Education & Academics

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Montessori Academy provides excellent international education to prepare all students with the skills necessary to be both positive members of their communities and responsible global citizens by providing international field trips and studies.

International experiences are invaluable to a child’s education. By questioning and learning about diversity and the world around them, students become open-minded, culturally aware, and have a desire to expand their interests beyond the borders of their communities. They are filled with questions at the beginning of these trips and have the desire to know and learn more at the end. Each trip is planned to coincide with the course curriculum and education the students receive during the school year.

Costa Rica: March 2008

From clear waterfalls cascading past thick green ferns to pristine water fountains splashing in San Joses cultural plaza, Costa Rica offers intense natural beauty, rugged adventure, and a look at Central America's most cosmopolitan city. Watch the orange lava flow from Arenal Volcano. See the emerald and scarlet quetzal bird poking out from a tree trunk in the vine-draped Monteverde Cloud Forest. Stretch out on the black sand of Jaco Beach.Soar through the treetops for the unmatched close-up of the New World's best wildlife refuge. Harness yourself to cables that run between platforms high in the trees, then step into thin air and zip from tree to tree. Experience a true bird-eye view from your new aerial perspective.

Step back in time as you explore Monteverde on horseback, following time-worn trails through the mountains as you breathe in the mists of the rainforest. Reventazan River full-day guided rafting trip.

The perfect way to experience Costa Rica at its best. After getting full safety and paddling instructions from your guide, head off into lush rainforest teeming with toucans, herons, and iguanas. Be on the lookout for basilisk lizards - these reptiles can scurry across the water on their hind legs, a feat that earned them the nickname "Jesus Christ lizards." End your tour of Costa Rica's most popular river with a traditional lunch prepared by your guide.

Europe: March 2006
Ireland, Wales, England and France

In March 2006, 34 students, parents and faculty toured Ireland, Wales, England and France on a ten-day educational tour coordinated through Explorica; a educational tour/trip planning company. The tour was strategically planned to occur during an 11-day period with the focus being on educational exploration of historical sites as well as experiences with different cultures and customs in these areas.

The true “planes, trains, and automobiles” adventure also included jaunting car drives, taxis, and a luxury ferry ride from Ireland to Wales. The group saw the Book of Kells and toured the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. From there it was a ferry ride to Wales where they stayed in a haunted hotel, visited hamlets and journeyed through Snowdonia National Park.

They went on to England for stops at Shakespeare’s birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s house, Oxford University (and the library where portions of the Harry Potter movies were filmed), then on to London: Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, a play “Blood Brothers” in the West End, and many other points of interest and education.

The group then boarded a train to travel the Chunnel on their way to France. Riding to the top of the Eiffel Tower, boating down the Seine River on a scenic river tour, visiting the Louvre (the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo were some highlights here), Notre Dame, the famed Opera House of “Phantom of the Opera”, and experiencing the student/labor riots first hand, gave the students an experience of a lifetime.

Europe: March 2004
Rome, Italy and Greece

In March 2004, 35 students, parents and faculty toured Rome, Italy and Greece on a seven-day educational tour coordinated through Explorica; a educational tour/trip planning company. The tour was strategically planned to focus being on educational exploration of historical sites as well as experiences with different cultures and customs in these areas.

Students began the trip by arriving in Rome and touring the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and the Piazza Navona. Next it was a trip to Vatican City with stops at the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica where students were able to enhance their art appreciation experience by viewing the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, murals, the Pieta, tapestry, sculptures and other famous works of art. The Colosseum, Forum Romanum and Piazza Venezia were their next stops where guided tours explained the history and culture of the times.

The students then traveled to Pompeii to experience first hand the results and devastation of the Mount Vesuvius eruption. Next, they traveled on an overnight ferry to Tolo, Greece and then on to Olympia for another guided tour of the grounds of the first Olympic Games.

Next was Athens, where visits to Epidaurus and Mycenae sites were accompanied once again by an experienced tour guide. Other site visits include the Parthenon, Acropolis, Temple of Athena Nike, Omonia Square, Syntagma Square and the site of the future 2004 Olympic Games. The students visited the Plaka district, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Hadrian’s Arch.

They rounded out their tour with a visit to Delphi and the Temple of Apollo and enjoyed a festive Greek evening, full of culture, foods, authentic dance and dress.