Today, Staunton Montessori School students will deliver much needed holiday gift items to families in need through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Project.
Each classroom adopted a family, bringing in requested items such as clothes, jackets, shoes and even bikes and scooters. Teachers used the opportunity to teach the students about generosity, and helping others, spending time talking about the items the family requested and why it’s important to help those who may not have enough.
“The Angel Tree Project provides our school community the opportunity to come together and give back, which aligns with the core tenets of the Montessori method. Our teachers involve the students in every step of the process, including creating the Angel Tree for the school lobby, organizing the donations, and of course final delivery to the salvation army. We feel it’s important for them to take a leadership role throughout the entire process.” said Kelley Flanders, who is the Head of School at Staunton Montessori School.
Staunton Montessori School is proud to participate in this local project. Each year, sponsors ranging from neighborhood associations to private companies volunteer to place Angel Trees in high-traffic areas within their community, organization or office. Many sponsors provide a tree as an added donation along with promotional materials to inform their community, members or staff of the program along with confidential information about the children, who will benefit from their generosity. The sponsoring organization also serves as a collection point for the gifts, and provides secure storage until a volunteer from The salvation army can collect the gifts for distribution.
Sara Christopherson, who has a daughter in one of the two primary classrooms says, “I love that my child’s classroom participates in this project each year. It’s important to us that she learn about why it’s important serve her community. We talk about it at home, but having it reinforced at school has been a great way for her to really understand the true meaning of helping others.”
Staunton Montessori School, founded in 1980, provides Primary (ages 3-6) and Elementary (6-12) Montessori education as a unique alternative for the community. This approach to learning was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), an Italian physician and educator, who believed that education should be based on a child’s needs during sensitive periods of development. The core tenets of her philosophy emphasize independence, order, self-discipline and respect for others. Combining this foundation with specialized educational materials makes the Montessori classroom a unique and challenging atmosphere for learning.
Staunton Montessori School offers AMI trained primary and elementary teachers on staff. The elementary teachers also both have their Masters Degrees in Education. We operate as a non-profit entity with oversight by a Board of Trustees. The school is also licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services.
To learn more about Staunton Montessori School, visit www.stauntonmontessori.org.
For more information about the Angel Tree Project, visit http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/waynesborova.
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