To schedule an interview with Hershey Montessori School or to request an expert opinion or industry panelist,

please contact Communications Director, Deanna Shrum at dshrum@hershey-montessori.org. 

News Articles

Cleveland Magazine Cleveland-Area Schools Assess How GPA Impacts Rankings, Admissions and Overall Student Performance: Percentages, decimal points and grade inflation cloud GPA reality and assessment of student success, but what does this cumulative high-school tabulation mean anymore?

What’s really in this number?

In an academic age where grade inflation is acknowledged, and somewhat anticipated, and there’s “no agreement on what the number means,” how do we realistically look at GPA as a metric, says John Buzzard, campus director at Hershey Montessori School’s Huntsburg Campus.

Today, GPA is a pillar of ivory tower evaluation, and it always has been. It is a pervasive, real and often stressful achievement number that students cling to, parents monitor and colleges review. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business Preparing the next generation for success: Helping students develop critical workforce skills through STEM. The pillars of science, technology, engineering and math are rooted in a student’s educational experience at Hershey Montessori School, beginning from infancy through 12th grade. Babies and young children learn through a blend of indoor and outdoor environments, where play areas and green spaces inspire a holistic approach to childhood development that is a hallmark of a Montessori education.

“One of the first lessons students learn in elementary school is the story of carbon, the formation of earth and science and the giver of all life,” said Paula Leigh-Doyle, Hershey Montessori’s head of school. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business Reaching higher: Teacher’s roles evolving to improve instructional, learning experiences. Developing tomorrow’s leaders. While the pandemic upended workplace norms and abruptly shifted instruction to remote learning in the field of education, the disruption also afforded school leaders an opportunity. Even before the pandemic, teachers were requesting more professional collaboration and unique learning opportunities. Local educational leaders said the pandemic gave them the freedom to structure teaching positions more creatively, which has improved faculty recruitment and retention. According to the National Association of Independent Schools, a focus on modifying teachers’ roles to promote professional collaboration and improve their craft was identified as one of the top five trends to watch in independent schools for the 2021-2022 school year. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business

Crain’s Cleveland Business Data Scoop: Private high schools say ‘no’ to vaccine mandates, with notable exception. The vast majority of local private high schools aren’t requiring COVID-19 vaccines for staff or for students participating in extracurriculars, but a few schools — very few — have taken the leap. Of the 40 schools on the full digital version of Crain’s Private and Parochial High Schools list, 28 answered a question asking whether they are requiring staff to be vaccinated. Just one, Hawken School (No. 10 on the list), said yes. Only two schools said they’ll require students to be vaccinated for at least some extracurriculars: St. Martin de Porres High School (No. 21 on the list) and Hershey Montessori School’s Adolescent Program in Huntsburg (No. 39). Twenty-five schools answered a question on that topic. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders. Leadership can show itself in many ways, from a CEO directing a multinational corporation to a quarterback adjusting on the fly to a busted play. And much as it can be demonstrated in multiple ways, there’s no “right” way to teach leadership – and it can be taught. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business Thinking Outside the Screen: Schools maintain focus on global education, experiential learning during a pandemic. The trend in education – particularly at private schools – is experiential learning. Students shadow professionals in a career field they’re interested in pursuing. Many schools – public and private – have some type of community service requirement. Continue reading…

Geauga County Maple Leaf covers Hershey’s Multi-School Student Election Conference 

Hershey Montessori’s Upper School students recently held an election conference as part of their humanities project. The conference brought students and experts together virtually to discuss issues around elections, specifically, reforming the election process and governance. Continue reading…

Geauga County Maple Leaf covers Hershey’s Provisional Member approval by ISACS

Hershey Montessori School in Huntsburg Township has received provisional member status from Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). This membership opens the door for continued growth and professional development opportunities for Hershey staff and is the first step toward becoming an ISACS-accredited school, said Deanna Meadows-Shrum, the school’s director of marketing and communications. Continue reading

Chagrin Valley Today’s commentary on the State of Geauga County, including Hershey’s innovative programs

The state of Geauga County is strong. That was the conclusion from a group of politicians, business owners, educators and residents who gathered earlier this month to talk about what’s happening in the county. Their views reflected past progress as well as a peek into the future. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business profile’s Hershey Montessori School in its Private School Planner
Hershey Montessori School (HMS)  is one of the first schools in the world to offer a complete continuum of Montessori education that most closely replicates Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision, including a residential program for adolescents on a working farm. Continue reading…

Chagrin Valley Today’s story on our history making inaugural class.
Hershey Montessori School is not just about education. It’s about being a part of a community and working to have an impact on that community. So when it came to planning their graduation, the class of 2018 wasn’t just focused on themselves; they were focused on future generations. Continue reading…

Geauga County Maple Leaf covers the Middle and Upper School students climate change research presented at the Holden Arboretum.
Hershey Montessori School students are making a positive difference in an ongoing change of global magnitude. “I hope that they learned that their voices and contributions do make a difference, especially when they are well informed about information they want to share,” said Rachel McKinney, Hershey Montessori Upper School guide and farm manager. Hershey Montessori School students recently worked with Kirtland’s Holden Arboretum to inform visitors about the impact of climate change on the region’s trees and other plant life. Students from Huntsburg’s Upper School 10thand 11thgrade integrated science class presented findings of their research into the chemistry of climate… Continue reading

Geauga County Maple Leaf  covers Hershey Montessori School’s 40th anniversary.

Hershey Montessori School took the opportunity during its annual Harvest Festival Sept. 29, 2018 in Huntsburg Township to celebrate its 40th anniversary.  “I’m just grateful we’re all together for this wonderful tradition, this annual tradition to bring us together to share our common vision: to serve children from birth through 18 years old, and to provide them with optimal conditions for learning and growing into peace-loving citizens of the world,” said Candace DeSantis, president of the school’s board of directors…Continue reading

The News-Herald covers the grand opening celebration of the Upper School Building.
Hershey Montessori School will open the doors of its new, cutting edge facility to the public Feb. 10 during a grand opening celebration at the institution’s 97-acre Huntsburg Township campus. The 12,000-square-foot, roughly $3 million facility has been years in the making and is the only one of its kind in the region, school officials report. “The highly energy efficient building… will be the first school in the Midwest designed with Passive House Institute of the United States (PHIUS) criteria,” reads a Jan. 26 news release about the grand opening celebration. Continue reading…

Geauga County Maple Leaf shares information on our Upper School building and grand opening.
The 97-acre Huntsburg campus of Hershey Montessori School has a new, 13,000-square-foot Upper School classroom building officials say is the first academic building in the Midwest designed with the Passive House Institute of the United States criteria for energy efficiency and sustainability. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business highlights Hershey Montessori School’s Huntsburg Campus
Hershey Montessori School’s Huntsburg campus is anything but typical. For one, the 97-acre campus in Geauga County is home to a working farm with chickens, horses and a garden. There are no end-of-course exams. Students can live on campus, but even those who commute help cook for one another and care for the livestock, in addition to learning more traditional subjects like math or foreign languages. Continue reading…

Crain’s Cleveland Business profile’s Hershey Montessori School’s Huntsburg Campus Pedagogical Director, Laurie Ewert-Krocker
Laurie Ewert-Krocker began her career as a writing teacher at Cleveland State University. Back then, she was flanked by 18- to 20-year-olds who, she said, “were struggling and had lost faith in themselves or in the system of education.” Continue reading…