Sept. 26, 2008 — St. John now has a Montessori School, which opened recently at the John's Folly Learning Institute with a preschool class.
A grand opening is planned for Dec. 3.
"It's very magical how it all came together," said Development Director Amelia Jones at a meeting Friday of the Rotary Club of St. John. About 15 people attended the meeting, held at the Westin Resort and Villas Beach Cafe.
Jones, who attended Montessori School from ages 2 to 6, wanted a similar experience for her two sons. Friends put her in touch with Debra Polucci, who was running a Montessori School on Martha's Vineyard. She has a total of 27 years of Montessori School experience, with 10 years running her own school.
Polucci agreed to make the move to St. John, shipping 45 boxes worth of Montessori School equipment to St. John.
The school now has six students, two paying full tuition, two paying partial tuition and two on scholarships. All hail from the John's Folly area, but the school is open to all students.
"We expect to have 10 students by the end of the year," Jones said.
Tuition runs $4,500 a year for full-time St. John residents. The school also has a "snowbird" rate for part-time residents of $6,000 a year.
The school has a budget of $34,800 a year, but it hasn't met that goal yet, Jones said. To raise money, the school will hold bake sales Oct. 5 and 12 at the Marketplace Shopping Center.
The school's needs are many. In addition to funding, the school needs someone to organize carpooling for parents in the Cruz Bay area who want to send their children to Montessori School. The school's location in John's Folly, at the far southeastern end of the island, is about a 40-minute drive from Cruz Bay.
For those unfamiliar with the Montessori system, Jones explained that the school teaches the preschoolers the basics so they're fully prepared when they get to elementary school.
"And the environment is always orderly," she said. The students learn to concentrate so they can complete tasks, she said.
The first Montessori School was founded by Maria Montessori of Italy. She died in 1952 after establishing the schools that bear her name and training others in her methods.
The school runs 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., but Jones said she's looking for someone to develop an after-school program to meet the needs of parents who work and can't pick up their children at 2:30 p.m.
Currently Polucci owns the school, but Jones said the school is paving the way for non-profit status.
The building that houses the Montessori School has come full circle. It once served as the Horace Mann School, with esteemed educator Guy Benjamin as principal. It sat empty for decades until John's Folly residents rehabilitated it for use as community center and place to hold enrichment classes for children in the area.
The school welcomes visitors for tours after school hours. For more information, call 774-9594.
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