Fraser Woods Montessori School is set to offer five scholarships to new incoming sixth graders thanks to generous anonymous donors.

“We want to be more socio-economically diverse,” said Fraser Woods Montessori School Head of School Chris Robertson. “... And we thought a wonderful way to offer an opportunity for education would be a scholarship, and we had [alumni parents] who felt the experience of their children was so positive here that they want to offer that to others who maybe can’t afford it.”

According to Fraser Woods Montessori School Director of Advancement Alison Kistner, the new “Leading the Way Scholarship” will be available for current fifth grade students for their upcoming sixth grade year. It is open to new students to Fraser Woods Montessori School.

The anonymous donors are both alumni parents and current parents and they are funding five scholarships that will cover the entire cost of a Fraser Woods Montessori School education for the five students through eighth grade.

“It really came from a place of families who felt this is such a great middle school opportunity that is so unique, and they’ve seen how well their children have been prepared for high school, college, and the type of people they have become — thoughtful, kind, and compassionate,” Robertson explained. “[The donors] wanted to provide that for folks who maybe can’t afford it.”

Academically, Robertson said Fraser Woods Montessori School prepares students to be successful in many ranging secondary school environments.

“We do that because class sizes are small, the children are engaged in their learning, and the learning environment really looks more discussion based. It looks like a high school in a lot of ways,” Robertson said.

The small environment feeds strong connections and relationships with school adults and educators, Robertson observed.

He noted Fraser Woods Montessori School “truly is a bully-free environment.”

“The culture is about kindness and compassion and that is cultivated intentionally, through weekly interactions with younger students, through social/emotional programs we have here like advisory, and the children themselves understand there is something important about being kind to others,” said Robertson.

A Unique Environment

Robertson observed that he has never seen another school with an environment like the one at Fraser Woods Montessori School. In other schools, he said, children can be afraid to take academic risks out of fear of what their peers may think about them.

Fraser Woods Montessori School has cultivated children to be interested in athletic, politics, and art, he reflected.

“We have students with many interests,” Robertson said, “but they all are really good at caring about each other and valuing each other. I think that is really unique among middle schools.”

Some offerings at the school that Robertson highlighted include having humanities, science, and math classes on a daily basis; different levels of math enrichment; makerspace and drone technology programs; art; music; and electives that students can choose each semester.

Yearly events at the school include eighth grade students completing “expert” projects that have them do a “TED Talk” for the school community; eighth graders complete one-week internships; and a middle school four-day overnight trip — this year the whole middle school, sixth to eighth grade, is set to go to Acadia National Park.

“This is a unique experience in a small school setting,” Robertson said, adding that the average middle school class size is eight to 12 students for the entire grade at Fraser Woods Montessori School.

For the scholarship, the school is seeking prospective students who value kindness and academic engagement, students who want to do well in school, who are seeking an academic experience that will challenge them, and students who love to learn. Families will need to demonstrate financial need.

Families can apply for the scholarship by contacting Kistner by phone at 203-426-3390, ext 305, or by e-mail at akistner@fraserwoods.com.

Robertson encouraged prospective families to look at the school’s website and visit the school.