Director's Page
TCAPS' Montessori
Program Growth and Our Future
Seven years ago, Traverse City Area Public Schools decided to establish two Montessori classrooms at Central Grade School. These two environments were located in a refurbished portion of the school and served thirty-two students, ages three to nine. Although a Montessori program in a public school setting is not unheard of, it is still somewhat uncommon, and it provided an opportunity for two directresses to demonstrate Maria Montessori’s philosophy and methodology to the public here in the Traverse City area.
From those original two classes of thirty-two students and two directresses, the TCAPS Montessori program, has grown to more than three hundred and fifty students, served by fifteen directors and seventeen teaching assistants. Additional support is provided from specialists in music, physical education, Spanish and art. From the initial two classroom environments, we have expanded to fifteen environments that include a toddler room, four primary rooms, seven lower elementary rooms, and three upper elementary rooms. In addition, the program now also has a Montessori office staff supported by executive assistants, Angel Elsenheimer, and Liz Sievers.
With this enormous growth, many challenges have occurred. Locating space in Central Grade School has been an on-going issue. Because of this additional need for space, the District has decided to relocate our program to the Glenn Loomis School building beginning next fall, in the 2008-09 school year. This move will allow room for more expansion, and we anticipate our enrollment to be nearly four hundred students.
The TCAPS Montessori program is recognized as its own public elementary school by the state of Michigan. We must provide the state with a school improvement plan and we are accountable for federal and state performance requirements such as No Child Left Behind and Annual Yearly Progress. Our annual report is available on this Web site. We have received tremendous response and approval from the families that we serve, and by the colleagues that visit us. Our program is thriving because of the enormous talent of our staff, the tireless support of our families and the endorsement of the TCAPS school system.