Thomas Tate and the Vineyard Montessori School

• As a concerned parent on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, builder Thomas Tate has made it his mission to be a member of the Vineyard Montessori School’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

• The PTO is a volunteer association of parents, teachers, and school staff who align to support the aims of the Vineyard Montessori School’s vision of providing a meaningful and substantive learning environment for primary- and elementary-aged children who attend the 35-year-old institution.

• The Vineyard Montessori School network was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori in Italy in the early 20th century, with the belief that productive and creative patterns that people learn in early childhood will influence the attitudes they have and the actions that they will later take as adults.

• The Vineyard Montessori School follows the founder’s original principles of collaborative learning in a cooperative environment where children experience the importance of community while building self-esteem and self-motivation.

• The Parent Teacher Organization strives to ensure that the children of the Vineyard Montessori School participate in a multi-faceted educational curriculum that finds time for artistic exploration and physical fitness, as well as traditional school subjects.

• Through his membership in the Parent Teacher Organization, Thomas Tate works to maintain the high level of learning that is a Montessori trademark.