Decades of Purposeful Learning

The Children's House was incorporated as a non-profit organization on August 22, 1962. Today it is Gladwyne Montessori. The Children’s House was the dream of seven women who worked together to research the best educational methods available, and establish a school. The founding parents included Nora Leibold, Vivian Piasecki, Joan Kirk, Pat Dempsey, Josie Sorlien, Darcey Hall, and Grace Sharples Wheeler.

Their dream was realized when The Children’s House opened its doors in a rented carriage house at the Mildred Sullivan School building in Rosemont to 30 pre-schoolers in the fall of 1962. The school was Board-administered under the guidance of founder and teacher Josie Sorlien.

In 1965, Darcey Hall Hale became administrator of the Children’s House and served as the first non-teaching Headmistress until 1968. The Children’s House moved in fall 1966 to the St. Sahag & St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church in Wynnewood when it enrolled 90 primary age children. The school remained at that site for two years as parents raised funds to acquire a permanent home.

The parent board explored the possibilities of purchasing the abandoned and run-down Merion Square School in Gladwyne beginning in 1966, where the school is located today. This historic building had served as a six-room schoolhouse since 1881. New Headmistress, Hope Dechert Mitchell welcomed children to the school in its new home in September 1968.

In 1970, the Board of Directors renovated the north wing of the upper level of the school and expanded the curriculum to include an Elementary unit for 1st through 3rd grade students.

Virginia Mount (now Virginia Ayres) became the first headmistress with Montessori training when she took over after Mrs. Mitchell’s retirement in 1971. Under Mrs. Ayres leadership, during the 1973-74 school year, The Children’s House earned its first accreditation from the Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools (PAPAS).

Kathleen Dzura, headmistress from 1976 to 1979 created Kindergym, a physical education program for Primary students and added an after-school program called La Casa for primary students. In 1977, the Elementary Unit was further expanded to include 4th through 6th grades.

Kathleen Young served as Acting Headmistress for the 1979-1980 school year and worked to lay the groundwork for adding a toddler program, Stepping Stones, which welcomed students in the fall of 1980.

Anne R. Shields (now Anne Shields Kane) was hired as Headmistress in spring 1980. In 1980 the Board approved a renovation of the Elementary Unit space dividing the area into three distinct classroom spaces and adding a mezzanine library above an art and science center. In 1981, The Children’s House graduated its first 6th grade class.

In 1982, the school launched “The Continuation of Excellence” development campaign to raise funds for future curriculum materials and building plans including renovation of the Kindergym space and the addition of a new Stepping Stones classroom. The library, above the Elementary unit, was expanded and computerized in 1989.

Having added the subtitle The Gladwyne Montessori School to the school name in 1981, the board voted to transpose the name in 1989 when it became known as The Gladwyne Montessori School, The Children’s House. The subtitle was dropped and the name was legally changed to The Gladwyne Montessori School in 1998.

Annmarie Torres, a former Montessori teacher and trainer, became the school’s sixth Head of School in August 1990. In 1991, the board began a three-year planning process to establish long-range goals of the school.

Following a successful Special Projects Campaign, extensive renovations to the building interior, began in the summer of 1996 to create administrative offices and additional classroom space. In 1997, the playground was redesigned to include two large play structures, an amphitheater for programs, dramatic play was added, and gardens for the environmental education program were planted.

At the Board's behest, Gladwyne Montessori added 1.1 acres to the school grounds. Plans were developed to incorporate this space with new classroom space and parking. In the spring of 1998, after the retirement of Ms. Torres, the Board hired Walter Ebmeyer as the new Head of School.

In the summer of 2000, school grounds were redesigned to provide more parking and a relocated play area. Two years later in March 2002, ground was broken for the construction of the Rachel E. Savett Elementary Building. The new building, which includes three classrooms for Elementary students and a spacious art room, opened in August 2003. 

Since 2004, the Board of Trustees and Head of School have paved the way for future campus improvement. Dr. Balamore served as Head of School until 2006 and Abigail Miller became Head of School in July 2007.

During the 2007-2008 school year, the Board and members of the school community worked to create a five-year strategic plan. Changes made as a result of the strategic plan recommendations include: changing the foreign language from French to Spanish in 2008, adding extracurricular programs for Primary and Elementary students, and offering a full-day option for our toddler students in Stepping Stones.

Gladwyne Montessori celebrated its 50th Anniversary during the 2012-2013 school year, holding a fall gala at the Union League, which welcomed back past teachers and families as well as current families and staff. The occasion also included the production of a documentary film, Montessori Rising, chronicling the school's history and increasing relevance of Montessori education in the 21st Century Economy.

In 2018, the Board received the zoning approval needed to incorporate 3.5 adjacent properties owned by the school into our campus for school programming.

In the fall of 2019, Gladwyne Montessori launched New Spaces: The Campaign for Gladwyne Montessori, a fundraising initiative that will enable us to realize the full potential of our campus by creating carefully curated new spaces that reflect the Montessori philosophy and that position Gladwyne Montessori as a thought leader and resource for parents, educators and researchers alike. 

With the generosity of early Campaign benefactors, Gladwyne Montessori’s Board of Trustees completed the first of three phases in this project in Spring 2020, establishing a playing field, nature trail, greenhouse, orchard, and blueberry patch.

With a ribbon cutting in the Spring of 2023, Gladwyne Montessori celebrated the completion of New Spaces, The Campaign for Gladwyne Montessori. Our exciting new spaces include: 

• Expanded the Morgan Makerspace to 1,600 square feet, creating a flexible space where old-world trades and handicrafts live in synergy with modern technology and design. 
• The addition of two acres to our outdoor environment, featuring a Cammino Dei Bambini, dedicated to Matthew Sullivan, where children can learn about native plants, trees, insects and birds,
• Installation of George's Greenhouse, where children can observe plant life cycles while tending and harvesting fruits and vegetables.
• Introduced a grass playing field and a hardscape play area where children can run free, engage in a game of kickball, or simply observe the clouds.
• Added an outdoor learning terrace, adjacent to the Upper Elementary classroom, where students can learn, create and explore in the open air.
• Added new, dynamic playgrounds where children can practice playful and positive unstructured social interactions, while building strength and safely challenging their bodies. 
• With the expansion of our parking lot, we addressed our parking needs, enabling our community to gather with new ease as they see their children in action during classroom and school events.
• Created an elementary entryway that is warm and inviting for our students, and a unique thinking and learning corridor that displays elementary student creations and inspires children as they work.