As East Cooper Montessori (ECMCS) completes its 18th year as a public Montessori school of choice within Charleston County School District, we reflect on many successes despite the global pandemic. Guided by the principles of Dr. Maria Montessori, ECMCS is meeting the vision to develop world-class skills and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing an authentic, rigorous public Montessori experience for students in preK-8th grades. The school continues to be awarded for high achievement and is recognized as a model public Montessori program within our county and state.
The mission of ECMCS, in part, is to provide a rigorous Montessori education that guides children toward academic excellence and a lifelong love of learning. Rigorous curriculum expectations are met through learning experiences that capitalize on collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication. The school fulfills its mission by allowing students to develop their abilities. This occurs by posing questions, collaborating with others, designing investigations, and gaining skills necessary to express and pursue research interests. Scientific and mathematical aptitudes, appreciation of history and timelines, literacy across disciplines, and the development of a student’s humanity toward the local and global community are all part of the curriculum at ECMCS. The second part of the school’s mission is to encourage stewardship of the greater global community. Students annually participate in global learning projects including the World Peace Game and the Model Montessori United Nations simulation program. Due to the pandemic, we offered a social justice project-based learning experience this year for our students which incorporated three artists in residence. We also installed and planted garden beds for every classroom in the school in collaboration with the Clemson Extension Program. Lastly, community service projects such as Oyster Bed Restoration or clothing drives for the Florence Crittenton home still occurred despite the pandemic in efforts for students to be stewards of the greater community. The vibrant hands-on approach to teaching and learning through personalized curriculum, interactive technology, a Gifted and Talented Immersion Program, foreign language, high school credit courses in middle school coupled with strong arts programming in music, theater, art, STEM, and digital arts program continue to set the ECMCS experience apart from other programs.
In addition, ECMCS was able to continue to reach 100% of our students during the Covid-19 shutdown through distance learning. When we returned to in-person instruction in the Fall of 2020, we created permanently reduced class sizes of fewer than 20 students to reduce transmission of the virus. We created an outdoor cafe so that all students had an outdoor lunch option. We added a morning recess block as well so all students had the option of recess twice daily. We offered additional support to ensure any achievement gaps present from the shutdown were mitigated. In reading and math, approximately 5% of the student population scored below the 30th percentile for example. We also went 1:1 with devices for students to have greater digital flexibility and access during the pandemic.
Our Montessori program continues to lift student achievement and reach new heights because ECMCS invests in practices for the attraction, growth, and maintenance of a strong, professionally engaged faculty.
The consistent and professional leadership of the Governing Board and the school administration remains a cornerstone of its financial and academic success. People truly are the heart of our business.
Jody Swanigan, Principal
Abby Kazley, ECMCS Governing Board Chair