Joliet Montessori School Adolescent Program to Tackle Energy Goals

Worldwide demand for energy continues to rise, as do concerns over the environmental costs of non-renewable fossil fuels. To achieve a future powered by sustainable, renewable fuels, The United Nations has made clean and affordable energy a central pillar in their Sustainable Development Goals for the year 2030—and the world’s Montessori schools are doing their part to help.

Five students from the Joliet Montessori School (JMS) Adolescent Program will be taking part in a global Montessori energy summit hosted by Hershey Montessori School in Huntsburg, Ohio, May 8th through the 11th. The summit, titled Pathways to Sustainable Energy, will provide an opportunity for the JMS adolescents and Montessori students from all over the world to learn more about alternative energy strategies, including higher-efficiency energy use and alternative energy source such as biomass, hydroelectric, wind and solar technologies.

The summit is one of seven being held by Montessori schools all over the world this spring, each aligning with a different component of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The series lead into the 28th International Montessori Congress in July, which will be held in Prague in the Czech Republic. JMS will be represented there by two teachers.

Vicki Hartmann, JMS Adolescent Guide, is excited for her students’ opportunity. “Of all the students here, our adolescents are particularly attuned to bigger issues like that of long-term energy policy,” Hartmann says. “We encourage their independence and find that they are not shy about taking on truly adult challenges like this.”

JMS is located in Crest Hill, Illinois, and offers programs for students from preschool age through 9th grade. It is one of only a handful of Montessori schools nationwide—and the only one in Will County— to hold prestigious certifications from both American Montessori Society (AMS) and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).

To learn more about the JMS adolescent program or schedule a tour or classroom observation, please visit the JMS web site.