Junior High

To the adolescent, purpose is everything.

Once they know the meaning of what they are doing, they engage. This is why our faculty designs exciting course work--science, humanities, math, economics, creative expression-- in which their students see the relevance to life beyond the classroom. We make regular connections between the classroom and our acre of farmland, active apiary (i.e. beehives), and animals. Examples include:

• Students see how the study of angles in their math class applies to surveying the farmland to determine the depth of slope of the drainage they need to dig in preparation for winter rains. 

• After a lecture and reading on the social behavior of bees, students will don bee suits and open the hives for direct observation of this behavior as they harvest honey.

• Students study micro-economics, and then apply these lessons to the running of a Marin Montessori Junior High stand at a local farmer’s market; they consider marketing strategies to increase sales and analyze buying trends to determine which products to produce in greater amounts. 

The benefit of this approach? At a time when many students’ interest in school wanes, MMS adolescents continue in their education with passion.

We help you get there -- wherever your there is.

As the capstone to Marin Montessori, the Junior High program prepares students for the many different high schools and universities to which they will matriculate. There is a carefully planned structure to the school day with discrete classes in mathematics, science, and humanities, along with physical education and creative expression classes. The inclusion of regular tests, quizzes, and nightly homework allows students to refine their time management and learning skill sets so that our graduates transition smoothly and successfully into high school.

Adolescence is a time of creativity.

Under learning conditions that are too narrow and limited, their creative spark diminishes and their creativity flattens. This is why at MMS, we empower adolescents with regular opportunities to exercise their creative, innovative motivations toward productive ends. For example, personal “Odyssey Projects” throughout the year offer students time and support for digging deeply into topics and projects of intense personal interest. Upon completion, students present and teach their peers and teachers what they discover and produce. Past Odyssey projects include:

• Construction of a working food dehydrator

• Building a model of a particle accelerator

• Studying the history and genres of comedy

Creativity flourishes in so many other ways throughout the Junior High. Beyond our Creative Expression classes themselves (e.g. photography, theater, dance), other examples include: 

• Regular opportunities to propose solutions to community challenges

• Hands-on philanthropic projects (e.g. building “tiny-homes” for the homeless) 

• Starting a school rock band

• Hatching and raising bug-eating ducks for natural pest control on the school’s farm. 

Coming each day to a school that invites forward-thinking and action, ensures that our students retain and develop their capacities for creative, innovative thinking and robust problem-solving. 

Adolescents often have times of feeling overtaken with intense emotions. 

Acknowledging this as an important opportunity, our adolescent students learn skills for mindfulness, stress management, and self-reflection. Through this, they develop powerful tools for positive emotional expression and regulation.

Additionally, adolescents wrestle passionately with questions of identity, ethics, and complex local and global issues. Through the study of humanities and current events, we guide students to harness the strength of their convictions toward action. Knowing how to channel their emotions, MMS  students feel empowered and productive to lead positive change.

How is the Montessori emphasis on independence expressed in adolescent education?

Primarily through real work, real responsibility, and real agency. 

Every afternoon on our Junior High campus, students are assigned chore stations--from sweeping, to mopping, to doing dishes in the community kitchen. The lesson is clear: this is your school community, and you are responsible for helping take care of it.

Additionally, every student can apply annually for “manager positions.” Resumes and interviews are required, and not every student who applies gets a position--thus further building their resilience. Managers have real responsibilities in organizing and leading essential work throughout the year. Accountable to the community, managers report out their accomplishments and challenges during the weekly Community Council meetings.

Community Council is attended by all students and faculty. Meeting facilitation leadership rotates amongst students, and in these meetings, every student may bring up concerns and also offer appreciation and compliments. The message this sends every day to MMS adolescents is that their views and voices not only matter but also influence and impact. They see themselves as capable and also responsible for their community. This further develops their confidence in their capacities.