Milwaukee Public Schools has nearly 10 public Montessori programs. That's unheard of in public districts. And the schools are among MPS' best.
So, I join the community in saluting MacDowell Montessori School, 1706 W. Highland Ave., as it celebrates 35 years as a public Montessori.
Built in 1965, MacDowell was a key battleground in the school desegregation movement before it was even open.
In 1976, MacDowell – named for American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell – became the second public Montessori program in the United States and the first in MPS. It was where the district learned Montessori and even today, MacDowellians can be found teaching and leading at other MPS Montessoris. I volunteered as a reading tutor last year in the room of one of those teachers.
"At MacDowell Montessori School, we believe that children from all backgrounds and ages can enrich each other's lives and learning," said principal Ken Wald.
"Like MacDowell, we hope to create an environment in which our artists – our children – can work in an ideal place, amongst their peers, to achieve creative and academic excellence."
There will be an anniversary celebration Saturday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at The Best Place, 901 W. Juneau Ave. Admission is $5 and includes live music and hors d'oeuvres. MacDowell alumni – age 21 and older) current and former staff and parents, friends and fellow Montessori proponents are encouraged to attend.
MacDowell is a K3-8 school that had housed the the only public Montessori summer school in the city, until it was cut this year.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
