Clark Montessori's New Home Dedicated In Hyde Park: Students, Parents, Teachers Thank 'Citizens of Cincinnati' for $18 Million Structure

Maria Montessori's Original School in Italy

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Surprise.  The people who put up the money -- the taxpayers -- were honored during dedication ceremonies for the gleaming new school that is a treasure house of wit and wisdom, a spot dedicated to knowledge, inclusion and formation of character.  And of course, in true Montessori fashion, some students, parents and faculty members sat on the floor last evening during speeches and ceremonies.  The new building cost $18 million (there is a park-like greenzone on the roof) and gives America's first public Montessori high school its first permanent home.  Retired principal Tom Rothwell, who was among the education pioneers who started the school in 1994, seemed genuinely impressed that things had come so far.  It was an experiment in education that took root and blossomed. Said Rothwell: "Clark Montessori, we're 18 years old.  Which is unbelievable.  We did it, we all did it.  Anybody who has ever been involved in education knows it all starts at home, it's the parents.  We had great parents.  And they still have great parents."

Cincinnati Clark Montessori's Steel Drum Band

The faculty bought in, too.  Every teacher, every staffer, donated to a $50,000 capital campaign.  There are 600 senior and junior high school students enrolled.  There is a waiting list to get in.  Some people from the suburbs pay tuition to send their kids to this urban public school.  In 2010 Clark Montessori was a top 3 finalist in the White House top commencement challenge.  It just got a $50,000 check from the "Glee" Give a Note Contest, which was a movement to preserve school music programs across the nation during an era of budget cuts.  Clark has an unconventional steel drum band rather than a typical horn, drum and stringed instrument marching band.  From the start, all of Clark's seniors have graduated.  And all get accepted to college.  Urban public schools are a tough environment.  So Mark Twain's words from the 19th Century still might be apt.  He said "a peach was once a bitter almond." And Clark is a peach in a sea of bitter almonds.  The fruits of any school are its graduates -- these are turning out to be exceptional.  They have gone on to become artists, Peace Corps volunteers, aerospace engineers, a political operative who is running the campaign for governor of Washington State, an Air Force pilot, a marketing manager for an athletic apparel company that is a superstar on Wall Street, lawyers, and a musician touring with Mannheim Steamroller.  There are too many to list -- a soon-to-be lieutenant will be leading an Army infantry platoon.  Another Clark grad started and runs a day care center for autistic children.

There are two great public high schools in Cincinnati, Walnut Hills and Clark.  Walnut Hills is rated among the nation's Top 100 by U.S. News and World Report. Students must pass an entrance exam for Walnut Hills, a college prep powerhouse whose alums include a Nobel Laureate.  Clark is open to anyone (most students are eligible for Walnut Hills but choose Montessori over traditional college prep classes).  While both schools are successful, they are hardly alike.  Walnut Hills would be Yale compared to Clark's University of California, Berkeley.  Walnut would be Plato writing down his great thoughts for the ages compared to Socrates, wandering and engaging everyone on the streets of Athens in conversation and making them think.  Walnut Hills is Apple, Clark is Google.  Or put it like this, a Walnut Hills grad may someday discover how to eliminate malaria, one of the great scourges afflicting mankind  A Clark grad would head off into the bush distributing that cure and saving lives.  In these two schools, the citizens of Cincinnati surely have gotten their money's worth.  At the Clark dedication, speakers reflected on a school's responsibility to society -- "investment in the future," and "shared responsibility" and "passing down knowledge" and "hard work" were some of the phrarses.  Rothwell said it was "magical," when kids bought in.  He said their accomplishments could be magical for the universe.  Julie Stark, who heads the Clark Foundation, said they group planned for 75 people at the dedication.  It was standing room only:  "We never expected to have hundreds of people attending.  You are making this homecoming very special"  U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Oh2, sent a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol.  Here is a list of volunteers who worked on designing the 102,000 square foot building:

Charles Alexander, Steph Bradford, Robin Brandon, Ann and Marty Bruce, Chris Collier, Linda Dalton, Marta Donahoe, Paul Duffy, Heather Duncan, Burt and Terry Evans, Kate Fischer, Steffanie Gentile, Don Gunderson, Jo Guido, Vincent Hammerstein, Christy Holland, Ina Loftspring, Jean Marquard-Wisniewski.

Seat McGrory, Cathy McNair, Corey Parker, Josh Roderer, Ann Rundle, Mary Jo Schmidt, Barb Scholz, Peg Schorsch, Brandt C.P. Smith, Holly Taylor, Rupa Townsend, Bruce Weil, Melissa Wilkerson, Lynn Wyrick.