Mission Statement
The Grove School is a public Montessori community that guides adolescents in their work of self-construction, as they become engaged and respectful world citizens.
Vision
The Grove School relies on the framework for adolescent education defined by Maria Montessori. At the core of her vision is the expectation that students will “pass from one stage of independence to a higher [one], by means of their own activity, through their own effort or will.” The Grove School’s unique, rich, safe, challenging, relevant and comprehensive program is valued as a vital part of Redlands heritage and legacy. All members of our community model respect and clear communication in order to foster collaboration and cooperation.
Grove’s student-centered model allows students to practice the principle of freedom with responsibility. Montessori’s vision of Erdkinder underlies our program, providing a prepared farm environment for students to engage in purposeful and meaningful work that helps lead them towards independence through real-life challenges. This work has to engage the hands, they need to be active, moving, be physically involved. At the same time they need to be engaging their intellect in the same task, to plan what their activity is, to analyze the best way to carry it out, to test it, use trial and error to work towards mastery. At the high school level, students in Grove classrooms will work with skilled and dedicated teachers who use project-based instruction, frequent group work, and real-life application of concepts to prepare students for the challenges of university education. Grove teaching is based on intrinsic motivation; providing a rigorous curriculum with high expectations for individual achievement.
A Grove student will be the architect of her own future; learning from peers and teachers how to live an authentic life beyond perceived boundaries.
Values
The Grove School Values:
- Creation of curious, observant, flexible, confident, courageous and independent citizens
- Contributions to community through internships
- Community Partnerships
- Adults modeling responsible, optimistic adulthood where everyone pursues work with passion
- Efforts to make the world a better place than when we entered it
Model of the ‘Educated Person’ in the 21st Century
The Grove School believes that an educated person in the 21st century is a well balanced individual. This man or woman is both scholar and athlete, citizen and community member and possesses the motivation, confidence and ability to set and achieve goals.
As a scholar, each individual should be proficient in social studies, mathematics, science, languages and the arts. Because educated individuals are members not only of a local community but a global society, they should be proficient in at least one other language in addition to English.
As an athlete, each individual should be able to pursue appropriate physical challenges and hold knowledge of the fundamentals of safety and good health.
As a citizen, he or she must understand the framework of our constitutional democracy and the rights and responsibilities of each citizen in the democratic process, as well as important political issues.
As a community member, an educated person is able to collaborate with others, cooperate on projects, and knows how to provide meaningful service to others.
Finally, as a member of an increasingly technical and information-based world, she or he is a competent user of technology.
The Grove School seeks to assist all of its students become well educated according to these criteria by providing developmentally appropriate activities and challenges for each student to experience and master. In accordance with Montessori theory, we will endeavor to provide learning environments where students may freely choose to engage in activities appropriate to their intrinsic motivation to learn. These experiences will encourage and promote the gaining of skills and competencies, confidence and knowledge, that will enable students to master the outcomes listed above.
