Accolades For Arlington Montessori Students, Parents and Teachers

AMAC Co-Founder and Montessori Advocate receives Honored Citizen award from Arlington School Board

Continuing a tradition begun in 1975, the Arlington School Board year saluted 13 local residents as Arlington Public Schools 2008-09 Honored Citizens. Honored Citizens are volunteers who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to Arlington Public Schools for a minimum of five years.

Monique O’Grady has been a volunteer at Drew and Thomas Jefferson, where she serves as publicity chair for the school play. She created the Drew marketing video and edited the Drew newsletter. O’Grady was the School Advisory Committee chair in 2006 and is the co-chair of the DMSA. She helped establish the Drew back-to-school picnic, teacher appreciation week and organized the Dr. Charles Drew Day. She chaired the committee to reopen and renovate Drew Model School. O’Grady also severed on the APS South Boundary Committee and the ACI Early Childhood Advisory Committee.

APS Montessori teacher receives Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award

Teacher Linda Massey was recently honored at the American Montessori Society Conference in Washington, D.C. with the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award. Massey’s dissertation was titled “Pilgrims and Guides: The Lived Experience of Montessori Teachers in Public Schools Guiding and Being Guided by Children.” Download a copy

APS Montessori student appears in "The Witches of Eastwick"

Signature Offers Bewitching Opportunity for Local Student
- From the Sun Gazette

With her hair braided, and costumed in a modest, all-American dress, Brittany O'Grady might be mistaken on stage for Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz."

But it's Signature Theatre's dark musical comedy "The Witches of Eastwick" that the rising sixth-grader at Drew Model School is appearing in, winning raves not only from audiences, but from cast and crew as well.

APS Montessori teachers earn prestigious national certification..

Drew Model School Montessori lower elementary teacher Chris Perera earned her National Board Certification in 2008 from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. This rigorous certification is optional for APS teachers, and only 63 teachers in the county have achieved it.

Drew Primary Monstessori teacher Carol Oakes earned this certification as well, in 2007.

APS Montessori student wins poetry award

Montessori student Dominique Maderal had a poem accepted to the Moving Words Poetry Program. Poems by twelve Arlington K-12 students were chosen from over a thousand submissions.

Dominique wrote and read the poem "Opposites" at a Drew Model School Poetry Night, inspired by her Montessori teacher's love of poetry and encouragement to try public speaking.

Essays by Montessori Students Win 2006 MLK Essay Contest

Drew 4th grader Brittany O’Grady and 5th grader Catie Mitchell, placed 1st and 3rd, respectively, in the elementary category of the 9th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest. The theme was “Dear Dr. King: What Happens to a Dream Deferred…” Their essays were chosen out of the more than 600 Arlington Public School students who submitted entries.

Testimonials From APS Montessori Parents

"My daughter has been thriving in APS Montessori for over 5 years now. Aside from amazingly strong academic achievement, I appreciate the other gifts she has gained by being part of a Montessori classroom. She is a bolder public speaker, is constantly inquiring about the world (especially in science), understands how to get along with people who are different from her, and loves to read. Her teachers have shown her that learning is a magical part of everyday life."

- Drew Model School Parent, Lower Elementary (3rd Grade)