Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School
Clark Montessori, the nation’s first public Montessori high school, has been nationally recognized for academic excellence; and Clark Montessori’s students consistently earn high scores on state tests.
The experiential teaching style practiced within the five CPS Montessori elementary schools and based on the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator, continues at Clark Montessori. Dr. Montessori's experience with adolescents (as detailed in her book From Childhood to Adulthood), inspires Clark Montessori teachers as they guide students to develop their intellectual skills and become full contributors to society. The Montessori teaching method encourages students to learn by piquing their natural curiosity about the world and by providing an environment that kindles their natural drive to learn. The Montessori Triangle of education — students, teachers and parents working together — makes Clark Montessori a strong community of adults and teenagers who respect each other.
Our school is best known for its field studies and intersessions, community service as a method for learning about the world, thematic work emphasis, seminars, and relationship building. Also, most of our students participate in our Music and Visual Arts programs.
Some other important facts about Clark Montessori:
Junior-high classrooms are organized into multilevel learning communities.
Students sign contracts requiring a commitment to learning, community involvement and respect for others.
Community service is required of all Clark Montessori students (36 hours per year in grades 7-8; 50 hours per year in grades 9-12).
Intersessions occur twice a year, when the regular curriculum in grades 9-12 comes to a halt. Each student selects a two-week, in-depth immersion course to take during the intersession. Examples include studying civil rights in Atlanta, sailing and studying marine biology on a coral reef, and exploring the Appalachian Trail.
Each senior completes a year-long project, an in-depth study of a topic of the student’s choice. Parts of the project are due throughout the year, and long-range planning is necessary. Students present the finished projects to their classmates.
Student Population
Students primarily come to Clark Montessori from the three East-side Cincinnati Montessori public elementary schools - North Avondale Montessori, Pleasant Ridge Montessori, and Sands Montessori. There are no academic requirements for a student to enter our program, however 95% of Clark Montessori students have previous Montessori education. This means that Clark Montessori has a very diverse student population. Folks at Clark Montessori are proud of the fact that there is diversity in race, in gender, in the represented neighborhoods, in socio-economic background, and in the academic and personal qualities of the school’s student body.
Read More
Clark montessori Official Website
Wikipedia
Public Montessori Schools: Planting the seeds
An article written by one of the founders of the Montessori movement in Cincinnati.
Mind/Shift Article 2016: Where are all the Public montessori high schools?
Includes interviews with former principal Dean Blase and founding teacher Marta Donahoe.