Madison Montessori Students Raise $20K For Scholarships

Students from the Madison Montessori School (MMS) raised money for student scholarships by working with professional artists to create a gallery show last month.

According to MMS officials, the students working with the artists to create “Genuine Art”, a program that culminates in a silent auction and children’s open house each spring, raised more than $20,000 for student scholarships at the Montessori School.

The 2015 art gallery, titled “Morning, Noon and Night”, was on display from March 31 to April 17 at the Nicholas G. Rizzo Art Gallery in Chatham. The numerous pieces of art depicted what time looks like and how it transforms a landscape. The works of art were created with metal, wood, beads, photos, stamps and watercolor, school officials said.

The gallery also featured large collaborative pieces, including a mobile, collage, mosaic and triptych painting, which reflected the students’ year-long focus on Switzerland.

“Every year we study the customs, culture and geography of a specific country,” MMS Director Terry Armstrong said in a release from the school. “And this year’s country was Switzerland, which is famous for its timepieces.”

Proceeds from the scholarship funds will help eight to 10 children enjoy the “Genuine Art” program next year, school officials said. Genuine Art is an important part of what Madison Montessori is about, Armstrong said according to the release.

The Madison Montessori School was co-founded by Armstrong in 1981 in its current home in the First Presbyterian Church on Green Avenue in Madison Borough. The school provides education for students between the ages of 2 1/2 to 6 years old.

(Photos courtesy of Madison Montessori School)