Late Renaissance

Maria Montessori believed that students reaching this plane of development needed two things: protection during their difficult physical and emotional transitions and an understanding of the society they would soon be entering. One hundred years later, these remain the students’ greatest needs.

Our Late Renaissance Class—Montessori Middle School—is a supportive community where students know they are respected; where they can struggle, work hard, be responsible, challenge themselves, and discover the best of themselves. The curriculum starts with the basics—high level courses in English, Spanish, science, algebra, geometry, and humanities—and enhances them with life skills: cooperative learning, independent study, community service, day and week-long trips. The curriculum is integrated and students use hands-on materials and explorative tools alongside more traditional textbooks, tests, and grades. It’s Montessori stepped up—with the step linked to the students’ developmental needs and the teachers’ profound responsibility to prepare them for the next level.

The learning environment encourages the students to be leaders and take responsibility for the community and for their own education. Students are expected to think deeply and critically, to be intellectually independent, and to value the viewpoints of others. We encourage questions and honest, open discussions that connect students to the world of ideas.

The program includes an outdoor component rooted in Montessori’s vision for meaningful interaction with the land that includes the development of an environmental ethic of respect and reverence for the natural world.

All students enhance their physical and cooperative skills through participation in after school team activities and sports.

The Late Renaissance program is characterized by a rigorous and challenging academic program that supports the student’s inquisitive nature and inspires the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for scholarship in high school and beyond.