“Bloomington Montessori School has been my home away from home for most of my life. I attended the school for eight years as a child and have now been a teacher here for fifteen years. What I value most about the education I received at this exceptional school is my drive to follow and explore my passions. When I face a challenge, I am confident that I have the skills I need to face it. If the skills are lacking, I know I can find the resources I need to develop them. This allows me to move forward assertively in life knowing I can accomplish my goals. These work habits have allowed me to pursue many interesting and rewarding hobbies in addition to my twenty-year teaching career. I have been practicing martial arts for five years. I have been singing in a choir for fifteen years. Five years ago, I established, and I continue to operate a summer bird banding station. Having a full set of outside interests and hobbies allows for what Dr. Montessori called the “spiritual preparation of the adult,” the ability to engage with the world in a meaningful way inside and outside of the classroom.”
–Eve Cusack, BMS Class of 1987
“The students of the Bloomington Montessori service-learning program left a lasting impression on the staff and guests of Wheeler Mission. From start to finish they completed the project, “The Share Closet” for Wheeler Mission—Bloomington. From gathering the shelving from community partners, to mapping the floor plan, the students took action steps to turn an idea into a reality. Even as our programs and services have changed, the Share Closet still stands as space to provide clothing and other needed items to our neighbors experiencing homelessness is Bloomington. The students even influenced me to lower the required age of volunteers because I was so impressed by their planning and hard work. They gave a flare of creativity and heart, that we very rarely see in volunteer groups and are ALWAYS welcome to serve at Wheeler Mission—Bloomington.”
-Josie Rice, Community Coordinator
“BMS taught me a lot about social responsibility. I remember raising money for a family in need in the 6-9 and making toys for the animal shelter on Skip/Service Day. Every year, I was responsible for a different job to contribute to and help with in the classroom. Since BMS, I have joined several philanthropic groups and clubs, including Blooming Kids Can and the Y.E.S Club at Tri-North. It is my goal to get 150 service hours every year. I have achieved this for two year in a row so far. I am on Student Council at my high school, and I think that BMS prepared me to be able to take on more than one responsibility at a time."
– Teagan Hanna, BMS Class of 2019
“My Montessori education and upbringing has kept me connected to the Earth in a culture of video games and social media. In Early Childhood we would take nature walks and raise plants. I became really interested in botany and zoology in Lower Elementary and we did a cool environmental engineering project where we made water filters. In Upper Elementary, our class spent time hiking and camping and we talked a lot about interdependence. I began backpacking and using silent, alone time in nature as a way to destress and center myself in fourth grade. By sixth grade I was going on solo backpacking trips and camping close by home. After BMS, I have started the Lampkins Ridge Road Clean-up, an event that helps clean up a three-mile stretch of road and national forest property each Earth Day with myself and my neighborhood. I volunteer at the Community Orchard and like to learn about natural, local food systems. My family and I raise food, including “rows for the hungry” that we donate locally. My whole life seems to center on my connection to the woods. My mom calls this the ‘awe and reverence’ I learned at Montessori.”
--Mason Davis, BMS Class of 2017