Feature Story and Photos By: Larry H. Oskin
The South Lake Montessori School continues to focus on inspiring creativity for their students to celebrate art, creativity, history, culture, life and all aspects of learning. The arts have always been a mainstay at Montessori. With a lack of field trips and special guest speakers this past year due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions, they have shared many exciting new opportunities and alternative experiences with their students. They were inspired to use their own visual creativity, while sharing their own interpretive studies in art, science, culture and history.
Outdoor Art Museum: Their second annual art project and outdoor museum exhibit are displayed now with educationally-based art projects. They have studied famous artists’ lives, their artwork and their varied art techniques, including Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, Matisse, Cezanne, Da Vinci, Edward Hopper and Georgia O’Keefe. The students replicated famous artwork and the techniques by these artists with their own creative versions. The students were able to use acrylic paints, pastels, watercolors, pencils, chalks or any visual medium they wanted. Student art is now hanging on their outdoor backyard fence as well as at the South Lake Art League.
Creative Art Assignments: Elementary Instructor Tracy McCoy noted, “Each student was assigned to create at least 3 different pieces of artwork in various mediums. It is important for the children to know about famous artists, art history and where the different art techniques come from. We want the students to learn how to best appreciate art, while blending it into their studies of music and culture. For example, we taught them about DaVinci’s famous ‘Contrapposto Technique’ where the body faces one way and the head faces the opposite direction. They were able to learn about how many of the most famous artists were friends and competitors as well as to learn about impressionism, surrealism and many other modern art styles while attempting to make personal connections with their art presentations.” Other students yelled, “We all love it here – it’s like family!”, “Montessori is an important part of who I am!” and “I’m the happiest person here!”
Student Comments: Student Kiley noted, “I really liked this art project. It helped me learn how to express my artwork in different ways. My favorite and most colorful medium is acrylic paint.” Patrick added, “Art takes time! You can’t rush artwork! I worked with pieces by Salvador Dali, Wangechi Mutu and Edward Hopper. I have really enjoyed creating my own artwork at home and at school.” Evelyn shared, “I really like Georgia O’Keefe and all of her flowers. Radley added, “I like abstract and surrealism art. I learned how Dali painted what he perceived and saw in his dreams.”
The Montessori Method: As an AMI-recognized school, Jan Sheldon and her staff help children reach their fullest potential at their own pace. Led by Sheldon with Tracy McCoy and Emmanuella Rojas, the South Lake Montessori philosophy is a forward-thinking educational method. Instead of dividing their school children by grade, the South Lake Montessori classes place children in age groups from ages 3 to 6 and 6 to 12. There are no defined grades, yet their teachers train, observe, keep records and plan individual projects that ensure that each child is completely engaged to learn at his or her best pace. Classrooms help children develop their social skills while challenging them to learn to work together, with other students’ best interests in mind. Their staff uses extensive observation to creatively guide their children to learn and develop at their own pace. Sheldon notes, “A respect for your child’s dignity and ability is a critical element of all we do. While the basics are taught, our teachers encourage children to explore other styles of learning and expression, from artistic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and intuitive techniques.” As well as encouraging children to find answers and solutions to many defined challenges, their instructors are trained to ask thought-provoking questions rather than to merely provide answers and solutions. They feel that discovering answers for themselves helps children to better develop their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Jan Sheldon & The Montessori Team: As owner and founder, California was her primary home state, while spending some of her childhood in Hawaii. Her father was in the Navy and her mother was a Social Editor of a San Diego newspaper. She fell in love with theatre and Shakespeare. After marriage, she and her husband Richard Judkins moved to Florida. In 1982, she became the first President of Lake County NOW Chapter — National Organization for Women. In 1983, she began working at the Lake Montessori school in Leesburg, Florida. In 1997, when her two sons were in middle and high school, she decided to open the South Lake Montessori School. Sheldon remains proud to have a diversely talented staff with McCoy and Rojas. Rojas is bilingual, fluent in Spanish and an American sign language expert. Montessori remains a very creative educational environment. They are licensed for up to 65 children. They have two classrooms, with one for primary students serving 3 to 6-year-olds and another one for elementary students serving 6 to 12-year-olds.
For More Information, make an appointment to visit the South Lake Montessori School, located at 983 West DeSoto Street in
Downtown Clermont, FL 34711. Call: 352-365-7212, email: slmsoffice13@gmail.com, like them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SouthlakeMontessori/ and visit: https://southlakemontessorischool.com/.
