Nov 11, 2022 | Featured Posts, Life at Hershey, School Blog, School News |
Hershey Montessori School extends our gratitude and thanks to the Ohio Arts Council for approving a grant that will allow teaching artist Laurel Herbold to work directly with the 9th-12th grade students in our upper school community for a year-long residency. The yearlong project, titled Mastering Murals: Upper School Adolescent Mural Project at Hershey Montessori School, will provide students throughout our upper school community with the opportunity to learn, grow and mature in their understanding of mural arts. It will also help students develop their creative expression and build skills in areas such as filmmaking, photography, graphic arts, and entrepreneurship.
Laurel will be on campus for an average of 26 hours per week for 32 weeks. The residency will culminate in a permanent, large-scale wall mural with removable sections, videos, images, postcards, and posters that will be presented to the entire school community. For the project, Laurel will guide students through the entire mural creation process including the planning timeline, design, materials, paints and brushes, painting technique, and presentation.
Students working on this project will have the opportunity to share what they are learning with the Concord school community as part of community building and the mastery process, which includes students demonstrating their knowledge and growth through teaching others. Students may join this project throughout the year, and students who help Laurel through the first two quarters will lead a mural workshop for upper elementary (grades 4-6) during the fourth quarter.
This project will be accessible to students and families through both an in-person event and online communications and will be widely accessible from an ADA perspective. The success of the residency will be measured through student engagement, student articulation (the ability to clearly explain what was learned), and valorization (a Montessori term meaning that a student becomes strong and feels worthy, confident in their work, and capable of moving the work and themselves forward to pursue other ideologies) and guide observation.
Hershey is excited to share this opportunity with the adolescents and families in our community, and we are honored to have Laurel join us for the first two quarters of the 2021-2022 school year and the first 2 quarters of the 2022-2023 school year. Once again, we would like to thank the Ohio Arts Council for their generous grant and support for this project.
Hershey would also like to extend a special thanks to Martha Loughridge, a grant writer for Montessori Development Partnerships. Without her help, none of this would be possible. MDP was founded in 1990 by Debra Guren and David Kahn. MDP’s mission is to bring human and financial resources into a coordinated effort that results in greater support for Montessori schools in North America. Their vision is to bring more access to Montessori for more children. You can find more information about MDP by visiting their website, https://www.montessori-mdp.org/.
Mar 4, 2020 | Featured Posts, Life at Hershey |
Abriella Minotti, a senior at Hershey Montessori School, recently spoke at the State of Geauga forum held at Kent State University’s Geauga campus. A group of approximately 150 politicians, business owners, educators and residents gathered to hear and to talk about what’s happening in Geauga County. The views shared reflected past progress, current status, and gave a glimpse into the future.
Minotti addressed the topic of Education, including the innovative programs at Hershey’s Huntsburg campus, which is home to the school’s Adolescent program. She extended an open invitation to the Geauga County community to visit Hershey Montessori School.
As a senior, Minotti serves as an adjunct staff member for Hershey’s Admissions Department where she provides presentations and tours to families, individuals, and organizations interested in learning more about the school. You can learn more about the Hershey Montessori School admissions process here
Other speakers addressed the areas of Agriculture, Arts & Leisure, Business, Government, Health & Safety, and Human Services.
You can read more about this in the Chagrin Valley Times.
Jan 14, 2020 | Current Parents, Featured Posts, Life at Hershey |
“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking: it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.” — Dr. Maria Montessori, Education and Peace
Communication in today’s world has many avenues. Just imagine that it was only 30 years ago that both cell phones and the Internet took hold. Information that was once exchanged verbally is now delivered via texts, emails, tweets, posts, and pictures. It is now more relevant than ever to continue to cultivate and enhance face-to-face, interpersonal relationship skills — and this is something that Montessori education certainly strives for. Instilling the relevance of these crucial interpersonal communication skills in each and every student is one of the hallmarks of our program.
This past week, the entire Hershey staff had the opportunity to attend an all-day workshop on Needs-Based Communication, also known as Nonviolent Communication (NVC). NVC is a method of communication that transforms old patterns of reactiveness and defensiveness into compassion and empathy with the hope of improving both communication as well as relationships.
The workshop was led by Gregg Kendrick, founder of Basileia, LLC. NVC greatly aligns with Montessori pedagogy as it creates a space for attention and respect in every moment. This is something that we certainly can use more of in today’s world. NVC lays a solid foundation by incorporating observation, feelings, and needs with both empathy and honesty. If practiced regularly, this model can enrich and strengthen communication.
In the coming months, the staff will connect what was learned and incorporate more of these skills with students, parents, and each other, to promote a more harmonious and enriching community. To find out more about the Hershey Montessori education you can view more on our information page.
To learn more about NVC, visit Basileia.org.
Jan 12, 2020 | Alumni Spotlight, Current Parents, Events, Hershey Alumni, Life at Hershey, School Blog |
Members of the graduating classes of 2018 and 2019 recently returned home to Hershey Montessori School for its annual Alumni Day.
The graduates hosted a panel discussion with current students where they reflected on their time at Hershey and answered questions about life after high school. The graduates went on to share valuable insights regarding their transition to college, making new friends, and various tips to help students as they continue their own journey in the years to come.
The alumni were also gracious in their time as they participated in a Q&A session with Hershey parents via video conference.
We are grateful to all who were able to join us for this informative, heart-warming, welcome home event.
Many thanks to Mathematics, Business and Microeconomy Guide, Jennifer Snead, for organizing this event, and to all of the alumni for taking the time to share their wisdom with the Hershey community.
Nov 25, 2019 | Life at Hershey |
“A shop, or store, could be established…and here the students could easily sell and bring their produce of their fields and garden, and other things that they have made.” ~ Maria Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence.
Hershey Montessori Middle and Upper School students are excited to offer a special selection of microeconomy products through their new online market.
Available products include hand-crafted cutting boards, wooden spoons and spatulas, beeswax candles, maple syrup products, and more. Many of these items can be purchased as part of the beautiful Holiday Market Chest being offered for a limited time only.
Students have been working diligently on the new online platform and are pleased to have taken the next step in experiencing entrepreneurship and small business through this practical and relevant application known as e-commerce.
The Microeconomy is a hallmark component of Hershey Montessori School’s Adolescent Community. Dr. Maria Montessori envisioned adolescents participating in and managing small business endeavors in order to experience economic activity in their community – the “microeconomy.”
Today’s students have additional options for exploring and demonstrating the fundamental concepts of entrepreneurship as they manage all the aspects of the Hershey Market. Students are responsible for marketing, sales management, customer service, inventory, order fulfillment, accounting systems, and much more.
Shop the Hershey Market online or view the full array of high-quality products, made from natural resources harvested from the Huntsburg, OH farm campus, by visiting us in person. Contact us at 440-636-6290.
Proceeds from sales go to the Microeconomy to sustain the needs of the farm and Microeconomy activities.
Learn more about our Adolescent Program.
Nov 15, 2019 | Events, Life at Hershey |
Three Hershey Montessori Calculus students recently attended Youngstown State University’s MathFest, where they competed with other high school students from all around Ohio. Afterward, the group, along with Math Guide Jennifer Snead, attended various workshops aimed at exploring additional math concepts. Some of the available options included Mathematics of Origami, Archimedes, and the Mathematics of Cells in Your Heart. It was a fun math day, and an event Hershey Montessori School plans to continue participation in the years to come. Congratulations ladies. You represent us well!
(Pictured above from left to right: Math Guide Jennifer Snead, Maya Harwood, Lucy McNees and Sylvia Altman.)
