News Archives - Greenspring Montessori School

Adolescents Travel to Merida, Mexico for Spanish Language Capstone Trip

In March, our Adolescent students ventured to Mérida in the Yucatán region of Mexico for a seven day Spanish immersion trip. The goal of the capstone trip was for our Adolescents to connect with our sister school – Lancaster Montessori – while having a cultural immersion experience. Throughout the week, the adolescents were responsible for purchasing groceries and preparing meals together and they enjoyed many team-building activities and cultural experiences. Some of the highlights of the trip included:

Local Foods and Culture

We had the chance to visit the local market in the heart of downtown Mérida for an opportunity to explore the city with all of our senses. We saw how vendors make fresh tortillas and the many different local fruits that Yucatán has to offer. During the week, the students tried marquesitas, a typical sweet treat from Yucatan that they loved. We also visited Dulceria y Sorbeteria Colon, an ice cream shop that has been open since 1907, where some of the students tried the mamey ice cream, made from a local fruit. They also enjoyed sampling fresh local mangoes and authentic Mexican tacos.

The Natural Environment

The adolescents visited Progreso Beach where they walked around the malecon (boardwalk) and they saw the longest pier in the world – it’s 26,309 ft long! They also visited several cenotes throughout the trip including cenote Ik Kil, one of the most beautiful cenotes in Yucatán. Some of the students were feeling adventurous and jumped 14ft high in the cenote!

Exploring the City

The students rented bicycles and ventured down Paseo de Montejo – the main avenue. It was so beautiful to get to know the city while biking!

History

We visited Chichen Itza, deemed one of the new seven wonders of the world. In the Mayan language, Chichen Itza means, “At the brim of the well where the Wise Men of the Water Live”. While there, we saw El Castillo – the most astonishing Mayan Ruin. I got to be their private guide and students got souvenirs for family members.

We also went to Dondé Cookie Factory for a tour and to learn more about how it started in 1905. The students got to go inside the factory and see the full process of how to make the different cookies. We had a wonderful time getting to see how cookies were made and we all left with many treats.

Visiting Lancaster Montessori School

The Adolescents were eager to meet their peers from our Sister School in Mérida at Lancaster Montessori. The Lancaster students greeted us right from the door and made sure our students were feeling comfortable. Some of the students took private English lessons to prepare for our visit, a lot of students spoke conversational English and had the chance to connect with us. The adolescents worked to immerse themselves in conversation, moving back and forth between both Spanish and English. We all cooked chilaquiles together to get to know one another.

After cooking, the students joined together for a creative math lesson. They were tasked with making a robot that had specific measurements, a name, and a purpose in life. They had very creative ideas! At the end of the day, they presented their robots and their goals to the whole Adolescent Community at Lancaster Montessori.

The trip to Merida was a very wonderful experience – the bond that our adolescents have is extremely special and it was so wonderful to see how they were supporting each other in every step of the trip.

Upper Elementary Students Represent Kenya and Congo-Brazzaville at Model United Nations

Upper Elementary students at Greenspring Montessori School traveled to New York in February to represent Kenya and Congo-Brazzaville at the Montessori Model United Nations Conference. The students have been researching and preparing speeches throughout the school year on topics such as promoting international cooperation on peaceful uses of international security, disaster risk reduction, combating desertification, empowering youth in inclusive and sustainable food systems, and the rights of indigenous peoples.

The students did extensive research on their topic and wrote position papers outlining suggestions to address these issues from the viewpoint of their country. From there they used key points of the paper to draft speeches. These speeches were delivered at the MMUN Conference to delegates from other schools who were researching the same topics. Suggestions were debated and discussed in the committees until they were able to draft resolutions to gain consensus.

Two members of our group were elected by their committee to speak at the closing ceremony. The entire group consisted of more than 1,600 people: delegates, coordinators, chaperones, and Bureau members, so it was quite a large crowd to address.

The students also had an opportunity to visit the United Nations building, where they got to sit in the General Assembly room in the very place where UN Ambassadors listen to speeches, debate, and ultimately vote on resolutions impacting our entire world.

We are so grateful that our Upper Elementary students have the opportunity to engage in this meaningful work learning conflict resolution and problem-solving skills with children around the globe.

2024 Adolescent Social Justice Data Fair

As part of a unit on data literacy, our Adolescents have been investigating social justice issues of their choosing in Humanities and Math classes. The students interviewed their families on social justice topics and then brought their findings to the class to brainstorm together. From there, they picked their own topics to research and formed a thesis statement.

This work introduces the concept of data literacy, offering our students an opportunity to find quality data and evaluate their sources. They then worked to aggregate and present their research to support their thesis. Some of the topics included how food delivery services might impact rural and urban food deserts, how immigration laws in the United States impact illegal immigration, and the spread of online and in-person anti-Semitic incidents. The adolescents presented their work to families, staff, and Upper Elementary students at a Social Justice Data Fair.

School Partnership with Montessori Lancaster in Mérida, Yucatán

We are happy to announce an exciting new partnership with Montessori Lancaster in Mérida, Yucatán in Mexico. We have been diligently working for two years to identify and partner with an established Montessori school in Latin America to provide children and adolescents at both schools an opportunity to connect with peers across cultures.

As part of our capstone experience, our Adolescent students will be traveling to Mérida this spring to meet students at our sister school for the first time. Throughout the school year, our Adolescents have been diving into a deeper understanding of the Spanish language and cultures in Latin America.

Our Sister School Committee is led by Sra. Ale Equivel Castillo, our Dual Language Guide, and comprised of staff members committed to establishing a global partnership where our children and adolescents can establish lasting relationships across cultures. We thank all members of our Committee including Natalia Torres (Toddler Dual Langauge Assistant), Fernanda White (Lower Elementary Dual Langauge Assistant), Sylvia Glassco (Dual Language Director and Director of the Adolescent Program), and GiGi Gould (Advancement Assistant).

Ale has worked to establish a partnership with Lancaster Montessori in her own hometown of Mérida. She visited the school during a recent trip to Yucatán and I felt in love with the staff and the school. Lancaster has a large Adolescent Program and we are looking forward to visiting their class in the spring for a seven day trip. Our students will have an opportunity to get to know the Adolescents at Lancaster. They will also be visiting Chichén Itzá, an ancient Mayan city named one of the new seven wonders of the world, and venturing into the local community for several cultural experiences!

2024 MLK Day of Service

Thank you to all of the families who volunteered and donated items for our MLK Day of Service to benefit PIVOT Baltimore. Because of your generosity, we were able to complete our goal of creating 100 care packages and providing hundreds of dollars worth of additional supplies for women returning from incarceration. These resources signify hope and a second chance for many women in Baltimore. ⁠
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It was such a joy to gather once again on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to work with our children and model acts of service in our community. ⁠

Lower Elementary Children Explore Natural History Through Going Outs

Our Lower Elementary children have been inspired recently by natural history and early humans. After receiving the first three Great Lessons – The Coming of the Universe, The Timeline of Life, and The Coming of Humans, they have initiated their own research on everything from early humans to the giant octopus. In true Montessori fashion, they have each been eagerly learning more about their chosen topics through research, field trips, and Going Outs.

Our Redbud and Mulberry classes recently visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to explore the Human Origins exhibit along with many of the other wonders of the natural world! The children became interested in learning more about early humans after receiving the third Great Lesson, The Coming of Humans.⁠ This Third Great Lesson focuses on early humans and the three things that set us apart from the rest of the animals around us: a mind to imagine, hands to work, and a heart to love others. This Great Lesson is the first story to include humans and sets the stage for the many wonderful, historic inventions humanity birthed from the time they entered our timeline through the current day.

A small group of Lower Elementary students also went on a Going Out to the National Aquarium in Baltimore to research the giant octopus, sea slugs, and the peacock mantis shrimp. They each confirmed those creatures were there before going and they printed out directions to and from the aquarium to direct their chaperone. When they arrived, each student explored the aquarium to search for the exhibit that they were researching. They found out when they arrived that unfortunately the no longer lived at the aquarium. Determined to leave with information, these students asked aquarium staff about this animal and were able to get some interesting facts. In the rainforest exhibit, they were able to spot two out of three sloths, which was a highlight for everyone. They were also able to learn about and touch horseshoe crabs and jellyfish in the touch tanks. Shark Alley was the most exciting to explore, where they spotted a Sand Tiger Shark, a Sawtooth Shark and the Blacktip Reef shark.

Going Outs and field trips are an essential component of the Montessori Elementary experience. These tangible real-world opportunities are essential for our children to begin to engage with the larger world, and they can spark deeper, meaningful learning experiences.

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