Student work

So Much Science!

So Much Science!

If you have been on campus at Hollis Montessori School at the end of the day lately, you may have noticed Adolescent Program (AP) students and guides hiking up from the pond looking wet, tired, and happy. They have been studying Dunklee Pond in the Hollis Town Forest. This fall they are doing a water quality assessment of Dunklee Pond to submit to the NH Department of Environmental Services. The Adolescent Community has taken on a water quality study every few years so they have now begun to accumulate long term data and can begin to look at the trends.

The Upper Elementary Keeps Us Up To Date

The Upper Elementary Keeps Us Up To Date

At the beginning of this year, some of the oldest students in Upper Elementary had the idea of reviving a school newspaper that had been written by UE students in the past; they remembered getting the editions of the “HMS Press” when they were in Lower Elementary, and they wanted to start it back up. What a big work they were about to embark upon!

An Exciting Time to Learn about the Government!

An Exciting Time to Learn about the Government!

What an exciting time to learn more about government! It seems to be working its way into all levels here at HMS. Last week, the Lower Elementary community went on a wonderful field trip to the New Hampshire State House in Concord. This is a politically charged time of year, and with the Presidential election coming up this year we really wanted to spend some time learning and thinking about how our government works. We are so fortunate to be close to Concord, and jumped at the chance to see this government building in action.

Civics in the Real World

Civics in the Real World

New Hampshire is an amazing place to study civics! Although they aren't yet of voting age, the students of Hollis Montessori’s Adolescent Program (AP) got to experience being active participants in the democratic process this winter. The theme of their studies this term has been governance, and this was a great year to work on that topic. In addition to lessons on the structure of government, the rise of governance (going back to early humans, how laws are made, and political media, they got to visit presidential candidates, the State House, a Courthouse, and attended a convention and debate.

Shakespeare Dinner Theater: Behind the Scenes of an Adolescent Program Event

Shakespeare Dinner Theater: Behind the Scenes of an Adolescent Program Event

It is really hard to describe the incredible growth and learning that happens through putting together a big event in the Adolescent Program. Adolescents thrive on real, big, creative work that happens in community with others. When I say “real work,” I mean work that has a purpose besides one’s own learning, work that affects other people, work so complex that if you don’t pull your own weight other people and the quality of the whole will suffer. The recent Shakespeare Dinner Theater, our classroom Gala project, was one of these events.