Joliet Montessori School: A Legacy Spanning Generations

Joliet Montessori School (JMS) has been a part of this community for more than half a century, and they’ve come a long way since seven founding families placed a classified ad in the newspaper to gauge local interest in Montessori education. In 1966, JMS began operations in two primary-level classrooms rented from a nearby orphanage. Two years later, they moved into their new building at 1600 Root Street, Crest Hill.

Today, they still nurture eager learners of all ages at the same location, albeit in an expanded floor plan to accommodate the addition of new programs and facilities over the years.

Joliet Montessori School, present day

Over the decades, several area families have sent multiple generations of students through the JMS program, building a legacy of learning that only comes from such a long, uninterrupted period of operation. In many cases, the earlier generations remained involved as members of the Board of Trustees, and even working for the school directly in its administration.

I talked with three of these families who wanted to share their personal history and connection with this beloved school: Matt and Kathy Bertani; Aaron and Eileen Kozlowski; and Tom and Dawn Polacek.

The Bertani family: Part of JMS since day one

Kathy Bertani joined the JMS staff in 2003 and currently serves as the school’s business manager. However, her connection to JMS goes back much further. Her husband, Matt, was among the first class to attend JMS.

Joliet Montessori School’s original campus in 1968

Matt’s younger siblings, Eileen and Pete, also attended the JMS primary program. Many years later, Matt served on the JMS Board of Trustees, including a stretch as Treasurer, from 2003 to 2006. Today, Matt is a Will County Associate Judge.

Matt and Kathy’s children attended their father’s alma mater at different times over the years, including daughter Anna who started at age three and attended through 4th grade. Since then, she has graduated from the University of Wyoming and is earning her law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Their son Louie also began at JMS at age three and completed the lower elementary program after 3rd grade. Louie is currently completing his undergraduate degree in systems engineering at the University of Arizona.

Kathy also points to a niece and nephew who attended JMS, Wendy (now an architect with a graduate degree from Clemson University) and Bryan (now a financial planner and benefits specialist who graduated from Valparaiso University).

About her children’s experience at JMS and in the years after, Kathy says, “Our kids were well prepared when they left JMS. They had no problem transitioning to the traditional classroom environment. “

“I would say that the best thing we have gotten from JMS is the relationships,” Kathy adds. “We still keep in contact with the kids’ primary and elementary teachers and both kids are still friends with fellow classmates they met when they were three years old.”

“It always was, and still is, a great community to spend time in.”

The Kozlowski family: A warm homecoming

Eileen and Aaron Kozlowski started a little later in JMS history, but their roots run just as deep. Eileen is currently in her second year as Assistant Head of School after many years as an active member on the Board of Trustees.

However, Aaron can claim even earlier involvement with JMS. He began as a primary student in 1974 and attended JMS through the 3rd grade (the highest level then available). His brother, Chris, and sister, Rebecca, both followed him through JMS in the 1970s and into the 1980s, as well as three of his cousins. Aaron’s father also served on the Board of Trustees during those years.

Eileen first encountered JMS many years later, when her son Aidan wasn’t getting the kind of personalized instruction they needed from their public kindergarten program. In the course of investigating alternatives, Eileen and Aaron called JMS about enrolling their son in the primary program. Unfortunately, full enrollment meant they could not immediately enter the program and they found a half-day Montessori program elsewhere.

Preferring a full-day kindergarten-level program, Eileen and Aaron tried JMS again. As a proud alumnus, Aaron was determined that his kids should enjoy the same quality education that he had, and they were able to come off the wait list and enroll Aidan in the full-day primary program. Since then, their other children, Moira and Grania, have also become part of their family’s JMS tradition.

Eileen and Aaron Kozlowski, with second-generation JMS students Aidan, Grania and Moira

Eileen says, “My husband really wanted our children to go to Joliet Montessori School if at all possible. Since my three children are all different kinds of learners, I knew that Montessori education was a good option. Plus, because JMS is a nut-aware school, I can rest easy.”

“Between all our children, we are now in our 11th year as a second-generation JMS family,” Eileen adds. “When the time comes for grandchildren, I look forward to seeing us become a three-generation JMS family!”

The Polacek Family: Building a Lifetime Community

Tom and Dawn Polacek are active members of the JMS family, with Dawn currently serving on the Board of Trustees. Dawn’s earliest experiences with JMS were through her younger sisters, Danielle and Kaitlyn, who were enrolled in the JMS primary and elementary programs in late 1980s and early 1990s. Dawn would accompany their mother to “observe” her sisters’ classrooms, a valuable part of understanding how Montessori education works.

“I remember watching Danielle clean a table when she was just a toddler,” Dawn reflects. “I was really intrigued by that, how such a young child could take on responsibility so naturally, yet still have so much fun learning.”

Dawn recalls her family hosting a large back-to-school family reunion party at their farm one year, where her own family celebrated with families from other students in the primary and elementary classes, including the teachers. She remembers how vibrant and connected the entire JMS community was that day.

Many years later, Dawn and husband Tom returned to the Joliet area and soon had their first child, Anna. When it came time to consider primary education in 2005, Dawn suggested JMS. Tom wasn’t initially convinced that JMS was the right choice beyond the primary program, but once he saw firsthand how a Montessori classroom operates – just as his wife, Dawn, had seen in her sisters’ education years before – he became convinced.

“When we saw Anna spelling out words with magnetic letters on the fridge at the age of four,” Dawn remembers, “it put everything into perspective. Other kids Anna’s age weren’t doing that. It wasn’t a matter of being gifted so much as having the opportunity to develop her skills in a natural, positive way.”

With that, the decision to keep Anna at JMS through her elementary years was made. Shortly afterward, her twin brothers, Tommy and Jake, started the JMS primary program with beloved teacher Mrs. Cornstubble – the same teacher who instructed Dawn’s sisters decades before.

Tom and Dawn Polacek’s JMS kids, Anna and the twins, Tommy and Jake

“The incredible sense of community I felt, coming back to see Mrs. Cornstubble again, just brought the whole thing full circle for me,” Dawn says. “It’s a connection you just can’t find anywhere else. Even though the boys were in Mrs. Cornstubble’s last class at JMS, she remains a friend to our family to this day.”

Anna completed the JMS adolescent program in 2016 before moving on to Joliet West High School and honors classes, the drama program and speech team. Tommy and Jake will also enter the adolescent program next year, taking advantage of the only certified Montessori curriculum that covers such a wide age range.

“We’re part of something really special,” Dawn says. “My sisters are still close to their old JMS friends – Kaitlyn just stood up in the wedding of a friend she met when they were three years old – and it really warms my heart to know my own children will have the same legacy of love and friendship to look forward to. JMS really is one of a kind.”

JMS is the only dual-certified Montessori school in Will County, and one of a select few nationwide holding certifications from both the American Montessori Society (AMS) and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Tours are available and easy to book online.

Visit JMS on Facebook @jolietmontessori.