REDMOND, WA – A 1913 Western Electric Portable sewing machine, that quite possibly made face masks during the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, is now making face masks for the 2020 COVID Pandemic, with help from local children.

When MCH teacher Alyx Hodges spotted an antique sewing machine at a local thrift shop, she was compelled to buy it. At $30.00, she thought that it might be a nice decorative item in her home. However, the machine ended up in her garage where it sat for several years. Then COVID happened.

Looking for a simple project that her summer camp kids could use in her socially distanced childcare room, Hodges remembered the sewing machine. Because the classroom is creating a strong culture of mask wearing, and because Hodges had extra fabric lying around, she found a face mask pattern and put her campers to work.

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REDMOND, WA – Call it a little bit of Italy on the eastside. Inspired by Gaudi mosaics during a trip to Italy, Montessori Children’s House (MCH) Head of School, Jennifer McConnell put Art Specialist, Michelle Dias, up to a challenge: Create a mosaic wall outside of the school’s newest building.

While it may have started out as a simple enough request, Dias poured all of her creativity into the project, resulting in a comprehensive project spanning two years. 

​The project kicked off with a meeting between Dias and the students. Because the wall faced the school’s pollinator garden, the students decided that a work that included bees, butterflies and flowers was appropriate. The wall also included the student’s handprints, an inspirational element from Dias’ youth – her mother led a hand print mosaic project when she was in 6th grade. “I wanted the kids' hands to be reaching up, like they're growing in the garden, and the teachers' hands reaching down from the top to help pull the children up with knowledge,” Dias said. ​

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MCH is among the 2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools award honorees. MCH has selected based on high achievement in the three ED-GRS Pillars: 1) reduced environmental impact and costs; 2) improved health and wellness; and 3) effective environmental and sustainability education. 

“This is a huge honor,” says MCH’s Head of School, Jennifer McConnell. “We certainly don’t take this award and title lightly. This has been a years-long effort, with input from our garden specialist, maintenance team, administration and our enthusiastic Green Team.”

“This is absolutely a student-led effort,” said MCH Gardening Specialist and Green Team lead, Katherine Stewart. “Caring for the earth is a part of who we are as a community and this award is a very visual representation of our students’ efforts.”

For more information on the purpose of the award, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/index.html

To read more about why were chosen for this honor, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/highlights-2020.pdf

Also, check out the official Press Release from the U.S. Department of Education below! 

REDMOND, WA – While most schools have a charitable component around the holidays, MCH (Montessori Children’s House, mchkids.com) considers giving back a part of their curriculum.
 
Beginning in November 2019, the school that serves students from 6 weeks old up until 8th grade started another campaign in support of HopeLink.

​This is the third year that the AMS-accredited school has chosen HopeLink to partner with and the decision was purely intentional.  Read more >

REDMOND, WA – Eastside families searching for an alternative to traditional education now have a new option for their middle schooler. For the past 30 years, Montessori Children’s House (MCH, MCHkids.com) has served students from six weeks old up to sixth grade. But in 2019, the school is expanding their offering to be one of the few Montessori middle schools in the Seattle area.

“Families have been asking us to start a middle school program for years,” said MCH Head of School, Jennifer McConnell. “It’s something we’ve thought about but we wanted to have the right people in place. When it started to look like we could have the ‘dream team’ in place that we’ve always wanted, the middle school just sprouted from there.”  Read more >

REDMOND, WA – Montessori Children’s House (MCH), an AMS-accredited Montessori school, was honored to be nominated in the Woman-owned Small Business of the Year category for the King County Executive’s Small Business Awards.

​The award presentation, which took place Thursday, September 21 at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, brought together top business owners including MCH’s Head of School Jennifer McConnell, recognized for their outstanding work and success as a female-owned business. Read more >

REDMOND, WA – Montessori Children’s House (MCH), an AMS-accredited Montessori school, is proud to have had their Environmental Specialist, Ali Yeates, join a panel of speakers featured in Seattle’s STEM-convention targeted towards girls, GeekGirlCon.
 
GeekGirlCon is an organization that empowers women and girls to pursue their passions—whether they love science and technology, comics, literature, gaming, “or anything else!” according to their website. “Everybody is a geek at heart, in one way or another,” convention organizers said.
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