Photo by Sydney Cromwell
Greg Smith and Chris Schell inside the classroom that will be the short-term home of Creative Montessori School’s seventh- and eighth-grade program, beginning in 2018-19.
As Creative Montessori School gets ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, they’ll do so with two new grades, as seventh and eighth grade students join the fold at the Homewood private school.
“Our parents have always inquired about the possibility of a seventh and eighth [grade] school program,” CMS Executive Director Greg Smith said in a news release. “It’s even more exciting that it coincides with our 50th anniversary in the fall. The addition of Christopher Schell to our faculty reinforces the demand for Montessori education in Birmingham.”
Schell came last year from Savannah, Georgia, where he helped launch a middle school program at a Montessori school there. In the 2017-18 school year, he worked on special projects with students in grades 4-6 while preparing the launch of the adolescent program.
Montessori curriculum includes rigorous academic instruction as well as character lessons. Students are encouraged to be good stewards of their environment and taught to take part in rural revitalization, Schell said.
“We just facilitate as their teachers,” Schell said of his role. “We will keep them on pace, make sure they’re meeting their goals.”
Students fill out a goals sheet and have some choices in what those goals are, Schell said.
Natalie Garcia, communications and development director for CMS, said the school has reached maximum capacity at every level and, for this year, will use a rented annex space next to the school while they plan for future expansion.
Smith said there are 10 students in this year’s program, and the school expects 14 to 20 students next year.
“We just have a lot of opportunity to provide a breadth of knowledge and experience that I don’t think you always get in a more traditional setting,” Smith said.
More information about the school can be found online at cmskids.org.
