The Montessori Secondary Classroom

The Montessori Secondary classroom provides a prepared learning environment for adolescents that integrates vigorous student-centered academic studies with purposeful work, preparing them to become contributing adult citizens who are self-confident and possess skills needed to thrive in society.

Adolescent communities allow opportunities for collaborative work and student leadership through:

• Daily student-led community meetings
• Activities, such exploring philosophical questions through Socratic discourse, inquiry-based problem solving, and applied scientific method, that encourage diversity of perspectives, thoughts, and learning styles
• A community within the classroom that encourages participation in classroom government and offers other leadership opportunities
• Montessori Secondary programs promote responsible and ethical use of technology, with the majority of the school day spent in learning activities and practices that require peer-to-peer and student-teacher interaction rather than screen time.

The Montessori Secondary curriculum is characterized by interconnections that deepen learning, including:

• Micro-economic experiences such as developing and running a business or selling produce at a farmer’s market that promote a genuine understanding of currency and the value of work.
• Field work that may include land labs, camping, internships, service learning, entrepreneurship, and outdoor education trips.

Excerpted from the online article Retaining Your Child in Montessori School - The advantages of continuing with Montessori. American Montessori Society

The article covers the value of a Montessori education at all ages, infancy through high school, as well as why it is important to keep your child in a Montessori environment as long as possible. Students who stay at Renaissance through eighth grade transition easily into high school with all of the skills necessary to be successful...academically, socially, and emotionally. Because high school is a mix of students coming in from lots of different area middle schools, Renaissance included, it's a much easier time to integrate socially, and developmentally, as opposed to doing so earlier. Area high schools seek Renaissance Alumni because they have consistently proven to be top performers in high school, self-directed learners with strong communication skills in peer-to-peer, group, and teacher-student interactions. Make sure your child rises to the top by staying through 8th grade.

A special THANK YOU to all of our hardworking parents and staff who did a fantastic job of running a smooth tournament and a hugely successful concessions stand! It takes a village, and ours is simply the BEST!