Community

Communuity; at Oak Farm Montessori School, this word encapsulates many attributes important to our students: friends, faculty, peers and mentors. One of the most complimentary comments we hear from current and former students is that their time at OFMS made them feel like they were part of a family, a second home for many. Perhaps it is the Montessori foundation of multi-aged classrooms, the beauty and care given to each environment (indoors and outdoors) or maybe it is the mutual respect nurtured at even the youngest age that creates this feeling of extended family and community.

For our two seniors, arriving during their junior year meant that they were joining an already well connected group of students. How did they feel about this small school and the new environment they found themselves in? Ellie shares that, “I will always remember the sense of belonging and overwhelming love and support I received from OFMS students and staff.” While Alanna was a little nervous about starting over in a new high school, after just a few weeks she encouraged her younger brother to also transfer to the school. “I was able to bond a lot more with people than I thought I would. The underclassmen mean a lot to me; I love getting to talk to them,” she commented.

Whether it is during community meetings each week, bi-annual intersession trips, game nights or impromptu ice skating parties, the bond that these students have created through experiences and challenges will last far outside the four walls and four year of our high school.

The school tradition that has meant the most to me would be hanging ribbons on the tree outside the high school for Founder’s Day.”

Students planned for a primitive camping trip to Michigan for their Fall intersession trip, but last minute transportation problems meant an emergency community meeting to come up with Plan B. Within an hour, students and faculty were adjusting their GPS to head south and spend a week exploring Kentucky. This year the seniors decided to host a prom for the whole high school. Teachers served as chaperones, an alumni was the DJ and students had a chance to dress up and party down.