Given that we live in an area where land is prized not so much for its value as acreage but for its inherent beauty and as a buffer against the encroachment of the modern world, it's only fitting that we have a school whose core values include land preservation, the practice of good husbandry and sustainability in farming and the care of animals.

All this—and a solid education as well—is what students at Mountainside Montessori receive. This summer Mountainside will have programs and camps in its new home at 4206 Belvoir Road in Marshall. A celebration of the school's new home will be part of the open house planned for Saturday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to noon. If you are a parent of school-age children (18 months through 9th grade), this might well be the best option for you.

The new campus is lovely, with classrooms, gardens, nature walks and much more, all designed to provide an experience for students unlike any you will find in our region.

Montessori teaching encourages students to learn through exploration and discovery. The Montessori Method was developed more than 110 years ago, and since then millions of parents and students have experienced this approach, which has proven to be the best way to educate a child—working with the child rather than against him or her. Maria Montessori knew that children needed to use their hands and their minds together to reach their full potential. She said, "children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future."

Spend a day in a Mountainside classroom and you will see children engaged in a variety of activities. A six-year old may be practicing her cursive in a work area, while a five-year old is learning about numbers in the thousands in another corner of the classroom, while another may be dissecting a flower to learn about its anatomy. In the Montessori setting, children choose to learn, rather than being force-fed the lessons of the day.

The school is built on 10 acres of fertile land that will allow students and teachers to operate a small student-run farm. The classrooms are all new and were designed to provide learning in keeping with the "Montessori Method," as well as providing an outdoor environment where students will learn how to care for gardens as well as animals—chickens, sheep, goats, bees and more—even as they master reading, writing and 'rithmetic. Each classroom will be fully equipped with Montessori materials and will have its own garden which children will have access to at any time during the school day.

Over the course of their time at Mountainside Montessori students will be exposed to the basics of zoology, botany, chemistry, earth science, physics, applied mathematics—and entrepreneurship. They'll be able to collect eggs from their chickens, harvest vegetables from their gardens and round up animals they have raised—and sell these to local individuals and businesses. In the process, they will learn responsibility and accountability—all in a beautiful environment.

The new campus is now a certified wildlife habitat. It will also provide many unique farming opportunities. Mountainside Montessori is a member of the American Livestock Breeding Conservancy, in keeping with the school's commitment to support heritage breeds wherever possible. This will complement the science curriculum, giving real life applications of concepts like genetics, DNA, nutritional needs and animal life cycles. Students will feed and work with the animals while keeping detailed financial, feed, and health records, in addition to marketing their animal by networking with local buyers.

Inside the classrooms, Mountainside plans to nurture self-expression through the performing and fine arts. There is no drama club for children in the Marshall area, so in the future Mountainside hopes to start their own and expand it into the surrounding community. On a weekly basis, students will be able to study woodworking and metalworking in a converted stone smokehouse studio on the property.

All of Mountainside's educational and enrichment efforts point to a single goal of bringing children closer to the earth, deeper into the community and most importantly, closer to discovering their true selves and boundless potential.

For more information about Mountainside Montessori, visit the school's website: www.mountainsidemontes-sori.com. Or better yet, come to the June 13 open house.