2016-2017 Annual Report

2016-2017 Annual Report “Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart.”

-Richard Louv

440 Pinnacle Place Charlottesville, VA 22911 • 434.979.8886 • MountaintopMontessori.org

The Year in a Nutshell In Montessori guide training, we are taught that the best way to teach children is to excite their imagination—to foster curiosity and a passion for learning. Much like a garden, for learning or growth to occur, the teacher must prepare the field and sprinkle seeds that will take root in the child’s mind. The child, in turn, is given the tools to care for the little seeds so that they will grow into fantastic ideas.

This year our Annual Report pays tribute to this idea: our labor of love creates fertile soil that then reaps benefits for many seasons, especially when it is attended to with care and purpose. This is not only the case for the children at our school but also for the school itself. The size of our trees and the various buildings that have “sprouted” on our campus since the school moved here in 1991 remind us that with care, time, and patience, we can accomplish our goals.

At the completion of my first year at Mountaintop, I am well aware that I am but one of the many keepers of this generous place. All that participated in tending to our school in a large variety of ways should feel great pride in what was accomplished.

Mountaintop reached many goals thanks to the dedication of our teachers and staff, trustees, donors, and volunteers. Our Mountaintop garden has been reseeded once more to allow the school to continue to flourish, providing a quality Montessori education to the children we serve.

I want to extend a special thank you for the warm welcome I received this year. Many of you reached out to me to offer support and advice, not only with regard to the school but also to help my family settle in Charlottesville. Most importantly, thank you to all the Mountaintop children for making this school a joyous and exciting place of learning and discovery. I am truly fortunate to serve as your Head of School.

With much appreciation,

Patricia Colby Head of School

“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination.”

-Maria Montessori

sowing the seeds 230

students served

355

years combined teaching experience

23%

3,800

of students plates served received at Garden financial aid to Table

From The Board of Trustees

From the Chair We began this academic year proudly welcoming a new and highly seasoned leader, Patricia Colby, Ph.D., as Mountaintop Montessori’s Head of School. While leadership transitions can sometimes be disorienting, we can say with assurance that Mountaintop only grew in strength, stability, and excellence during 2016-17.

Guiding the leadership of our school is a strategic plan that was developed by the Board of Trustees in concert with Patricia in the summer of 2016. Following a comprehensive review of Mountaintop’s challenges and opportunities, we crafted the following set of strategic priorities for the next five years: 1. Enhance the Montessori experience for Mountaintop children and families.

2. Strengthen the vibrant community that makes Mountaintop unique.

3. Improve enrollment stability at key transition points.

4. Grow the school’s financial resources.

5. Nurture connections between Mountaintop and the broader community.

Published on the school’s website and supported by actionable and measurable objectives, these priorities today inform all major decisions at Mountaintop.

Thanks to the collective efforts of the school’s highly capable administrative leaders, its gifted and compassionate Montessori guides, and the caring and committed families in our community, Mountaintop is well-positioned to make progress on all five of these priorities.

In 2017-18, as we enter an important reaccreditation period, we expect that Mountaintop Montessori will shine even brighter as a beacon of outstanding, authentic Montessori education, providing positive transformational experiences for our children and their families.

Thank you for your support of this very special place, where we are continually inspired by the teachings of Maria Montessori and the daily wonder and imaginations of our children.

Sean D. Carr UE Parent; Chair, Board of Trustees

Roasted Tomato Soup 5 pounds ripe tomatoes 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 5 whole cloves of garlic 1 cup heavy cream ⅓ cup dry sherry fresh basil , 10-12 big leaves olive oil salt and pepper vegetable stock, as needed Toss tomatoes, onion, and garlic with olive oil and salt and pepper and place in a baking dish in a 400º oven. Roast for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are softened. Add roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic to pot along with cream, sherry, basil, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes; if there is not enough liquid, add vegetable stock as needed. Purée in batches or with an immersion blender.

Focaccia

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optional toppings: olive oil, coarse salt, fresh herbs (rosemary is delicious), or hard grated cheese Add first five ingredients to stand mixer. Mix on medium speed for 6 minutes, then allow to double in bulk in a warm spot. Pour dough into a greased sheet pan and allow it to rise to top of the pan. Sprinkle with toppings and bake at 450º for 20-25 minutes.

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From the Treasurer I am proud to report that, at Mountaintop Montessori, our limited financial resources serve and advance our mission. The Finance and Audit Committee of the board works closely with the Mountaintop Administration to ensure that our resources are carefully managed and thoughtfully aligned with our purpose: to provide an exceptional and authentic Montessori educational experience.

The graphs to the right summarize the income and expenses for the 2016-17 academic year. Without a financial endowment, the school relies solely on tuition, philanthropy, and other auxiliary income to meet its needs. Tuition accounted for 95% of Mountaintop’s operating income. Fundraising contributed 2.3% of the school’s total revenue, and 2.9% was from a variety of miscellaneous sources. In 2016-17, Mountaintop’s operating expenses were over $3.5 million. The majority of these expenditures supported student instruction, including faculty salaries and classroom materials. 36% covered the debt service on the campus buildings, maintenance, and general overhead of the organization. An additional 18% provided financial aid to families.

Mountaintop greatly expanded its campus and facilities over the past ten years.

Presently, the strategic focus is on maintaining and improving the existing facilities to continue to meet the needs of the school for generations to come. These efforts have been seen this year in the renovations of the lower elementary classrooms and the extensive work invested in the soccer field. This work requires significant energy, time, and resources. With careful planning and broad community support, I am confident in our ability to maintain and improve our financial standing in the coming years.

Income Tuition & Summer (94.8%) Fees

Fundraising

Expenses

(2.9%)

(2.3%)

Classrooms

(46.9%)

Overhead

(20.2%)

Facilities Colin Dougherty UE Parent; Treasurer, Board of Trustees

95+3+2 47+15+2018

2016-17 Income and Expenses

Financial Aid

(15.3%) (17.6%)

Mountaintop Montessori’s 2016-2017 Operating Budget was $3,559,115.

Mission

Mountaintop Montessori provides the greater Charlottesville community with an exceptional and authentic Montessori education, serving children and families from infancy through adolescence. Our campus is home to year-round programming in which children thrive through experiential learning, interactions with the natural world, and collaborative discovery.

We Envision...

• Children who live with enduring curiosity, joy, and responsibility.

• A community where each member is cherished and challenged.

• A world enriched by these young leaders, creators, problemsolvers, and peace-makers.

Our annual nonprofit finance and business practice audit is conducted by Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates. Their report is available upon request.

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Black Bean Burgers 2 cans black beans

2 eggs

2 ears of corn

2 Tbsp flour

¼ cup finely diced onion

1 oz corn tortilla

2 cloves garlic

¼ tsp coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp hot sauce

Grind all ingredients in a food processor and refrigerate for 1 hour. Heat oil in sauté pan and cook a burger size scoop until set on bottom before flipping. Cook to an internal temperature of 165º.

Creamy Herb Dressing 1 cup of plain yogurt 1 cup of mayonnaise ½ tsp salt juice of ½ lemon ¼ cup fresh herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro, garlic chives, or dill)

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

glorious Food Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette ½ cup balsamic vinegar 2 cups oil (olive but not extra virgin) 2 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp dijon mustard ½ tsp salt ground black pepper Whisk all ingredients except oil.

Continue whisking and slowly add oil until combined. Store in refrigerator up to 10 days.

The Work of the Child

“Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world.”

-Maria Montessori

Chocolate Lava Cakes 1 cup butter ½ pound chocolate, chopped 8 eggs ½ cup sugar 4 tsp flour

Melt butter in microwave; add chocolate at 30 second intervals. Stir until melted.

In a separate bowl, crack 4 eggs, then add 4 more yolks (discard whites). Add sugar, beat until light and thick (about 1-2 minutes). Add egg mixture and flour to chocolate. Beat until combined.

Butter and lightly flour 8 ramekins; tap out excess flour.

Divide batter into ramekins. Bake in a 450º oven on a sheet pan for 7-9 minutes until slightly jiggly. Remove and cool for 1 minute and turn out on a prepared plate.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and fresh berries.

Tending the garden 2016-2017 Annual Fund Donors The success of Mountaintop Montessori is due in large part to the many families and individuals who support its mission with generous gifts. We are grateful and thrilled when a new donor steps forward to affirm their commitment to our mission.

We are equally gratified when a family offers their support for the tenth or fifteenth year. To all of those who support our school, we offer our most humble thanks.

10- or More-Year Donors

Sue Alston Bill & Therese Benzinger Chris Keup & Corey Borgman Shawn & Richard Carey Andrew & Leigh Ann Carver T.C. & Janice Chapman George Logan & Cheryl Coursey Jamie & Becky Harris Carole Hatcher Eric Lamb & Pamela Norris Chris & Laura Leva Scott & Heather Lim Mrs. Nancy H. Logan Chuck & Christy Perkins Kent & Micaela Raine Wendy Reinsch Fisher Jason & Mary Reitsma Dan & Trisha Willingham

5- to 9-Year Donors

Helen Alston Matt Baranowski & Natalia Palacios Polly Beckington CA, Inc. Matching Gifts Program Sean & Ladi Carr Simon & Yael Cockayne Tom & Heather Donaldson Cormons Quinn & Diane Curtis Dr. & Mrs. Sim Galazka Mrs. W.C. Garbee Jeff Cornejo & Amy Gardner Cass Kawecki & Barbara Gehrung Adam & Britt Gendell Chris & Stephanie Gist Jay Glick Mr. & Mrs. Mike Gordon Tom Tiller & Leigh Gordon

Andrew & Sarah Greene Pete & Heather Griffith Chris & Kendra Guiffre Susan Kennedy Jen Lucas Dave & Emily Luebke Pat McCafferty Andrew & Anita McGinty Jason & Alissa McKown Cait & Adam Mohr Kevin & Grier Murphy Peter & Debby Norton Seth Oldham Ashleigh Sellman Dr. & Mrs. Ramesh Shukla Ms. Kathy Waldron Mary Walker Matt & Jenny Wickline Greyson & Ariana Williams Clay & April Wimberley Jason & Alicia Worthington Morgan & Jesse Wright Jake & Jessica Zarnegar

2- to 4-Year Donors

Michael & Anna Balazs Daniel Brinson & Laura Lee Lincoln Barbour & Lauren Brooks Barbour Eran & Maria Cantor Geoff & Sarah Carter Ryan Bobko & Melissa Collier Adam & Emily Daniel J.D. Brown & Deirdre Donovan Brown Colin Dougherty Mary Dowdell Jason & Liz Fargo Chris Farina & Jacqueline Dugery Louise Fisher

Billy & Tabor Flickinger Dr. Kathleen Free Greg Herrington & Kennedy Prentiss Harold Herz & Lila Heymann Chris & Patricia Jessee Jason & Ellen Jones Dave & Whitney Kestner Casey & Bradley Kilmartin Katie Kishore Andrew & Cristelle Koerper Luke Omand & Kristina Koutrakos Paige Krosby Chris & Jess Kysar Matt & McKinley Lee Jarrod & Samantha Markley Shelley & Bridget Moss Shawn & Anne Mulligan The Murlan Foundation Ray and Katie Murphy Northwestern Mutual Foundation Nick & Laura Paphitis Michael & Patricia Prentiss Javier & Samantha Provencio Rob & Tricia Ramsey Sam Johnston & Anne Reed Austin Robey Kallie Scheible Mike & Eva Scott Richard Shannon & Brandy Patterson Logan Slaughter Geoff & Molly Smith State Farm Insurance Jeff & Marisa Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Tiller Toby Grossmann & Amrisha Vaish Nica Waters Jamie & Lindsey White Trevor & Meg Williams Kaiwen Huang & Baozhen Xie

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First Time Donors

Ashley Barlow Fahad Bishara & Rose Buckelew Brian Calhoun Cor & Louise Carelsen Patricia & Steve Colby Will & Kristen Craig Domenico & Cathy D’Auria Barbara Jessee Kaiser Permanente John Kaminski & Christina Crum Clare Konizeski & Sally Williamson

Jason & Jenilee Lawrence John & Nancy Lowry Chris & Diane Markley Ben & Heather Miller NVIDIA S&P Global Thomas & Kimberly Saul Kutlu & Mary K. Somel Matt Gruenburg & Lo Somel Victor & Ines Soukoulis Phil Varner & Christy Pagels

½ head of red cabbage, shredded ½ head of green cabbage, shredded 2 carrots, peeled and shredded ½ cup finely diced onion ¼ bunch chopped cilantro ½ cup apple cider vinegar 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper ¼ cup neutral oil Combine ingredients and allow to marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

Special Thanks In 2017, we received a $100,000 donation for campus improvements from an anonymous donor. With this remarkable gift, we were able to make substantial improvements to both lower elementary classrooms. We installed new metal roofs, replaced the flooring, gave each room a fresh coat of paint, and added solar tubes to increase the natural light inside and reduce our energy usage. The final element of these lower elementary renovations will be to replace the siding on both buildings, which we hope to complete in the summer of 2018. We are most grateful to this generous school family for allowing us to perform these needed updates.

We offer our warm thanks to the Skyline Tent Company and the Hingeley family, who donated a banquet tent for use at our Spring Flower Power Auction. Their gift transformed our elementary courtyard into a pretty groovy rock and roll lounge. We are grateful for their continued support of our school.

Finally, we extend our hearty thanks to the Guiffre family, who concluded their time at Mountaintop in 2017 with the graduation of their daughter, Piper. The beautiful design of our GrACE building sprung from the imagination of Kendra, who also chaired our Building and Grounds Committee and served on the Board of Trustees. We are extremely grateful for the many ways that Kendra’s impact can be seen at Mountaintop.

Delicious, Easy Chicken Tacos 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs 1 large onion, sliced 5 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 bay leaves 1 Tbsp cumin 1 dried ancho chile ½ cup orange juice ½ cup chicken stock salt and pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cover, simmer until chicken is tender. Remove bay leaves and chicken; discard bay leaves and shred chicken. Purée liquid mixture. Add shredded chicken to liquid and reduce on low heat until enough sauce remains to coat chicken.

Serve with tortillas and your choice of toppings.

the harvest “Another important thing about Mountaintop is that you get opportunities to try things in a safe environment that you might find really difficult or challenging. For me, giving speeches in front of an audience has never been my strong point. The first time I gave a presentation to more than just my classmates was my sixth year project on ‘muscle cars.’ There were actually only about 30 people in the audience, but it felt like thousands. Although the whole thing was only about five minutes long, it felt like hours were passing. But, like everything else here at Mountaintop, I was still expected to go through with it. Now here I am again, standing in a room with at least 500,000 people, and even though I’m nervous, I have the confidence to give this speech and to share what I’ve learned here at Mountaintop.“ -Jacob Hensley, Class of 2017 “When I started at Mountaintop I was a blank piece of paper and, although through the years I have made some rips, the strokes I’ve made have formed the person that I am. Being here has shown me how to accept all of my imperfections and uniquenesses... One of the most valuable things I have learned at Mountaintop is how to take a leap into the great unknown and to trust in the process to guide me in the right direction. Mountaintop has prepared me for whatever might come, and knowing myself is a huge part of that... The lessons I have learned, the experiences I have had, and the self-reflection that Mountaintop has taught me have formed the person and the artist that I am today.”

-Piper Guiffre, Class of 2017

Mountaintop Montessori Class of 2017

A special thank you to Tara Morrison, instructor in the Garden to Table program, for providing the recipes included here.