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The Montessori School of Westminster was established by a group of dedicated parents who chose the Montessori Method as the ideal learning style for their children. The nonprofit, parent-run school is managed by a board and has operated continuously in Carroll County since 1974.
MSW currently serves approximately 120 students ages 2 to 15 and from Carroll, Baltimore and Frederick counties in Maryland, as well as students from Pennsylvania. It is the only program in Carroll County providing Montessori education for elementary and middle grades.
MSW provides a unique, hands-on alternative to traditional educational settings.
- The environment is child-centered instead of teacher-centered. The Montessori Guide is trained to be a catalyst and will direct, rather than teach.
- The Montessori approach to learning focuses on fostering a child’s natural inquisitiveness and helps them to learn how to find the answers. A child is able to develop the person within to achieve his or her greatest potential.
- Multi-year classrooms (eg, first through third grades in lower elementary) allows children of various ages work together; students progress through the learning experience when they are ready both socially and academically. Older children have the opportunity to hear presentations again, reviewing and reinterpreting information, while younger children hear more advanced presentations and can be included when they are ready.
- The curriculum builds the whole child to interact with the community and environment around them, including Spanish language and culture and environmental education for all ages.
MSW is located on 27 picturesque acres in Westminster. The natural setting includes a maintained nature trail, vegetable and butterfly gardens, and a natural stream, all of which are integrated into the curriculum.
The 14,000-square-foot academic building houses classrooms designed for the needs of 2- and 3-year-old beginning students, 3- to 6-year-old primary learners, elementary students and the middle school. The 4,800-square-foot field house provides year-round space for sports and a separate classroom for the arts.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new sidewalks were installed around the exterior of the building, allowing safe access to each classroom’s exterior door and enabling each class to operate as a self-contained “pod.” The campus’s Wi-Fi network also was strengthened, creating the opportunity for shared learning between on-campus and at-home students.
The Montessori Method is about a way of life. It is about giving children the experiences that will bring them to the conclusion that humans are only a part of the universe; promoting peace among people of all nationalities; and taking care of the environment. It is about respect and independence.
The school makes an effort to offer tuition payment assistance in cases of demonstrated need for those families with children of kindergarten-age and above.
The school’s annual Winter Appeal is currently underway, running through Jan. 8. The annual fund helps support financial aid; classroom activities; and special area education, including Spanish language and culture, environmental education, physical education, the arts and more.
To learn more, go to themsw.org.
Trish St. Michel is director of development at the Montessori School of Westminster.
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