Our Founders
To understand the philosophy, you must first know about the two women of great ideals who inspired the foundation of Verna Montessori School.
Blessed Antonia Maria Verna:
Verna Montessori School is named in honor of Blessed Antonia Maria Verna, the Venerable Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception. She dedicated all of her life to meeting 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.
Dr. Maria Montessori:
Dr. Maria Montessori was the first Italian woman to earn her medical degree and was the first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome. She is responsible for developing the process of education called the Montessori Method of education. The program is based on her scientific observations that young children learn best in a home-like setting that is filled with developmentally appropriate materials that stimulate self-motivated, independent learning. This approach to education helps a child reach his or her full potential in all areas of life.
What makes the Verna Montessori School so unique is its approach to the educational process. It embodies the ideas of both Blessed Antonia Maria Verna and Dr. Maria Montessori, and it is these ideas that have opened up a whole new world of learning for generation after generation.