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Staff Spotlight: Sharyn Laux

Staff Spotlight: Sharyn Laux

Jan 18, 2022 | Featured Posts | 0 comments

This month’s Staff Spotlight features Hershey Montessori School Residential Guide Sharyn Laux.

Sharyn grew up a Montessori child and was encouraged by her parents to be herself, to ask questions, to be independent and follow her own path. She has done just that.

In her early twenties, she underwent Montessori training and received her AMI Primary certificate in 2001 and has since worked with both younger children and adolescents. Sharyn has studied theater, art, French, philosophy, business and English literature.

She has a genuine curiosity about life and people. Capturing Sharyn in simple text was not going to be easy, so for her interview, akin to Sharyn’s unique personality, we chose to do something different from our previous spotlights — we interviewed her in podcast format.

We hope you enjoy listening. You will see why Hershey students, parents, and staff embrace Sharyn as a warm, passionate, intriguing soul that lights up our school community.

Click this link and get ready to turn up the audio.

Thank you for all that you carry and exude, Sharyn. We appreciate what you do and who you are!

Adolescents Assess The Role of Police in Society

Adolescents Assess The Role of Police in Society

Dec 15, 2021 | School News | 0 comments

Preparing students for life after high school requires guiding them into and through critical thinking processes. Equipping students with research tools and the freedom to explore modern day issues allows them to participate in conversations that impact them and the society that surrounds them. This is a cornerstone of Montessori education at Hershey Montessori School. Shielding students from hot-button issues that our world faces can cause more stress than if we empower them with the freedom to gain knowledge and understanding of the issues and then allow them to formulate their own opinions. This is exactly what our Upper School students tackled in its latest Humanities project.

Hershey’s ninth and tenth year students embarked on a study on “The Role of the Police”. Students examined the history of policing in the world and in the United States. It posed the question, what should be the appropriate role of the police in society?

Each student participated in lectures and expert presentations from police officers Lieutenant Donna Holden and Officer Vashon Williams of the Euclid Police Department. They also met with  Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, who made national news in 2014 when Tamir was tragically shot and killed by Cleveland police outside a local recreation center.

Students were responsible for their own research, and were asked to look at issues such as police accountability, police and community relationships, police training, SWAT techniques and tactics, and groups like Black Lives Matter that are active in seeking police reform.

Students were also divided into topic-based groups where each group developed ideas for artwork connected to what they were learning about their topic. Volunteer artists in the class were called upon to actualize the vision of each of these groups. The artwork would effectively become an expressive mural in the Upper School building at the school’s Huntsburg campus.

Additionally, students met in randomly organized groups to discuss police reform and police expectations. Much of this information is captured in interviews that are part of a documentary feature created by several of the students, with 9th year Willow Athens acting as lead and editor. The students shared their conclusions, which were as varied as their chosen topics revolving around the subject. Some of the takeaways included the need for additional police training pertaining to race, mental health, and de-escalation. Additional funding for training and mandates were also recommended by some.

They finally concluded the Humanities project, their mural, and their project documentary by discussing policing and then took questions from peers, community leaders and experts, as well as Samaria Rice who joined the class virtually. The event included refreshments and gifts for the experts who participated through contribution to the work of the students.

“It was a great experience to see students wrestling with all sides of this complicated issue and coming to recognize the humanity of everyone — citizens and police — is critical,” says Humanities guide John Buzzard. “When we see all people as human, we want to support all and provide the resources and understanding needed for everyone to feel success and value.”

Staff Spotlight: Karen Hannan-DeWalt

Staff Spotlight: Karen Hannan-DeWalt

Dec 13, 2021 | Featured Posts | 0 comments

This month’s Staff Spotlight features Hershey Montessori School Children’s House Guide, Karen Hannan-DeWalt. Karen first joined the Hershey family in 1993 as a parent before obtaining her Montessori diploma and starting work at the school in 1998. As a Children’s House guide, Karen’s job is to observe the children’s interests, needs, social interactions, and readiness for lessons. Using these observations, she seeks out the most effective ways to connect children to work that offers just the right amount of challenge to engage their bodies and minds. She wants her students to work toward success and to feel like their presence in, and contributions to, the community are meaningful. She enjoys supporting the development of good citizens and thoughtful leaders.

Having been trained in biology, she offers a unique perspective to Hershey students. “I love to connect the children to nature, and I revel in their discoveries,” says Karen. Her favorite part about working at Hershey is the connections she makes with her students. She loves working with the same children for 3 or 4 years as it gives her the opportunity to know each student deeply. Karen views it as a privilege to witness her students’ successes and growth over this span of time and to watch them become leaders in the community.

Before coming to Hershey, Karen was a stay-at-home mom with her children for several years. Prior to that, she worked as a cytogenetics technologist, a college biology teaching assistant, and an environmental planner. Karen grew up in Wickliffe, Ohio, and currently resides in Hambden Township near Chardon. She is married and has three grown sons who all went to Hershey from the age of one all the way through middle school. She also has one granddaughter who participated in Hershey’s Parent-Infant program.

Below is our full interview with Karen:

 

What brought you to Hershey?

I was introduced to Hershey by the founder of its precursor, Western Reserve Montessori, who recommended the school for my oldest son. After one visit, I was hooked. The children seemed happy, engaged, and peaceful. After many observations of my own children at work in their environments, I felt compelled to become trained as a guide.

 

What draws you to Montessori?

Children are respected as individuals and the whole child is nurtured. Mixed age groups in one community creates a family-like atmosphere where older children generously share their skills with younger children. Maria Montessori was ahead of her time, and her observations and ideas have now been confirmed by modern neuroscience. I get very excited talking about it!

 

Favorite Hershey memory?

Seeing my sons happily working in their classrooms when they were younger.

 

Favorite place to go?

Any creek or river. That is my happy place.

 

Favorite thing to do?

The most peaceful thing I have ever done is snorkel in the Cayman Islands. I also like to kayak and work in my yard.

 

Little known fact about you?

I love hardware stores and tools.

 

How would your friends and family describe you?

Loving, likes to laugh, and good listener.

 

How would you describe yourself?

An observer of human nature, an introvert, someone who likes to connect one on one.

 

What has been your happiest moment?

Seeing my sons grow to be good humans.

 

What is a big life lesson you would like to share with others?

If you live true to yourself with integrity, you won’t have any regrets.

 

We cannot thank Karen enough for her contributions to our school community. She is a friend, mentor, and role model to all of her fellow staff and students, and it is an honor to have her as a member of our Hershey family.

Hershey Launches Emerging Leaders Program

Hershey Launches Emerging Leaders Program

Nov 9, 2021 | School News | 0 comments

Hershey Montessori School is always reaching for new ways to advance the learning and interests of its adolescent community. Students in a Montessori education are encouraged to follow their interests, engage in deep intellectual inquiry, and expand self-assessment toward self- perfection within or beyond the national academic standards.

In an effort to continue guiding our students toward their goals and passions, Hershey is excited to announce the successful launch of our new Emerging Leaders Program. The Emerging Leaders program promotes dialogue and interactions with professionals, community and social leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs for the purpose of equipping students with the tools to become effective, impactful leaders of the future.

Middle School Director Tania Bertolone, who was instrumental in building the program said, “As Montessori students, these adolescents are primed for this kind of work. They already know how to follow their passions and independently engage in their work. The Emerging Leaders program allows them to expand on that knowledge and know-how and apply it to projects outside their regular academic classes and lessons. As an educator, the response and outcomes we are already seeing from our students is exciting – it’s truly rewarding.”

The Microeconomy, a long-standing essential commerce component of Hershey’s Adolescent Program, teaches students about production and exchange. Emerging Leaders takes those learned skills and experiences and brings them to the next level. The Emerging Leaders course allows students to explore an innovative mindset and gives them the opportunity, time, and space to explore their creativity. Students are encouraged to think as entrepreneurs and innovators. This allows them to generate ideas for creative problem-solving and business endeavors that will promote well-being and economic prosperity in our local communities and on our school’s campus.

The Emerging Leaders Program serves as a Business credit for Upper School students.

If you would like more information on Hershey’s Emerging Leaders program, please contact Tania Bertolone at tbertolone@hershey-montessori.org.

A Season of Thanks and GivingTuesday

A Season of Thanks and GivingTuesday

Nov 1, 2021 | School News | 0 comments

November ushers in a season of thanksgiving and gratitude. The staff, students, and administration of Hershey Montessori School are so grateful for our community and all who support it in all the various ways – whether it is through contribution of time, talent, finances, or voice, everyone has something to give and every act of generosity counts.

This month, we have the opportunity to participate in GivingTuesday. GivingTuesday is a global movement meant to unleash the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

If you love Montessori as much as we do, and it aligns with your values, we invite you to support Hershey Montessori School in our mission and approach to nurture the whole child. You can unleash the power of radical generosity and help grow our Montessori community this GivingTuesday. Join others across our community and across the globe by spreading the spirit of gratitude through your own personal action and generosity. You can make a direct impact by opening the Montessori door to exploration and learning for more children and adolescents.

Children and adolescents who attend Hershey Montessori School gain experience in self-discipline, deep focus, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and the development of advanced executive functioning skills, which builds autonomy throughout life. The Montessori Method has been proven to assist lifelong learning from as early as infancy and is even successfully used to aid the elderly by creating prepared environments, stimulating brain function and memory association that enables them to care for themselves, others, and their community. Montessori methods foster confidence and engagement at an individual pace, empowering creativity and independence to flourish.

At Hershey, we value each student’s journey through academic and personal growth. We invite you to help our mission reach across the globe and give the gift of more Montessori for more children with a donation to Hershey Montessori School today. Just click the GIVINGTUESDAY graphic below!