Preparing Students for Life

Preparing Students for LIFE

Our Mission Montessori High School at University Circle is a learning community based on Montessori principles.

It is designed to provide an optimal environment for adolescents to become confident, empathetic, and principled adults who think critically and take informed risks to shape a sustainable and peaceful world.

From its urban residential campus, MHS provides a rigorous, student-centered program of work and study that inspires each adolescent to find his or her identity and individual path to independence and adulthood.

Preparing Students for Life Set on an urban residential campus in the cultural center of Cleveland, Ohio, Montessori High School at University Circle (MHS) is an independent college-preparatory school for day and boarding students in grades 9-12.

MHS provides students with a unique Montessori curriculum, the globally recognized International Baccalaureate program, and real-life individualized learning in collaboration with world-class institutions.

MHS encourages students both with and without prior experience in a Montessori school to apply for admission to our diverse community of learners who have strong work habits and independent interests.

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Groundbreaking Montessori Curriculum Founded in 2008, MHS bases its innovative curriculum on the educational and developmental philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori, who stated “our aim… is to follow as nearly as possible, as all-inclusively as possible, the needs and growths of life.” Thus, the foundation of the MHS curriculum is the adolescent, following Dr. Montessori’s vision that a child’s work is to create the person she or he will become.

• A small student/teacher ratio and close working relationships between teachers and students based on mutual respect

The result is a student-centered program of study and work that gives young adults the essential balance of freedom and responsibility to rise to academic and personal challenges, collaborate compassionately, engage in thoughtful research and critical problem-solving and, ultimately, to thrive as life-long learners.

• Student-driven experiential learning in dedicated two-week terms which allow for self-motivated study, travel and student-initiated service projects

The MHS curriculum has received international praise because it is firmly rooted in 100 years of Montessori theory and practice, which provides the foundation for MHS program elements including:

• Presentation of student work to an authentic adult audience, for example, symposia with expert panelists

• Opportunities for students to make independent choices about their work, including what they study and how they study it • Seminars across the curriculum, including in math and science classes

• Placed-based partnerships, internships and classes in University Circle

• Arts as both academic discipline and a means of self-expression through performance and exhibition • Engagement through service, care of the environment, and participation in the well-being of the community

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“The most important thing I learned at MHS is passion for the community that I’m in and the notion that I get out what I put in. I am a stakeholder, not a customer.”

MHS Graduate

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Real- Life Individualized Learning in World-Class Institutions Our students say that MHS has collapsible walls. They gain practical and intellectual knowledge through real-life learning experience outside the school walls, creating an intense connection to their neighborhood and awareness of their roles within the community.

They are immersed in ongoing, active community service through social justice problem-solving initiatives and volunteer work with neighboring museums and other community organizations.

Montessori High School’s University Circle partners provide unique opportunities for students to engage with the community according to each student’s individual interests and aspirations. For example, students have access to Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) libraries and programs, the Music Settlement’s professional dance studio, and the facilities of CWRU’s 121 Fitness Center.

Globally Recognized International Baccalaureate Programme MHS offers a rigorous program of academic study that integrates the award-winning International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) with its Montessori philosophy.

All 11th and 12th grade students have the option of pursuing an IB diploma in addition to their MHS diploma.

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Faculty Spotlight TINA BOOTH

JASON TOUT

• Humanities Faculty

• Science Faculty

• Humanities Guide and Curriculum Coordinator, North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA) Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies

• Athletic Director and Physical Education Teacher • Master of Arts in Education from Boston Teacher Residency, and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Wooster

• Master of Arts in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University, and an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Elementary Diploma from Centro Internazionale Studi Montessoriani in Bergamo, Italy What experience do you bring to the MHS faculty?

“I have worked in several different Montessori adolescent environments: private, public charter, farm campus, west coast, east coast but always rooted in sound Montessori theory and practice. This allows me to draw from experience to think creatively about how to prepare and support learning in an optimal environment for our MHS students.”

What experience do you bring to the MHS Faculty?

“Before starting at MHS, I worked with Upward Bound, volunteer taught in Arusha, Tanzania, taught special education chemistry and biology in Boston Public Schools, and taught modeling chemistry, environmental science and AP chemistry in Columbus City Schools.”

How do you try adapting your teaching for what students need in life?

What motivated you to go into education? “ A love of learning! How great is a job where you can expand your own learning and see young people making discoveries and solving problems.

In working with the students, I learn something new, or see things in a different way, every day at MHS. Additionally, I was a Montessori child and am a Montessori parent. I have deep respect for Maria Montessori’s work to support human development and build peace.”

“Teaching in the sciences allows for a great deal of hands-on activities, but tying these to experiences outside the classroom is my central focus.”

What do you enjoy most about teaching at MHS? “I can’t define a clear-cut best thing. I’m torn between the emphasis on experiential learning, X-Terms, and the attention to developing a sense of both local and global community.”

What do you enjoy most about teaching at MHS? “The people. MHS is a vibrant community of unique, energetic, and dedicated adolescents and adults working together to support and challenge one another.”

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MHS EXPERI Current Events and Ethical Thought (CEET)

Experiential Terms

Current Events and Ethical Thought (CEET) is a unique, two-year foundational course where MHS 9th and 10th graders learn how to reason and to argue logically. They explore central ethical concepts such as the Golden Mean, the social contract, citizenship, and justice, in relation to current events.

They present independent projects at student symposia at the end of each semester.

The academic year is structured by semesters with two, two-week sessions called J-Term and X-Term, which are student-driven, with guidance from faculty. These experiential learning opportunities can include international travel for service projects and language immersion. Students have traveled to Puerto Rico, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru and Spain.

“MHS doesn’t teach you to be something; it makes you more of who you are.”

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MHS Graduate

ENCES J-Term

X-Term

The January J-Term is planned and run primarily by faculty to allow student immersion in topics that intrigue them, such as:

The Spring X-Term is offered during the last two weeks of the school year and is initiated by students. Students take full ownership of the process, including the challenges of logistics, functioning in a group and fundraising.

X-term projects have included:

• US Government (Washington, D.C.) • Writers Workshop • Cleveland Architecture • Dance Technique & Choreography • Bookmaking • Cooking • Game Theory • Organic Farming

• Paleontology (Mongolia) • Entrepreneurship (Chicago, New York City, San Francisco) • 3-D Printing • Habitat for Humanity (Omaha) • Fashion and Photography • Document Preservation • Peace Studies (Costa Rica) • Fostering Montessori Education (Peru) • Hiking the Appalachian Trail

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Integrated IB Program Components The Theory of Knowledge course, the Extended Essay, and the Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS) program give MHS 11th and 12th graders opportunities to choose meaningful work and study according to their interests, in keeping with Montessori objectives to foster creative expression with strong self-discipline and independent learning.

Theory of Knowledge This two-year course asks two central questions: How do you know what you know, and why would anyone believe you? Students meet with experts in various academic disciplines to explore controversial issues through debates and seminars.

Juniors explore analytic thinking, logic and the careful construction of written and oral arguments. Seniors study these skills in greater depth and investigate how disciplines can work together to help them analyze phenomena such as propaganda or solve problems such as global warming.

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Extended Essay/Senior Thesis Completion of either the Extended Essay (for IB diploma candidates) or the Senior Thesis is required for graduation.

The Extended Essay is an in-depth research project which takes the student on a personally meaningful journey of exploration and results in a formal paper. The Senior Thesis involves a substantial written component and may include a piece of art or a performance.

Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS) CAS challenges students to engage their energies and talents in life outside of school and provides a counterbalance to the academic rigor of their courses of study. Each student develops an individual project with a partner institution. Montessori High School provides structure, faculty support and follow-up for CAS, well beyond the requirements of the IB program. MHS emphasizes continuity of commitment over two years, so that students can see that their efforts make a difference in the world.

Arts Art happens at MHS all year round in theatre productions, dance and music performances, evening coffeehouses, and art exhibits. The community celebrates student work in Visual Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre at an annual festival known as Arts on Magnolia.

Through MHS’s partnership with The Music Settlement, the MHS Dancers and other student performers have access to professional studio spaces. All MHS music courses are offered at The Settlement

by Settlement faculty.

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COMMUNITY

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As one of over 40 University Circle, Inc. member institutions, Montessori High School at University Circle is surrounded by organizations that bring distinct scientific, artistic, historic, or cultural viewpoints to student life and learning. MHS students are members of the Cleveland Botanical Garden and Holden Arboretum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland

Museum of Natural History, and Western Reserve Historical Society.

Our community partners offer a range of interdisciplinary and extracurricular opportunities for our students, including internship and volunteer placements and access to their varied resources.

Our University Circle partners include:

Our community partners include:

• Case Western Reserve University

• The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge

• Cleveland Botanical Garden and Holden Arboretum

• Breakthrough Schools

• Cleveland Institute of Music

• The City of Cleveland’s Office of Sustainability

• Cleveland Friends Meeting (Quakers)

• Cleveland Montessori

• Cleveland Museum of Art

• Cleveland Public Library

• Cleveland Museum of Natural History

• Cleveland Public Theatre

• Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence

• Cleveland World Festival

• Judson

• Great Lakes Science Center

• Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

• Hiram College and the James H. Barrow Field Station

• Magnolia Clubhouse

• Lake Erie Ink

• Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA)

• LaunchHouse

• The Music Settlement

• Nature Center at Shaker Lakes

• University Circle, Inc.

• SPACES Gallery

• University Circle United Methodist Church

• Stonebrook Montessori

• Western Reserve Historical Society

• Transplant House of Cleveland

PARTNERS “My supervisors at the Museum gave me responsibility, they knew I was contributing, and…they told me they respected and appreciated my hard work. And that was the first time I could see myself as an adult.”

MHS Graduate

Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University

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Activities & Sports Activities include:

Team Sports & Fitness

• Bowling

• Theatre

• MHS Dancers

• Ultimate Frisbee

• Environmental Sustainability Club

• Videography

• Entrepreneurship Club

• Yearbook

• Magic Club

• Yoga

• Running Club

• Writing Center

MHS students compete with the schools of the Lake Effect Conference (LEC) in co-ed soccer, cross country and basketball. Students also participate in the Cleveland Disc Association’s High School Ultimate Frisbee League.

In addition, all students receive a membership in CWRU’s 121 Fitness Center, with access to yoga, Pilates, Spin, Zumba and other classes, and state-ofthe-art exercise equipment. Several new bicycles, a gift of the MHS Class of 2015, are shared by our students, who are also encouraged to bring their own bikes to campus.

“I started drawing and being more artistic again just for fun because MHS breeds the culture of everyone can do everything.”

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MHS Graduate

Boarding Option MHS offers a secure and homelike boarding experience in the Otis House, a historic University Circle home on campus. The condominium-style living arrangements include separate boys’ and girls’ quarters, each with its own entrance, kitchen, and living room. Full-time residential guides provide 24-hour supervision.

Students from Australia, Canada, China, France, German, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia and Spain have boarded at MHS, enriching the cultural awareness of the entire community.

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S P O T L I G H STUDENT

TATIANA ALLY

MAX SCHUBERT

Tatiana Ally is involved in the theatre program and performs with the MHS Dancers. She serves on the Orientation Committee and the Lunch Committee, and she is a Student Ambassador. When she began at MHS, Tatiana was new to Montessori education.

Maxwell Schubert has attended Montessori schools since childhood.

He is a Student Ambassador and a member of the Entrepreneurship Club. Max plays on the MHS Ultimate Frisbee team, and serves as the Yearbook Photographer.

What do you like best about MHS?

What do you like best about MHS?

“The community and relationships you form with the students and teachers.

I really enjoy how the students are friendly and willing to help others on assignments or projects.”

“ The diversity that our school is blessed with. Each student has their own way of thinking, problem-solving and making a difference in our planet.”

What is your favorite class at MHS?

What are the teachers like at MHS? “The teachers at MHS are always willing to guide you. I feel like the teachers are my second family and I can just be myself with them.”

What do you like about learning outside the classroom in University Circle?

“I am a visual learner and being able to go off-campus and have the institutions and museums available is really helpful and an engaging way for me to understand the material.”

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“ Although I appreciate all of my classes, my favorite class at MHS is Current Events and Ethical Thought, made up of both 9th and 10th graders, where we spend the majority of our time in Socratic seminar.”

What was your favorite X-Term?

“The Entrepreneurship X-Term. We spent a week in Chicago, meeting with companies. We then took the information that we had gained back to Cleveland and used it to form our own business startups.”

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ALUMNI SAVANNAH ROACH

PATRICK BELLI

Savannah Roach is a member of the Class of 2012, and was a boarding student. She served on the Social Committee, and was a part of the Peace Now Club. She was a Student Ambassador, and performed with the MHS Dancers. She was Montessori educated from childhood.

Patrick Belli is a member of the Class of 2014.

He served as President of the Gay-Straight Alliance Club and as a Student Ambassador. He was a member of the Social Committee and the Entrepreneurship Club. He had some Montessori education experience prior to attending MHS.

Savannah attends the University of Southern California, where she pursues a self-designed interdisciplinary curriculum called “NGOs and Social Change.” Her curriculum mixes international relations, Latin American Studies, nonprofit management, and social entrepreneurship.

Patrick attends Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts, where he majors in Environmental Studies and Urban Studies.

“The MHS faculty really cared about me and wanted me to succeed. I value student teacher relationships much more now because of MHS.”

“The thing that I like most about MHS is the sense of community. I still keep in touch with several of my teachers and consider them to be not only mentors, but close friends. I had amazing opportunities while there, like speaking at the United Nations, but was equally as happy sitting in the kitchen of the boarding house chatting with friends while we made dinner.”

“Your experience at MHS is what you make it, and I encourage every MHS student to make the most of their years there because it is a wonderful, supportive community that can change your life.”

MHS Graduate 15

Colleges and Universities Where MHS Alumni Have Been Accepted Adelphi University Allegheny College American University Amherst College Baldwin Wallace University Bard College Bard College at Simon’s Rock Baylor University Beloit College Bentley University Bob Cole Conservatory of Music Boston University Bowling Green State University Brandeis University Brown University Bryant University Butler University California State University, Long Beach Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Chapman University Clark University Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland State University Coastal Carolina University Colby College Colgate University College of Charleston Colorado College Columbia College Chicago

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Columbia University Cornell College Cuyahoga Community College Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia) Denison University DePaul University Drew University Duquesne University Earlham College Eckerd College Elmhurst College Elon University Emory University Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts Florida Atlantic University Florida Institute of Technology Fordham University George Mason University Georgetown University Gettysburg College Sunderman Conservatory of Music Green Mountain College Guilford College Hampshire College Hiram College Hofstra University Honors Tutorial College at Ohio University Illinois Institute of Technology Indiana University Ithaca College

John Carroll University Juniata College Kalamazoo College Kent State University Kenyon College Lake Forest College Lakeland Community College Lewis & Clark College Long Island University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Maryland Marquette University McDaniel College (Budapest) McGill University McNally Smith College of Music Mercyhurst University Miami University Michigan State University Mount Ida College Naropa University New College of Florida New York Institute of Technology New York University Northeastern University Oberlin College & Conservatory Occidental College Ohio Northern University Ohio University Ohio Wesleyan University Pace University

Pratt Institute Purdue University Reed College Richmond University (London) Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams College Rollins College Roosevelt University Saint Mary’s College Santa Clara University Sarah Lawrence College Skidmore College St. Catharine College Stony Brook University Swarthmore College Sweet Briar College Temple University The College of Wooster The Evergreen State College The Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute The Ohio State University The Pennsylvania State University The Savannah College of Art and Design The University of Akron The University of Chicago The University of Iowa The University of Queensland (Australia) The University of Southern California

The University of Tampa The University of Toledo The University of Vermont Towson University Trinity University Tulane University Tuskegee University University of Arkansas University of California, Davis University of Cincinnati University of Dayton University of Maryland University of Miami University of Michigan University of Oregon University of Puget Sound University of Redlands University of Rhode Island University of Richmond University of Rochester University of San Diego University of South Florida University of Toronto University of Virginia University of Washington Warren Wilson College Washington & Jefferson College Wellesley College West Virginia University Wittenberg University Xavier University Youngstown State University

Learn More Interested families are invited to attend one of our informational open houses and observe in our classrooms. Applicants spend a day at MHS shadowing one of our students.

To learn more or to schedule an on-campus visit contact Bonnie Konopinski, Director of Admissions, 216.421.3033 ext. 207 or bkonopinski@montessorihighschool.org.

www.montessorihighschool.org 11025 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland, OH 44106 PHONE 216.421.3033 FAX 216.421.1874