Countryside Montessori School

Countryside Montessori School has been part of the Northbrook community for more than forty years. Two years ago, we expanded our curriculum and facility to include seventh and eighth grade students. As part of the expansion of our facility, we designated space for gardens that we hope will be a primary source of work and learning for our middle school students.
Our hope is that, through the support of the Whole Foods grant and the active participation of our school community, we will be able to design and construct gardens that reflect the agricultural history of our area. Our adolescent history curriculum is already considered a "pedagogy of place," a curriculum that is intimately connected to the history of a particular place.
Through the Whole Foods grant, we would be able to continue our historical and environmental studies, with the expectation that the garden we design, build and cultivate would become a source of native produce and flowers. We also hope that it will be a place where our students, their families, and all interested members of the larger community can come to learn about the agricultural history of our area.
The Whole Foods grant would also help support Countryside's efforts to construct a four-season greenhouse. Plans for the greenhouse are part of the middle school design. Space is designated and remains available.