Renovations begin on Dater Montessori community learning center

Work has begun on the renovation of Dater Montessori School's original building at 2840 Boudinot Avenue in Westwood.

The school, which serves students in grades preschool through 6, will be fully renovated into a 165,636-square-foot school for 650 students, including an expanded car drop-off and pick-up area, an improved kindergarten playground, and a bicycle path.

A new security system, new mechanicals and energy-efficient windows will be installed, and the building is expected to pursue LEED Silver certification.

The Montessori community, parents, staff, and volunteers participated in the design phase, which took approximately six months.

The planning process started two years ago.

"Our learning environment is inspired by the Montessori approach," says Beth Schnell, who was named principal of the school in August.  "Our natural environments are our classrooms and the school yard itself will become a part of our curriculum, including our national award winning nature center and our Community Learning Center (CLC), which plans to focus on health and wellness for ourselves, our community and our environment."

The school will also include extended learning areas (ELAs), a feature included in many of Cincinnati Public Schools' new builds and renovations.

"The ELA is an open classroom area equipped with a presentation stage, independent computer stations, and a few tables for small group learning," Schnell says.  "This allows our teaching teams to present works to more than one class or large group project presentations."

Construction is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: C. Robin Brandon, project coordinator, Cincinnati Public Schools; Beth Schnell, principal, Dater Montessori School
Rendering provided by CPS