Huntsburg Township, Ohio – Hershey Montessori School has announced the public launch of a $3.7 million capital campaign to help complete construction of a new international upper school on its 97-acre farm campus in Geauga County. The campaign also will support the school’s endowment fund and improvements to its Concord campus, which serves children from infancy through sixth grade.
With the addition of the upper school, Hershey Montessori becomes the first known in the world to fully implement Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision for educating children from birth through 18 years in a land-focused setting with an option for adolescents to live on a working farm.
The capital campaign already has reached 82 percent of its goal through a combined lead gift of $2 million from the Hershey Foundation and the Hershey Family Foundation as well as major gifts from donors, including The Budnik Family Foundation, the Neubauer family and Bob and Laurel Weinberg.
“The decision to expand Hershey Montessori in this historic way was spurred by great demand from students, families and educators from all over the world,” said Paula Leigh Doyle, head of school. “The early and enthusiastic support we’ve received for this capital campaign is proof of how inspiring this pedagogy is to those who see it in action.”
The upper school will be built on the 97-acre Huntsburg Township farm that has served as the campus for Hershey Montessori Middle School since 2000. Programming for the upper school began in August 2015 with an inaugural class of 13 tenth graders. Grades 11 and 12 will be added over the next two years. Like the middle school, the upper school educates boarding students from all over the world and the United States as well as day students from throughout Northeast Ohio.
Respect for nature and care for the environment are pillars of Hershey Montessori School’s core philosophy. These values are reflected in the vision and building goals of Hershey Montessori Upper School, which will be the first school in the Midwest designed with Passive House Institute of the United States (PHIUS) criteria. PHIUS employs strict design principles committed to reducing energy consumption in building practices. Utilizing cutting-edge design and strict construction standards, PHIUS + 2015 Passive Building Criteria will create significant savings in operation costs and reduced energy consumption.
A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for May 12, and construction completion is expected in spring 2017.
