Twas the night before the first day of the 2021 – 2022 school year. Teachers at the AMS-accredited member school, Greene Towne Montessori School (GTMS), were busy adding the finishing touches to their classrooms. They worked late into the evening creating cozy and inviting spaces, eager to welcome the children to their first day of school the very next morning.
Little did they know, Hurricane Ida had other plans.
Within just a few hours, flooding had completely demolished the school’s West Campus and had filled the basement of the East Campus. The West Campus, located just one block from the Schuylkill River, took on four and a half feet of water, destroying four classrooms and four office spaces. Classroom furniture, materials, equipment, and supplies were ruined. Although classrooms were spared at GTMS’s East Campus, the elevator and electrical systems were inoperable and a multitude of furniture, classroom materials, and supplies were lost due to flooding in the basement.
The entire school community was devastated. The carefully curated environments teachers worked so hard to prepare were destroyed. Students, faculty, and staff lost a space they held near and dear to their hearts. Several guides also lost their Montessori training albums, irreplaceable artifacts that undoubtedly become a part of a Montessorian’s identity. Past memories and the hopes of future ones created together as a community seemed to be gone forever.
A Temporary Home
Founded in 1966 by a group of parents, GTMS has a longstanding history as a tight knit community; the support and encouragement from current families, alumni parents, faculty, staff, and the greater Logan Square community in the days after the flooding was overwhelming. They donated funds, educational materials, and their time to ensure GTMS staff and students found a new home.
The opinions expressed in Montessori Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of AMS.