There is something incredible happening at Greensboro Montessori School!

That “incredible” lives within the people and the work our students do every day; that “incredible” permeates our culture and the program. When any of us answer the question, “Why Greensboro Montessori School?”, this “incredible” is most likely part of our answer. We intuitively and deeply know there is extreme value in a Greensboro Montessori education. We know that the School both nurtures and pushes our children; loves and empowers them. We know that our children are learning to think critically and originally, to look beyond polarizing black and white perspectives, to lean into complex and difficult ideas, and to work effectively, eagerly, and ethically within a team. We know that there are some of the best teachers in the entire state of North Carolina caring for our children every single day. We feel this.

While we all know these things to be true, our team has been working on providing families with data points that answer this question (Why Greensboro Montessori School?) in a more analytical fashion. In our reenrollment packets, you will see some of the quantitative data we have been gathering. You’ll see data that tells you the average ACT score in North Carolina is 19 and our college-aged alumni’s average is 30. Or that our students’ English composite scores on our standardized tests is in the 92nd percentile nationally. Or that 88% of our students feel like they were very well prepared high school.

In addition to quantitative data like this, there is also important qualitative data that answers this same question. Some of the best qualitative data comes from our alumni students and families. At our recent Grow With Us event for each of our students and families who will transition into a new division in the fall, we invited two of our alumni parents, Nancy King Quaintance and Dennis Quaintance, to reflect on why they kept their two college-aged children at Greensboro Montessori from toddler through to graduation. Below are a few excerpts from their remarks:

[dt_sc_pullquote type="pullquote1" align="center" icon="yes" textcolor="#81d742"]The thing that kept bringing us back and causing us to know that Greensboro Montessori School was the place we wanted to be can be summed up in one phrase - a loving community. We felt like our children were understood and appreciated for who they were.[/dt_sc_pullquote]

[dt_sc_pullquote type="pullquote1" align="center" icon="yes" textcolor="#81d742"]Another thing that brought us back is that we believe that for any organization, to really function to its potential, it has to have a compass and a sense of north. And every time we were in a [parent] conference whether it was with Doug or Jonathan in middle school or with the Primary teachers, without it being scripted, [the teachers] would say 'this is happening because its part of the idea of children being eager learners and discovering their potential to become responsible global citizens.' It makes me want to cry because imagine if we could do that as a whole global society.[/dt_sc_pullquote]

Those qualitative data points spoken by alumni parents who were at our School for 12 years can help inspire those of us who have had children at the School for only one or two years. Perhaps even more inspiring, though, is listening to their college sophomores reflect on their journey at Greensboro Montessori School. Please click on the link below to hear why they loved their time with us:

Finally, one more type of answer to the question, "Why Greensboro Montessori School?", comes from scholarly research. Dr. Maria Montessori herself was a scientist. Her methods and practices were all based on known science about human development and student learning. Educational scholars and practitioners are also always reflecting on and researching the Montessori methodology.

A 2012- 2016 Longitudinal study involving 43 Montessori Programs was recently published by the Riley Institute at Furman University. One of their conclusions was “a higher percentage of students in Montessori programs met or exceeded state performance benchmarks in language arts, math, science, and social studies, and showed faster growth in language arts over the course of the study.”

And if you need one more answer, it’s because it’s what we ultimately want for our children. We want them to be successful, well-adjusted, confident, competent, and creative people. And we know that Greensboro Montessori School can help them become just that.

Really, what more could we ask for?

We are pleased to introduce you to Andy King, a member of the Greensboro Montessori School graduating class of 2014 and the founder of our new Alumni Ambassador program. Andy and his family have been deeply connected to our school community since he was very young. He and his two brothers began at GMS when they were toddlers and continued through the primary, elementary and middle school years. Andy is currently a senior at Greensboro Day School and for the last three years, he has consistently received academic honors on the Head's List which recognizes students who maintain an A average (90 and above) on their semester report cards.

Alumni Ambassador

Andy King, Class of 2014 and Founder of the GMS Alumni Ambassador Program

Andy is also an accomplished musician and percussionist. He is active in his high school pep band which plays on the sidelines at basketball games to energize the fans and the team. He also enjoys playing in a band with his fellow GMS classmate, Jake Breeden, and GMS faculty members, Jonathan McLean and Doug Williams. The quartet (which goes by the name “Reverend Cleveland and the Graduates”) can be found rehearsing in the evenings in the GMS upper school, and occasionally playing local venues such as Scuppernong Books, churning out a wide variety of instrumental music from jazz to swing.

Outside of school, Andy is an avid mountain biker and sports enthusiast. “I like to mountain bike, not only because it’s exhilarating but because it is a great way to get out in nature. I love to be in nature; it is very calming and helps me feel grounded especially when I am stressed. I am also interested in sports and I play all the time with my family and friends. It is a fun way for me to get exercise. And I enjoy the social aspect of watching sports together with friends.” Andy recently joined the Guilford Gears Composite Mountain Bike Team. The team races against other teams from around North Carolina and recently won 2nd place in a state-wide competition during their inaugural season.

Andy also loves traveling on new adventures. This summer he spent two weeks in Guatemala where he volunteered his time working in rural healthcare clinics. In this service learning expedition, his group assisted medical fellows by testing blood glucose levels and recording vital signs of patients seeking healthcare. Andy also enjoyed spending time with his family this summer in their annual mountain biking trek in Crested Butte, Colorado. “The town has a special place in our hearts as we go every year. The people are always nice, and the natural scenery around the town is stunning. Then we traveled further west to tour Yosemite National Park in California. Without a doubt, it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life!”

As someone who is genuinely kind and insightful, Andy is not shy when sharing about how much he cares for his family. His parents John and Beth King have supported all three of their sons through full educational journeys at Greensboro Montessori School. Andy is the middle of three brothers; his older brother, Aubrey, attends Washington University in St. Louis, MO and his younger brother, A.J., is a 7th grader at Greensboro Montessori School. Andy has a deep respect for the entrepreneurial legacy that began with his great-grandfather at J.A. King company and he has aspirations of joining the family business one day. When asked to share one of his proudest accomplishments, he said, “I recently logged over 300 hours of working as a scale technician at J.A. King company. I started in the summer of 2016, and have loved spending my summers getting experience in the real world and building my knowledge further. This milestone is a way of showing recognition of the work that I have put in, and I am very proud of myself for reaching it.”

Thanks to Andy King for standing tall as a leader and a role model in our alumni community. His hard work and initiative are helping us pave the way for new leadership opportunities for his fellow graduates for years to come.

Greensboro Montessori School alumni have a built in network of support with each other, and we got a bird’s eye view of how special that network is when we welcomed our college-agedalumni back to campus for a reunion and cookout on the evening of Sunday, August 7. The spirit of belonging was palpable. As each alum walked through the door, the alums who had already arrived would call the person's name and cheer. For those of us faculty in attendance, it was heartwarming to see and feel!

Several of the alumni asked for a tour of our recently renovated classrooms and reminisced as they walked through their Toddler, Primary and Lower Elementary classrooms recalling the names of their teachers and pointing out Montessori materials that they remembered. Our director of marketing and development, Jillian Crone, commented, “They wanted to see everything and kept remarking how nice the School looked. One alum asked, 'Can we see Cathy Moses’ Lower Elementary classroom?' I had to tell them things had changed and Cathy had moved to Upper Elementary, but more importantly, I was amazed how personally invested they were in their former teachers and classroom details. They clearly relate to Greensboro Montessori School as if it were their childhood home.”

At dinner, the alumni were joined by long time Middle School faculty members Deirdre Kearney, Doug Williams and Jonathan McLean, plus former teacher Angela Cook, who taught middle school science for eight years and led the School in the founding of the our nationally acclaimed Land Program in Oak Ridge. The alumni were eager to reconnect with their mentors, and share stories of their recent adventures. International travel was a hot topic since no less than eight of our youthful dinner guests had either just returned from, or are soon departing for, an extended trip abroad; some traveling with the university and some exploring on their own. We heard stories of visits to London, Mannheim, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam and shared our well wishes for Bridget Lavender (Class of 2010) who departs very soon for a semester in Perugia, Italy. For many of our alumni, their capstone field trips in 8th grade to the United Nations in the Fall and Costa Rica in the Spring ignites a passion for experiencing life and culture around the globe.

Alumni gatherings like these are a great way for us to follow the evolution of our graduates and learn how their foundational experiences at Greensboro Montessori School continues to shape them into adulthood. As we approach our 20th graduation ceremony in June 2017, we look forward to sharing more alumni stories as a way of telling the world just how transformative a Greensboro Montessori School education can be.

At a glance - Where are they now?

Greensboro Montessori School alumni attend a variety of colleges and universities across the nation. Our Alumni Reunion on August 7, 2016 welcomed students who attend the following:

· Davidson College (Davidson, N.C.)

· East Carolina University (Greenville, N.C.)

· Lees-McRae College (Banner Elk, N.C.)

· North Carolina State University

· Rice University (Houston, Texas)

· University of Chicago

· University of North Carolina at Asheville

· University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

· University of North Carolina at Greensboro

· University of South Carolina (Columbia, S.C.)

· Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

· Washington University (St. Louis, Mo.)