VMS embodies the ideals of both Mother Antonia Maria Verna and Dr. Maria Montessori
Verna Montessori School is named in honor of Antonia Maria Verna, the Venerable Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception. She spent all her life to meet the needs of others and went out of her way to help, to console, to assist, to share the good news of the kingdom of God, and to instruct the very young. In fact, she established the first Kindergarten in Piedmont, Italy. She founded her Congregation to insure that her mission would continue beyond any one person's short life span. Mother Antonia Maria Verna's ideals continue to be shared today by the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception (S.C.I.C.), who strive to be attentive to the needs of their contemporary society in order to meet them. The Sisters of our school try to be good followers of their Venerable Foundress. The V.M.S. faculty are called to acquire the attitudes of meekness and humility of Christ. They strive to be totally committed to the evangelical and Montessorian ideals.
Dr. Maria Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, Italy in 1870. She was the first Italian woman to earn her medical degree. As the creator of the "Montessori Method of Education," she developed a process of education based on the potentials and the needs of the child, through her scientific observations of young children's behavior. In 1907, she was invited to open a childcare center for the children of desperately poor families in the San Lorenzo slums of Rome. She called this place "Children's House." Dr. Montessori based her program on her observations that young children learn best in a homelike setting, filled with developmentally appropriate materals that provide experiences and contribute to the growth of self-motivated, independent learners. Her process promotes the "whole child." The goal is to help a child reach full potential in all areas of life. Class activities foster the development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical coordination as well as cognitive preparation. The Montessori approach to education grew from her profound respect for every child's natural desire to know. Dr. Maria Montessori was already honored and respected throughout the world at the time of her death in 1952.
Dr. Maria Montessori
The Verna Montessori School seeks to build within the child the foundation for a lifetime of creative and joyful learning. VMS provides a framework in which intellectual and social growth go hand in hand, supporting each individual's unique development.
VMS is recognized by the Association Montessori International, Amsterdam, Holland, General Headquarters for the International Society and the AMI/USA.
The AMI was founded by Maria Montessori and this recognition safeguards the Montessori principles and practices of education as an aid to life, advocating general recognition of the rights of all children.
VMS is recognized by the Board of Education of the Diocese of Greensburg, through which it has received the state of Pennsylvania approval.
Verna Montessori School is owned and operated by the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception, Incorporated as SCIC in 1974. The continued progress and stability of the school, however, is greatly dependent on the interest of the community, which it serves.
