The mission of the Damariscotta Montessori School is to provide a carefully planned, stimulating Montessori environment, which will help children develop within themselves the foundation for a lifetime of learning, thinking and living. Read more of Our Mission.
What makes Montessori special?
Deep respect for the child
Multi-age classrooms
Individualized instruction
A focus on intrinsic motivation
Choice within carefully constructed limits
Hands-on materials for younger, concrete learners, with a gentle progression to abstraction for older learners
Screen-free classrooms for our younger students and limited screens for our older student.
Calm, natural, and intentional learning environments
My eleven years at Damariscotta Montessori School instilled in me a strong love of learning that has continued through high school and college. The ability to learn at my own pace without having to stress about loads of homework or tests allowed me to satisfy my curiosity and live an extremely happy childhood. The off-campus trips were just as amazing as my experience in the classroom. Our time at the Leadership School at Kieve provided me with numerous leadership skills and a confidence in my ability to lead that caused me to go to multiple leadership conventions, both on the state and national level, during high school. Additionally, the field trips to the Museum of Science in Boston and the Washington DC trip in seventh grade helped me come to the decision to attend college in Boston and study political science.
- Katherine
After graduating from eighth grade, alumni go on to Lincoln Academy, the Maine School for Science and Mathematics, Fishburne Military Academy, the Baxter School, and other competitive college preparatory programs. Our alumni and their parents credit the ability to plan their own work, conduct independent research, ability to work as part of team and leadership skills to their time at Damariscotta Montessori School.
Alumni transfer that same Montessori foundation to success at many nationally-ranked colleges such as Simmons, Oberlin Conservatory, Emmanuel College, Williams College and the University of Maine Honors Program.
While staff turnover is low, opportunities to live in Midcoast Maine and work at DMS do arise from time to time. Please inquire directly with the school. CLICK HERE for more information.
What do DMS graduates do? We do our best to track our alumni after they leave our program. Here are some of the stories that they have shared with us and we are happy to share with you. This is a new section, so check back often for updates.
Emma attended DMS from preschool through 8th grade and Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, ME for high school. Emma is currently studying Developmental Psychology at Emmanuel College in Boston. (July, 2024) She also returns to DMS as a substitute teacher…when she isn’t traveling the world. Emma recently wrote to us to share how her DMS experience has helped shape the person she is today.
“I knew I loved the world ever since 1st grade when I first learned how to do pin maps in lower elementary. As I placed the little flags on to each country of every continent, I knew that one day I wanted to travel to each of those countries. 15 years later, I had the privilege to study abroad on a ship where I traveled to 10 different countries through Asia, Africa, and Europe and learned about this beautiful world by experiencing it!
Montessori enabled me to have cultural awareness from a young age because of the engaging geography, history, and science lessons, and most importantly, cultural day— learning about different countries, making ethnic dishes, and respectfully sharing what we researched with everyone! I thank Montessori education every day for my independent demeanor, which has allowed me to be a conscious and adventurous traveler.
I have also gained strong interpersonal skills such as empathy, open communication, and emotional intelligence through Montessori’s way of conflict resolution with the peace shell, class meetings, etc. which has benefitted me in every aspect of my life.”
~Emma Tolley
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