Education.^[6][7]
• In 2005, teacher Angie Meadows was one of 100 educators in the country chosen as an "Unsung Hero" by ING Financial Services.^[8][9]

Accreditation

• American Montessori Society
• Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
• Delaware Stars for Early Success - 5 Star Designation

Memberships

• Delaware Association of Independent Schools
• American Montessori Society
• Montessori Teachers' Association of Delaware
• National Association of Independent Schools

Notes

Further reading

• Zankowsky, Linda Stewart, Ed.D. (June 12, 2007). "School-wide reading assessment in a Montessori program". University of Delaware. p. 271. Retrieved February 3, 2008. This Educational Position Paper focuses on the design of a classroom-based reading assessment system for Wilmington Montessori School that provides: (1) evidence of children’s progress across the developmental milestones of reading, (2) proactive information about children at risk of later reading difficulties, (3) a framework for teachers to monitor children’s progress against the developmental milestones of reading (4) for the collection of information across the school community to evaluate the overall success of the school in supporting children’s reading growth, and 5) for the school to hold to the principles of the child-centered Montessori philosophy.  CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
• Rambusch, Nancy M.; Stoops, John A. (May 2002). "THE AUTHENTIC AMERICAN MONTESSORI SCHOOL. A Guide to the Self-Study, Evaluation, and Accreditation of American Schools Committed to Montessori Education." (pdf). The American Montessori Society and The Commission on Elementary Schools of The Middle States Association. p. 95. Retrieved February 6, 2008. Acknowledgments...In particular, Marie M. Dugan, who is both a CES Commissioner and a prominent leader of AMS and instrumental in joining the two organizations for this cooperative endeavor. The Wilmington Montessori School, which she heads, was the first to undergo the kind of evaluation presented in this Guide... 
• "Projects Funded by Five Star Restoration Program in FY01". epa.gov. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2010-07-18. Retrieved February 3, 2008. The Five Star Restoration Program was established so the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can work with its partners for education through community-based wetlands restoration projects in watersheds across the U.S. The National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Wildlife Habitat Council have joined together with EPA for this effort. 
• "2007 Toyota TAPESTRY Large Grant Awardees in association with the National Science Teachers Association". nsta.org. National Science Teachers Association. 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2008. While there are many funding sources available at the collegiate level, there are limited opportunities for pre-collegiate teachers to obtain funds for innovative teaching projects. Toyota TAPESTRY grants are a unique source of support for teachers who have an early influence on students. 
• Hembreck, Valerie. (Fall 2002) "If we build it, will they come? Creating a building as good as your school." Montessori Life, v14 n4 p11-13. (Article abstract)
• Gillespie, Terri. (Spring 1994) "You Start with Trust: An Interview with Marie M. Dugan. Montessori People" Montessori Life, v6 n2 p18-20. (Article abstract)
• Weaver, Catherine (1996). "Does Montessori Prepare Students for the Real World?". Tomorrow's Child, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1996. The Montessori Foundation. Retrieved February 4, 2008. Montessori schools have come "of age" since the early days. 
• "Fourth Annual Excellence in the Estuary Awards" (pdf). Estuary News. Volume 14, Issue 1, Fall 2003. delawareestuary.org. 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2008. In 2002, the students, staff, and administrators at the Wilmington Montessori School in Delaware undertook a large endeavor, to restore the stream bank of Perkins Run, a tributary to the Delaware River. 
• "Wings Players Present Lacrosse To Wilmington Montessori School". National Lacrosse League. March 29, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2008. The Philadelphia Wings will assist the Wilmington Montessori School in launching their new lacrosse program. 
• "Top 50 Recipients of Foundation Grants for Early Childhood, circa 1999" (pdf). foundationcenter.org. The Foundation Center. Retrieved February 3, 2008. Based on a national sample of 1,016 U.S. larger private and community foundations (including 800 of the 1,000 largest ranked by total giving) 
• "Top 50 Recipients of Foundation Grants in the State of Delaware, circa 1999" (pdf). foundationcenter.org. The Foundation Center. Retrieved February 3, 2008. 
• "Top 50 Recipients of Foundation Grants in the State of Delaware, circa 2001" (pdf). foundationcenter.org. The Foundation Center. Retrieved February 3, 2008. 
• "Top 50 Recipients of Foundation Grants in the State of Delaware, circa 2004" (pdf). foundationcenter.org. The Foundation Center. Retrieved February 3, 2008. 

External links

• Official Wilmington Montessori School website