Contact:
Brescia Berg
Children’s Community School Board of Directors
(608) 780-4973
bresciaann@gmail.com
Mount Horeb, WI – A nonprofit Montessori preschool in Mount Horeb is one of the first new, net-zero schools in the state, having completed its new facility after fundraising more than $1 million. Children’s Community School’s 6,000-square-foot building allows it to serve 50 percent more children and their families, and expand programming for its own students as well as visiting field trip groups.
Planning began in 2017 to address a growing waitlist for the school’s programs led by long-tenured staff, as well as an aging facility originally built as a duplex. A volunteer capital campaign committee of nine women reached its $750,000 goal in just 16 months (in the thick of the pandemic), with lead donations from the school’s Board of Directors and the Schlecht Family Foundation. The generous community was further inspired by the school’s net-zero goal; continued giving and grants increased the amount raised beyond $1 million and enabled immediate implementation of its complete net-zero strategy.
A design-build process with contractor NCI-Roberts Construction and OPN Architects resulted in several unique Montessori-driven features, including a children’s front door and incorporation of the natural environment through outdoor classrooms, large windows and natural materials. An additional toddler classroom and a multipurpose room in the zero-entry, one-story facility allow fuller practice of the Montessori vision reaching a broader population.
A net-zero building produces as much energy as it uses in a year and also aligns with the Montessori philosophy. The school achieved this goal with a solar photovoltaic system; electric heat pump furnace and water heater; LED lighting with automatic dimming and shutoff; and appliance, insulation and window selections. In partnership with solar vendor GlowSolar, the school identified annual environmental offsets, including burning nearly 50,000 fewer pounds of coal.
An interactive art installation with energy and environmental education components by Cox & Co. covers a full wall of the multipurpose room. A real-time display of energy production and usage as well as the installation will anchor a curriculum the school plans to develop for field trip groups and other visitors.
A valued resource in the thriving community, the new Children’s Community School sits adjacent to both a public park and the Military Ridge Bike Trail. A volunteer committee is still in the process of designing and constructing the school’s outdoor space. The plan includes nature-based play areas; restored native prairie; fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetable garden boxes; and native trees and perennials.
The school celebrated its new location in June with a community open house and ribbon cutting. “We thank you, the [community] for the opportunity to continue to educate more children with the Montessori philosophy for generations to come in this beautiful new building,” said Children’s Community School Director Martha Pfaff. The school was founded in 1976 by Pence Revington and Sally Flood. “We are sincerely honored to be able to carry on their legacy,” said Pfaff.
“When people think about moving to a community, one of the first things they look at is the schools,” said Mount Horeb Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachel LaCasse-Ford. “To have a Montessori school at all in our community is remarkable, and to have one that’s this beautiful and forward-thinking and led by such amazing people is really a jewel for us.” LaCasse-Ford also thanked NCI-Roberts and JG Development “for continuing to invest in our community and bring us beautiful, sustainable buildings.”
Capitol Bank and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Facilities Program were integral to project financing.
Donations are still welcome at ccsmounthoreb.com. A classroom material wish list is available, and an engraved paver fundraiser is planned.
