Middle School Campaign - Case for Support
Each of our 11 current classrooms are designed to meet the specific needs of the age of the student population using it and within the very specific vision of a Montessori school environment. Although our Middle Schoolers certainly receive an amazing education within one of our most prized facilities, they do so in a limiting physical environment that was not designed to meet their needs. The structural intent of the resource space is very different than that of a Montessori classroom environment and has resulted in a number of ongoing challenges:
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The space was built to serve a maximum of 10-15 students at a time.
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It was designed for the students to all be doing the same activity at the same time.
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To meet their needs, our Middle School class fully utilizes the entire RFC, limiting the proper school-wide and public use of this facility.
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There is not a dedicated kitchen built into the resource space where the teacher can maintain visual contact with the students.
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The space lacks dedicated bathrooms.
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Whenever another group uses the RFC, the Middle School must work around the noise.
The Montessori School of Maui has experienced a steady growth in admissions, resulting in an enrollment figure of 266 last year – our highest attendance to date. We forecast a resulting increase in enrollment in our Middle School program in the coming years and have determined that the time is right to move forward.
The plan includes remodeling the existing Development office, building a 1,500 square foot addition next to it and completing minor remodeling of other spaces to serve the relocated administrative team. The resulting 2,500 square foot classroom will easily accommodate up to 30 7th and 8th grade students and include adequate space for them to both meet together in a group and provide spaces for breakout work, plus dedicated bathrooms and a kitchen built into the classroom. We have begun the project and hope to have students in their new classroom by the fall of 2015.
In addition to properly addressing the needs of the Middle School class, we also look ahead to the school-wide benefits of the creation of a dedicated classroom environment for our Middle School.
- The new classroom will allow for the forecast growth of the Middle School program and the entire school will benefit from the additional earned income generated by the resulting increased student tuition.
- The kitchen in the RFC may be used to conduct a healthy onsite lunch program and may be rented to partners in the community.
- The resource space in the RFC will be available for classroom breakouts and enrichment activities, such as the continued growth of our Hawaiian Studies program and staff meetings.
The project is forecast to cost $380,000. Thanks to sound planning, the school has available a $100,000 reserve that has allowed us to begin work on the project and meet a portion of our projected need. Therefore, we need members of our community to align themselves with this exciting initiative and help us raise the remaining $280,000 forecast cost.
Members of our community are encouraged to speak with our Head of School, Development Director or a Board member if you’re interested in exploring how you may participate in this exciting chapter in our organization’s history.