Our ninth year of classes at Hilltop Montessori School in Steubenville is well underway!
Our 49 students now learn across four programs. Children start in Toddler when they can walk stably and they stay in that program until about three years old. Primary brings together children ages three to six. About six years old they move into Elementary, where they remain until 12. But that’s not all…
This ninth year we have our first students in an all-new Adolescent Program! Two of them moved up from our Elementary Program at the end of last year, and another student — the older brother of other students already with us at Hilltop — decided to jump in as well.
We will do more in-depth posts on the various programs, but for now here’s a rundown of what’s been going on.
Adolescent
Adolescent is our newest program. Two students who spent the last four years with Mr. Tom in Elementary moved up to be founding students. They were joined by the older brother of two other students who are in our Elementary Program.
Adolescent begins at 12 years old and is able to extend through the high school years. In the Adolescent Program the students have seminar classes on vital subjects. The real difference that a Montessori Adolescent Program makes is in the Occupations area.
Children in this plane of development are looking for how they can make their mark on the world. They are looking for something they can do that will make an impact. Our Adolescent Program will provide the students with the space and guidance to develop a business enterprise so the students can learn various vital lessons through real-world application.
Mathematics isn’t just learned, it is applied in production, marketing, and setting prices. Students learn language skills by applying them in marketing and reports. Research concerning what to make or what service to provide helps students to develop their understanding of local culture and historical knowledge.
Our three pioneering students work to craft their classroom environment to feed their educational needs. They set the menu and prepare their own lunches. Earlier in the fall they cleared an overgrown garden and planted seeds for fall-winter harvest crops. They also have begun making custom-stamped stationery with different themes and messages.
With their guides they continue to discuss what larger endeavor they will pursue, but with the creativity and drive that these students bring to the table we expect the program to grow into something notable.
The guides are Theresa Kish and Kaela Doty, both recent graduates of the Psychology Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Both were also interns here at Hilltop last year, and we are thrilled that they have taken on these pioneering roles.
In fact, we are excited to share that Theresa has begun the formal diploma training for the Adolescent level through an AMI training center in Sweden!
Elementary
Elementary began its fifth year with 17 students. This is the first year that none of the students had zero previous Montessori experience.
That may not seem like much to the outside observer, but it makes a difference. Students who began in a conventional school, or even in a homeschool setting, generally struggle to adjust to the nexus of freedom and personal responsibility that characterize a Montessori classroom.
In Elementary, children really start taking responsibility for their own learning. They record in a work journal the sequence of works they did in a given day. Through regular meetings with the Guide they evaluate their own work, set goals, and evaluate how they’ve done on goals previously set.
Perhaps, most importantly, Elementary students are forming their moral consciousness. They ask the deeper questions of why is something right or wrong. Why is something just or unjust. They confront the injustices of others, and those they perpetrate on others. They also experience the grace and kindness of others and have the opportunity to show the same. In this environment, children are encouraged and guided in thinking through how to make good choices, and why some options may be better than others — even when neither option is bad, but one may be better.
Within a Montessori program which follows the Catholic foundations that Maria Montessori established, we talk about these questions with reference to authentic moral reasoning.
As for the academics, well, the sky is the limit for what an Elementary student can learn. Their minds are nimble and capable. Their curiosity global. Their energy unstoppable. Our guide’s biggest challenge often times is keeping up with their insatiable desire to learn more!
Our guide once again is Tom Crowe, co-founder and member of the Board with Hilltop. Tom earned his AMI Elementary diploma and is in his fifth year as Elementary guide. Our assistant guide is Jack Thornton, who has completed his AMI Elementary certification. He also has a background in ABA counseling, and is in his second year as assistant guide.
Primary
Twenty one students keep our Primary guide and assistant guide hopping. These students explore through sensory experiences. They learn how to take care of their environment, and how to control their own bodies.
Primary really is the major Montessori foundation. Moreso than any other level, Primary is where the real and everlasting impact of Montessori happens most powerfully. It was where Maria Montessori developed the basis of the method. When the University of Virginia determined that only Montessori eliminates the achievement gap due to family income, the Primary level of Montessori was the place where that effect was most pronounced.
This year is no different than past years: students learn to:
- recognize and order things according to size, texture, color, temperature, volume, and more;
- form letters and associate the primary sound with each;
- recognize and name geometric solids;
- put together puzzle maps of the states of the USA and the countries of each continent;
- add, subtract, and lay the foundation for multiplication;
- learn great quantities of vocabulary and functions of words;
- begin to understand music and pitch;
- so much more
HMS Co-founder and school director Noelle Hiester Crowe is once again the guide in Primary. She has her AMI Primary Diploma from the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies, and is in her ninth year in this role. Noelle’s assistant is Leia Kadelak, another recent graduate from the Psychology Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Leia is in her first year as assistant, and has been learning quickly!
Primary is our original and most important program, and we are thrilled that it is doing so well.
Toddler
Our Toddler Program is in its third year. Housed in rented space nearby, Toddler has a rolling admission so it has students joining as the year goes on. Toddler helps children as young at 16 months old begin to operate independently in a real way.
Children in Toddler are able to walk, but classroom materials help them to strengthen this skill. Other materials give them the foundation in how to differentiate among sensory experiences. They have the opportunity to prepare and eat their own snack. They learn to take off and put on their own shoes. Children in Toddler begin to realize they can do things independent of their parents, and how to take ownership of their own actions.
Toddler is once again led by Rebekah Feeley, who has AMI training in both Toddler and Adolescent. Rebekah spent three years as Tom’s assistant in Elementary, and she grew up in and around a Montessori environment (her mother is an AMI Elementary guide who taught in and led Montessori schools for decades). Rebekah’s assistant is Ayla Wolfram, mother of students in our Elementary and Adolescent programs and a great fit for this role.
A Great Year Ahead
We are already well into the second quarter of our school year. So many great learning opportunities have already played out, and so much more good stuff is ahead this year.