This is the final installment of a 3-part series about the Deerfield Montessori Schools
Carolyn and Tony Kambich began their Montessori journey over four decades ago when they set out to create a Montessori environment with the help of several other dedicated families on Chicago's North Shore. Today, the Kambich family oversees four successful Montessori schools: Deerfield Montessori, Deerfield Children's House, Glenview Montessori and Riverwoods Montessori in addition to the volunteer Montessori Outreach Africa program.
Read Part 1: The beginnings of a Montessori community
Read Part 2: Four schools are grown on the idea of "follow the child"
The spirit of volunteerism runs deep in the Kambich family. Tony Kambich has served on several professional and educational boards including the American Montessori Society (AMS), Northern Illinois University and the Rotary Club. Carolyn Kambich has served on the Board of the Association of Illinois Montessori Schools and the YWCA and spent priceless hours to assist and guide the AMS Peace Committee, Northern Illinois University, the Girls Scouts of America and a local shelter for abused women and children.
Tony and Carolyn's daughter, Lisa Kambich, now serves as the Director of Schools for all four Deerfield Montessori Schools. Following in her parent's footsteps, Lisa also volunteers her time currently serving as the President of the Association of Illinois Montessori Schools. Additionally, she helped to establish Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs for local preschool and elementary children as well as served on the Women's Board of Providence St. Mel School in Chicago.
Montessori Outreach Africa is created
In 1998, Tony and Carolyn volunteered to travel to Africa to work on a Rotary Club humanitarian micro finance service project, a program that helps to educate and fund local business owners in developing countries. Carolyn Kambich describes her experience that led to the formation of the Montessori Outreach Africa program. "When traveling to developing nations we see the difference we can make by simply sharing our life experience to help others realize their dreams. The motto of service organization Rotary International is: "Service above self". In that service we find ourselves "living in the spirit of life where we all are one". It is a vibrant space in which to abide".
While in Africa, several of the local people became interested in the Kambich's background in Montessori and were interested in bringing this method of education to the children in their community. One year later, with the help and support of the American Montessori Society, the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center and the Meca-Seton Teacher Education Center, three Africans traveled to Illinois in order to complete a Montessori internship at the Deerfield Montessori Schools.
A Montessori school opens in Uganda
One of those interns was Christine Kijange from Uganda. She spent one year as a student intern at Riverwoods Montessori creating strong friendships and bonds with the children and families in the community. Prior to returning home to Entebbe, Uganda to open her own Montessori school, the Riverwoods families and teachers surprised Ms. Kijange with a "Montessori shower" to supply her with many of the Montessori classroom materials she would need for her new school in Africa.
In 2001, Christine along with husband, Joseph Olanya and the help and support of Northbrook United Methodist Church, the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary Club and the international Montessori community, leased an abandoned government building to renovate and open as the Victoria Montessori School. With the help of local Ugandan parents and the Kambich's Montessori Outreach Africa Program, the Victoria Montessori School now serves 250 students ages 2-12 and has a Montessori teacher training center. The road to growing the Victoria Montessori School has not been easy.
Montessorian helps promote peace in Uganda
Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa where 76% of the population lives just below the international poverty level of $1.00 per day. Today, a severe food crisis persists and the ongoing war with the Democratic Republic of the Congo has created many refugee orphans from Northern Uganda. The Victoria Montessori School is providing refuge and hope for a better future for these children by providing dormitory space and the ideal of peace education through Montessori. In 2006, Christine was awarded the Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Grant by the American Montessori Society which enabled her establish "peace clubs" in Uganda.
The Victoria School still needs help from the international Montessori community in order to build and supply new upper elementary classrooms and additional dormitory space for the children of Uganda. The Montessori Outreach Africa Program is working tirelessly to assist the Victoria Montessori School and teacher training center in promoting peace through education in Uganda. In addition to cash donations, Montessori Outreach Africa is also looking for volunteer guest Montessori teachers to travel to Uganda and help train future Ugandan teachers.
Collecting books for the children of Uganda
Currently working with Bookfriends International and the Association of Illnois Montessori Schools, Montessori Outreach Africa is working to collect 560 boxes of preschool and elementary reference and hardcover story books to be sent to Uganda. The shipment is expected to arrive in Uganda in two to four months. Donations can be brought until the end of March 2010 to: Riverwoods Montessori School, 847-945-7582 or Northbrook United Methodist Church, 847-272-2442
Carolyn Kambich explains that the volume of donations of books by both the Montessori and non-Montessori community has been immense." We just got a donation of 20 boxes of children's books from the Nippersink Library in Richmond, Illinois, thanks to Montessori Head of School, Naomi Peterson, in Hebron, Illinois. Another donation of eight boxes of books came in from a Highland Park book store, thanks to our own Administrative Assistant, Cheryl Plencner". Text books and encyclopedias for the Entebbe area high schools are also being collected to send in April 2010.
Montessori children are the future of peace
The Kambich family, including daughter Lisa and granddaughter Celeste recently returned from their now annual trip to Uganda to help the school get ready for a new year; helping make materials, preparing the environments, mentoring students and teachers and most importantly, building friendships and relationships of understanding support and service. The highlight, for granddaughter Celeste, was meeting her Montessori pen pal, Ugandan native, Doreen. She experienced the invaluable lesson that while we are all different, we can celebrate those differences and find a common ground of respect and friendship.
Carolyn Kambich just a few weeks ago received an email from a group of Montessori middle school students. She goes on to explain,
Recently, I received an email from Regan, Shelly and Alex, three middle school students at Lamplighter Montessori School in Memphis, Tennessee. They had researched Uganda and read about the children at Victoria Montessori School; now they are doing fundraising to help with some Montessori materials for the two new classrooms for 9-12 year olds that are scheduled to open in February 2011. They also wanted to know if the children at VMS spoke any other languages like Spanish or French. I explained that the children spoke their native tribal language at home, and at school they spoke the Queen's English, or British English, as Uganda had been ruled by Great Brittan before its independence. Since English is like their second language, they did not have Spanish or French at school.
Different cultures, different countries, different languages, one common goal. As we offer the service of ourselves we are teaching the next generation to do the same. As Carolyn Kambich so eloquently said, "In that service we find ourselves "living in the spirit of life where we all are one". It is a vibrant space in which to abide". Montessori as peace education, it can change the world.
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Click on the slide show below to see more photos from the Victoria Montessori School and teacher training center in Uganda.
For more information: Montessori Outreach Africa, Victoria Montessori School, Deerfield Montessori Schools, Bookfriends International, American Montessori Society, Association of Illinois Montessori Schools
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