Mountain Laurel Montessori School

Each student’s Dramatis Personae was a powerful representation of a moment in the lives of our predecessors such as suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, or presidents Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon B. Johnson.  It was an unforgettable day.

In addition to our day in DC, the students have been out and about in the community a lot this winter:

• We went to Waterpenny Farm in the fall to learn about best practices in sustainable farming from Rachel Bynum.  The students got to help plant garlic alongside the Waterpenny Farm staff.  Rachel has also been to the Farm School to help us assess the needs of our garden.  Thank you, Rachel!
• In January, Farm School students attended the conference, “Tale of Two Farms: Winter Forum on Farm System Design” at the Airlie Local Food Project.  They came away with many ideas for the Farm School.  Brynn Slate and Pablo Elliot of Airle then came to the Farm School to teach the Garden Occupation students how to best care for the soil in our own garden.  Thank you to both Brynn and Pablo for spending the morning with us!
• Rory Grambo, 9^th year student and Animals Manager, was invited by Cliff Miller of Mount Vernon Farm to attend the Pork Pageant at Ayreshire Farms.  It was an exciting day, learning about heritage breeds and what it takes to be a Certified Humane farm and processing facility.  Since then, Mr. Miller and Derrin have helped us evaluate our pigs.  Thank you to Mr. Miller and Derrin for your generosity!
• The Farm School students have participated in a number of Farmer’s Markets this winter.  We had a successful Holiday Market at Mountain Laurel in December selling wreaths, ornaments, beeswax candles, and photo cards.  Thank you to the Mountain Laurel community for making this a success! We also participated as a vendor at the Virginia Organic Producers and Consumers Association (VOPCA) market, and at the Holiday Farmer’s Market in Winchester.  Look for us in April at Waterpenny Farm’s annual Plant Sale in Sperryville.

The overwhelming feedback from adults who interacted with Farm School students at Airlie, Ayreshire, Waterpenny, VOPCA, etc. was that Farm School students are impressive.  People at these events noted over and over again that these young people are mature, polite, responsible, independent, articulate, and remarkably comfortable interacting with adults.  I think that this speaks volumes about the value of a Montessori education, and about the wonderful community being nurtured here at Mountain Laurel.  I am always proud to be associated with Farm School students at events in the community.
 
In addition to the excitement of community events, we have been working hard and playing hard, too.  Algebra, geometry (Euclid and modern plane geometry), math reasoning, logic, and math workshops continue to move along.  In literature seminars we have read The Crucible, The Odyssey, Steinbeck’s, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Nights, and Fahrenheit 451.  We love having Mrs. Crandell teaching art again!  In music, the students are playing guitar and drums, writing songs, and beginning to play together in bands.  The students are expanding their language abilities with Spanish, Latin, writing workshops, weekly creative writing, and frequent writing in both Occupations and Humanities.  The Humanities topic for the winter term is the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.  The Occupations topics are a choice between the chemistry of cooking and the garden.  Our soccer and speedball skills have improved, and we have had some fast paced games recently.
 
8^th year co-managers have joined the 9^th year managers to take responsibility for the realms of grounds, animals, culinary, and cleaning - adding to the richness and organization of daily life.  We continue to learn to work and live together, to resolve conflicts peacefully, and to learn both the joys and responsibilities of being part of a community. 
 
At the same time that we reflect back on the winter, we are looking forward to the spring.  The "Garden Occupation" students have been evaluating the soil and planning the garden.  We learned our lesson from last year and are working to install a deer fence around the vegetable bed.  Many hours of hard work have gone into digging holes and learning to properly set the posts.  The students overwhelmingly wanted to participate in Rappahannock County’s new Plant-A-Row for the Hungry Program.  We will be growing a little extra to give to those in need of fresh, healthy produce this summer.  The Farm School’s bee operation will triple with the addition of two new hives in April.  The pigs continue to grow, work the soil for us, consume our scraps, and be generally entertaining.  The students plan to breed them in late spring.
 
There is never a dull moment at the Farm School!  We work and study hard, and we play a lot, too.  It is a joy to be a part of these young adolescents' lives as they explore the world and discover their own unique abilities.  Their tribute to the school at the Winter Social was wonderful: “just keep doing what you do.”  Thank you to everyone who makes Mountain Laurel a vibrant community.