Creative Montessori Academy: Learning Through Community Service
“Actions speak louder than words,” said Sandra Parker, a teacher and program advisor at Creative Montessori Academy. “The students at Creative Montessori Academy are not only learning about community projects, but they are also engaging in important work that is impacting our community.”
Throughout the year, students at Creative Montessori Academy are giving back while learning how to read, write, do math and much more.
“What started as a focus on teaching kids how to write creatively and give back has turned into so much more,” said Parker.
This year, CMA students have put their skills into action by creating a student-led newspaper titled the CMA Gazette. The newspaper is written and distributed weekly through the determination of 10 fourth through eighth-grade students.
Each week, the students are assigned to come up with an idea and write an article for the CMA Gazette. The CMA Gazette is printed and the students go wild selling it to friends, family and their community. And boy do they sell!
The CMA Gazette sales are over $640.00 so far this year. The proceeds have been given to four different organizations: Waynewright Community Meals, Community M, Wyandotte Animal Shelter and Downriver for Veterans.
“The newspaper has allowed students to learn about needs in the community, how to fundraise in a way that relates to them and give back. Plus, we are able to use real skills we are learning in the classroom,” Parker said.
The students are learning that every effort to help others, big or small, is worthwhile. They become educated about needs within our community and then become empowered, seeing that children can and will make a positive difference in our community and throughout the world.
In addition to the newspaper, Creative Montessori Academy shows compassion through the various food and clothing drives to local non-profits, as well as a Make a Wish essay contest, which resulted in giving $731.00 to the Make a Wish Foundation.
“We called the whole outreach ‘Kids for Wish Kids, Wish Week- Compassion for a Cause. The students sold Make-A-Wish bracelets for $1.00 and wish stars for any amount that they could give. We also did a jean day for $1.00 where students could wear jeans with a uniform shirt,” Lindsay Defenthaler said, a teacher at Creative Montessori Academy.
Working together to better the lives of others is at the center of Montessori’s vision of peace through education, and CMA strives to keep this spirit of expecting greatness and compassion throughout the school year.
“We believe that children as little as kindergarten can learn how to show kindness and care to others. We want to role model that in our schools and community,” said Rachel Moul, a student advocate at Creative Montessori Academy.
Continue reading Creative Montessori Academy article on the News-Herald website.