“Whoever touches the life of the child touches the most sensitive point of a whole which has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future.”
                                                                          - Dr. Maria Montessori

Mercy Montessori Center opened its doors in September of 1969.  There were forty students, aged three to seven, on that first day, under the guidance of four Montessori teachers. 

Sr. Mary Jacinta Shay, the founder and first principal of the school, had discovered the philosophy of the renowned Italian educator Dr. Maria Montessori.  She believed that Montessori’s principles, in combination with the values of the Sisters of Mercy would lead to a remarkable learning experience for children.

 Almost forty years of practice has proven her correct.

By 1972, Mercy Montessori Center had 190 students, and the Little Red School House opened to serve ages 9-12.  In 1994 the school, expanded again, to become the first Montessori junior high school in the city.  Enrollment had soared to 255 children who were served by a well-trained and talented faculty of 40.

Today the school continues to offer a special educational and life experience for children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.  The student population remains steady at about 250 pupils, with a faculty of 23.

A School for Every Child

Though Mercy is supported by The Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic order, the school accepts and respects each child as an individual, unique in his/her own religious beliefs, cultural heritage and capabilities.

The student population of Mercy Montessori Center includes children from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and intellectual backgrounds.  Our commitment is to prepare students spiritually, academically, emotionally, and physically to become good citizens of the world and ultimately of heaven.

Every child is encouraged to search for his or her part in the Cosmic Plan, and  mutual respect for individual rights is strongly emphasized.  This is consistent with the overall philosophy of Montessori education:  every child is a unique individual, one to be encouraged to learn and grow at his or her own pace, and with the range of differences among the children valued and encouraged.

“If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man's future.  For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual's total
development lags behind?”
                                                                         -Dr. Maria Montessori