Environmental Stewardship

All things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. Maria Montessori

We apply this philosophy to the classroom, curriculum and the individual student, by stressing the interdependence of all living things as a basic tenet of our educational approach. Ecological stewardship has been a component of our teaching since the founding of the school in 1985.

Teachers introduce concepts and impart the wonder of nature to even our youngest students. Our elementary teachers use an interdisciplinary approach to further define, refine and expand on these concepts. At every level, students learn about their relationship to the environment and their responsibility to protect it.

Our campus incorporates a woodland outdoor classroom, bee and butterfly gardens, native plant species, environmentally sustainable playground equipment, and kitchen gardens.

Each class germinates seeds for planting outside. The grown plants can be used for a snack or a tasty treat in the classroom. Our elementary students have sold their school-grown vegetables to raise funds for community service projects, including the SPCA, Haitian earthquake relief, and water projects in Africa.

The upper elementary class has participated in the Maryland Oyster Restoration Recovery Center Project, which involved raising seed oysters to help restore the Chesapeake Bay.
In the 2022  – 2023 school year, the upper elementary class planed and planted a Native Pollinator Garden with the assistance of the Unity Gardens project.

We are a Food Waste Free zone as food scraps are composted daily, and the resulting compost is used in our vegetable and flower gardens. Recycling of plastic, paper, and glass takes place throughout the school as well as recycling ink cartridges, electronics, and books.

Our operating philosophy encompasses conservation of resources, which includes programmable thermostats, energy efficient lighting, low-flow faucets, rain barrels, energy star appliances, and environmentally friendly grounds maintenance and cleaning products.

We are have been a certified Maryland Green School since 2010. We achieved Sustainer status in spring of  2022. Visit our green website at https://montessoriinternational.weebly.com