teaching the whole child

One distinctive aspect of an authentic Montessori education is the emphasis on educating “the whole child.” This approach honors each individual child by addressing not just intellectual development, but spiritual, emotional, and physical needs as well. By helping students develop skills in each of these areas, we are preparing them for a productive future and a fulfilling life.


In her book The Absorbent Mind, Dr. Maria Montessori said, “The essential thing is to arouse such an interest that it engages a child’s whole personality.” Through her scientific studies more than 100 years ago, she recognized the connection between mind, body, and spirit and the importance of engaging each part in education. Many recent studies corroborate this assertion, and we’ve learned the importance of stimulating both sides of the brain (the left, or intellectual side, as well as the right, or creative side) during the critical formative years of childhood and adolescence.


At Holy Trinity Montessori, our goal is to serve your child with this holistic approach to education. As we seek to educate the “whole child,” we appeal to his or her natural curiosity about the interconnectedness of every interest. This allows the child to recognize the “hows” and “whys” of what they are learning and helps reveal relationships between subjects. This approach also allows each child to explore his or her unique interests and encourages the development of personality shaped by the knowledge, gifts, and talents inherent in the individual.


For these reasons, we incorporate many opportunities for creativity, problem solving, and sensorial learning both in the classroom and beyond. From exploring the arts to exploring nature, or from cooking, gardening, taking care of our animals, or a variety of other activities, every day at HTM offers the occasion for the purposeful development of the “whole child.”

music & Performance arts

We believe consistent exposure to the arts can profoundly impact the development of each child, and therefore we place great value on instruction in Music and Performance Arts.


Students celebrate music together in fun and engaging classes. These age-appropriate sessions offer exposure to different styles of music and incorporate instrument exploration, movement, and musical creativity. Students learn about music history and cultivate an appreciation for the way in which music shapes culture.


Some students have also shown great promise as songwriters. Many talented Lower Elementary students collaborated with former HTM music teacher Anadara Arnold to write our official school song, “Peace, Knowledge, and Faith,” in 2013.


Each year we have a goal for the entire student body to participate in a Spring Production. From acting, singing and dancing to costume and set design to running the concession stand, our students are involved in every aspect of the production. We are always amazed by the talent of our students and what they all accomplish when they collaborate toward a common goal.

visual arts

Students at Holy Trinity Montessori are encouraged to explore their creativity in the visual arts while enjoying a variety of mediums and techniques. They also learn about famous artists and art history while developing an appreciation for art and an awareness of its importance. In addition to creating special works to take home, our young friends also contribute their artistic skills to create pieces that are sold at our special events throughout the year. Needless to say, these beautiful and special works are always enormously popular!

garden & KITCHEN

At HTM, our students have the wonderful opportunity to spend time in our organic garden and participate in every aspect of its maintenance and care. This offers them the chance to be outdoors; to see the life cycle of plants; to experience the satisfaction of tasting the (literal) fruits of their labor; to grasp the importance of taking care of our environment. They learn about composting, recycling, reducing waste, and other important life lessons while developing an appreciation for the time, energy, and costs involved in producing food. They also get to harvest and prepare the food they’ve grown while learning about the benefits of healthy foods to our bodies. Our friends find much gratification in eating the vegetables from our garden.


From Primary age and up, our HTM friends enjoy the privilege of working in the kitchen! They love to have the opportunity to chop, measure, mix, bake or cook, serve, and eat their own dishes. 


This exposure gives them an introduction to a variety of life skills, such as how to use and respect kitchen tools, proper handling and storage of food, basic sanitation and cleanliness, following recipe instructions, converting measures, and more. It’s also a lot of good, clean (and tasty!) fun!

EXPLORING, PLAYING, AND IMAGINING

"Play is the work of the child," said Maria Montessori - and she was right! We believe that children learn and absorb so much when they are encouraged to play, explore, and engage their imaginations. This is one reason why we make sure to spend part of each day outdoors, no matter the weather.


Whether we're taking nature walks, playing in the field, jumping in puddles, building forts out of sticks, painting "en plein air," reading under a shade tree, or simply swinging on the playground, we're always learning. We're observing nature, building respect and appreciation for the environment around us, solving problems, engaging with one another and building social and interpersonal skills, and using our imaginations to dream about possibilities.


We are thankful that our students at Holy Trinity Montessori have the opportunity to spend so much time enjoying our "outdoor classroom!" 

animal care

We are grateful to have a number of animals living on our campus at HTM! Students of all ages have the opportunity to interact with our chickens and goats on a regular basis. Our younger students enjoy playing with the animals and collecting eggs from the chickens while our older students play an active role in taking care of the animals and ensuring their well-being (under adult supervision, of course). This program encourages respect for nature, an appreciation for the cycle of life, and an understanding of how animals enrich our world. It also helps our students to develop empathy, compassion, and responsibility while having a lot of fun!

community service

Community Service is an important part of each child's experience at Holy Trinity Montessori. Although Covid-19 protocols are currently observed, here are some of the ways our HTM students have participated in community service in the past:


Our Lower Elementary community participates in several community service campaigns each year, such as creating “Blessing Bags” for the homeless and collecting blankets for local ministries such as “Room at the Inn.”


Students in our Upper Elementary and Middle School classrooms complete projects which showcase certain non-profit and charity organizations. As part of their research, students participate in raising funds and/or other forms of donations and educate their peers on the importance of supporting and contributing to these worthy organizations.


Several years ago, we began a coordinated effort to regularly spend time with the residents at a local senior assisted living facility. Every week, our students visit the faciity and develop friendships with the residents, work on projects together, celebrate milestones, and experience other joyful interactions. The residents are blessed by the engagement of the children, but our young friends learn a valuable lesson as well: When you take the time to serve others, your own cup is filled.


Students are also encouraged to create their own opportunities to give back to our community. This promotes awareness of the needs of our local communities as well as people groups around the world, fosters empathy and compassion among our young friends, and equips them to make a difference through service.