Montessori High School at University Circle
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Montessori High School at University Circle (also known as MHS) was a private
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
located in the
University Circle University Circle is a district in the neighborhood of University on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. One of America's densest concentrations of cultural attractions and performing arts venues, it includes such world-class institutions as the Cl ...
neighborhood of
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...
. The school opened August 2008 as the first private high school in the United States with the
Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
name, and was the first Montessori high school to offer boarding for international and U.S. students. On May 4, 2018, MHS announced that it would cease operations and liquidate its properties at the end of the 2017-18 academic year due to financial difficulties. MHS combined
Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...
education with the
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
program, a demanding college-preparatory program stressing the classical liberal arts. MHS was one of five high schools in the United States to combine these educational approaches.


Accreditation

Montessori High School at University Circle was a member of the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools, was chartered by the State of Ohio, and was recognized as an official World School by International Baccalaureate.


Diploma options

In addition to earning the MHS diploma, student could earn
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
certificates and diploma in selected
International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
courses. Students could sit for exams to earn certificates in any of the six subjects: English, Math, Science, 20th-Century World History, Art, or World Language. Students who achieved a qualifying score would earn a certificate in that subject. IB certificates mark the successful culmination of an area of study for students, and are an achievement in themselves.


Lillard Hall

Now the Science and Mathematics building, Lillard Hall was originally the private residence of Dr. Gordon Morrill. The Federalist style building was designed in 1910 by renowned architect Charles F. Schweinfurth, who designed homes on
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
’s Millionaire's Row, the Old Stone Church, Trinity Cathedral, the Union Club,
Cuyahoga County Courthouse The Cuyahoga County Courthouse stretches along Lakeside Avenue at the north end of the Cleveland Mall in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The building was listed on the National Register along with the mall district in 1975. Other notable buildings of t ...
, and the stone bridges along Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. It is the only private residence Schweinfurth built, and is known as one of the most beautiful mansions in University Circle. The building was converted to house classrooms, offices, music rooms, and libraries shortly after it was acquired by MHS in 2007. Lillard Hall is located at 11025 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland.


The Science Lab

The two-car garage that sits behind Lillard Hall was also converted, and functioned as the school's self-sustaining science laboratory and greenhouse. The lab not only supported science classes at MHS, but it also supports the MHS Garden Squad, which maintains the school garden.


Ferris House

The humanities and foreign language building, Ferris House, was originally built in 1937. Ferris House was acquired by MHS in 2009, and renovations were completed the following winter. The building houses classrooms, a full-service kitchen and lunchroom, and a multi-media art studio. The house's original garage was converted into a theatre classroom. MHS also added a hoop-style greenhouse and a picnic area in the backyard.


The Otis Boarding House

Completed in 1918, Otis House was a single-family residence and remained so until the 1980s, when it was converted into condominiums. Otis House went on to serve as the MHS residential house for boarding students. MHS residential guides also lived in the house, and helped students learn independent living skills. It is located at 10923 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland.


The Carriage House

Converted at the same time as the main house, the Carriage House originally served as stables for the Otis family. It is located behind Otis House.


The Friends' House

MHS partnered with the Cleveland Friends Meeting and Montessori Development Partnerships to have access to additional space in the Friends' House in 2015. The house is owned by the Cleveland Friends Meeting, and used weekly as a worship space for the Quakers. Though MHS is not affiliated with the Quakers, the space had been used to house community meeting, student art galleries, and offices.


University Circle Institutional Partnerships

Noteworthy affiliations included: *
Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...
*
Cleveland Museum of Natural History The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum located approximately five miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio in University Circle, a 550-acre (220 ha) concentration of educational, cultural and medical institu ...
*
Cleveland Botanical Garden The Cleveland Botanical Garden, located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. History The garden was founded in 1930 as the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland. It was the first such organization in an Amer ...
*
Western Reserve Historical Society The Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) is a historical society in Cleveland, Ohio. The society operates the Cleveland History Center, a collection of museums in University Circle. The society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest cul ...
*
Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educatio ...
*
Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at firs ...
*
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...
*University Circle Inc *
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...
*Judson Manor *The Music Settlement As one of over 40 University Circle, Inc. member institutions, MHS was surrounded by organizations that bring a distinct scientific, artistic, historic, or cultural focus to student life and learning in the Circle. In 2015, MHS announced that all music courses would be offered through The Music Settlement and will be taught by Settlement faculty members.


History

Montessori High School at University Circle was founded by a group of Montessori educators and supporters. These individuals worked in concert with a national movement to expand Montessori education at the middle and high school level. After more than a year of planning and development, MHS opened its doors to 37 students, including 17 boarding students, in August 2008. At that time, the campus consisted of two houses, Lillard Hall and Otis House, on the north side of Magnolia Drive. In 2009, MHS was recognized as an International Baccalaureate World School (IB), and has since offered the IB Diploma Programme. In 2009, a third house was added on the south side of Magnolia to accommodate steadily expanding enrollment. The first graduating class consisted of 8 students in 2010. By Fall 2011, 80 students were enrolled at MHS, open to grades 9th through 12th. MHS went on to maintain approximately 100 students, 20 percent of whom lived on campus. In May 2017, MHS reported that ownership of Lillard Hall, Ferris House, and the Otis Boarding House would be transferred to the school. The following year, on May 4, 2018, Montessori High School announced in an email to parents that they would be ceasing operations at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. The reason for closure was that the school had been operating at a significant deficit, and that the board had realized the school could not continue operation with accumulating deficits. Tuition deposits and prepaid tuition for the 2018-2019 school year were refunded, and students, faculty, and staff were forced to find new schools and employment for the following school year. The final school day was June 1, 2018, and the school officially shut down on June 30. Tempe Union proposed opening a Montessori High School by 2013. According to an article in the Arizona Republic, " uperintendent Kenneth Bacais looking at Montessori High School at University Circle in Cleveland as a model for ideas, and he hopes to take district staff, a school-board member and interested community members to visit the school in the fall." Other Montessori schools throughout the country have used MHS as a model.


Notes and references


External links

* {{authority control Education in Cleveland High schools in Cuyahoga County, Ohio University Circle Private high schools in Ohio Montessori schools in the United States