At Murray-LaSaine, we help all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our mission is to empower every child to become a lifelong learner.

We are proud of our students’ creativity and problem solving abilities. We admire their willingness to work as a team, collaborate with others, and mentor other students. Our students learn to communicate with each other, their teachers, other staff members, and the community through real-world situations and every day opportunities. The answers are not provided to students, they must seek out the knowledge they need.

This year, our students have demonstrated creativity and innovation in large and small ways.  On a daily basis, you can see and hear evidence of their creativity by the projects they are completing, the short stories they write, the presentations they create, the song lyrics they compose, and the games they play outside. All students, age 4 and up, participated in the Hour of Code and used critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration to solve computer coding tutorials. On a grander scale, Murray-LaSaine Upper Elementary students took on a large-scale production of “The Lion King”. Not only did creativity abound, but every ounce of effort was evident on opening night. It was one of the highlights of our year.

The Montessori method is built upon collaboration and teamwork.  In our mixed-age classrooms, students must rely on one another. They work together, whether it’s an older student teaching a younger student a lesson or a younger student offering to assist a friend. Starting at age 3, our students learn to respect others’ space, to work quietly and peacefully, to use words to solve problems, and that mistakes are opportunities to learn something new. Students participate in class meetings and peace education and the school uses positive discipline techniques.

Students are encouraged to be independent and self-reliant, whether it’s zipping their own coat to organizing their own outing in the community. Staff and parents are continually reminded of Maria Montessori’s precept to never do for a child what a child can do for himself.

In these and other ways, Murray-LaSaine integrates South Carolina’s world class skills each and every day. When we teach peace, inspire students to think critically, and empower lifelong learning, we can be assured our students will be the change.

Meredith Wallace, Principal

Joey Ballenger, SIC Chair