I am the director of E.C. Montessori & Grade School. Now celebrating 38 years, we have over 100 students ranging from 18 months to 12 years of age. The school was founded in 1973 by Anne Christensen Pollitzer and a handful of concerned parents who wanted an alternative educational program for their children and was named after Mrs. Pollitzer's mother, Eleanor Christensen, who was an educator in Beaufort schools from 1952-1964. In 1981, the name of the school was changed to E.C. Montessori to reflect the emphasis on Dr. Maria Montessori's learning methods. By 1993, a commitment to be fully Montessori was made. We believe that education should address the range of human development -intellectual, social, physical and spiritual. We seek to meet each child at her or his developmental level and challenge that child to discover the full range of her or his abilities. We want our younger children to capitalize on their innate love of learning, and to continually discover the joy of learning that will last a lifetime. We want our older students to appreciate that knowledge and understanding open countless possibilities for their future. We are a diverse, welcoming community of learners and seekers. Our staff and students work to educate and be educated by children from a broad spectrum of racial, economic, and ethnic backgrounds as well as differing family structures. As a result, the student body is among the most diverse of any independent school in Beaufort. We are resolved to maintain, expand and nurture diversity in our staff, administration, Board members, parents and student body.