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Hilltop Montessori School Breaks Ground on New “Green” Facility In Mt Laurel Community

Emily Fleisig, longest standing student at Hilltop Montessori, fourth from right, had the honor of representing the entire student body during Hilltop Montessori’s groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Jan. 20 for the schools LEED-rated green school. Fleisig has attended Hilltop for the past 8 years and is looking forward to attending school in the new building. Also pictured from left is Jess Johnson, builder for JohnsonKreis Construction; Romona Albin, Hilltop parent and green school action committee member; Helen Greve, Hilltop parent and green school action committee member; Joe Craft, construction superintendent for JohnsonKreis Construction and Rita Smith, Hilltop parent, chair and green school action committee member.

Ten years ago, Cindi Stehr’s dream to start a Montessori school became a reality when she opened the doors of Hilltop Montessori School to just seven eager minds.

Stehr never intended the school, which was originally housed in Prince of Peace Catholic Church, to bring her personal recognition, but instead opened it to allow her daughter the same Montessori education her two older sons had received.

The idea caught on fire, and Stehr’s tiny school quickly grew to its current status of 155 students. In 2000 Hilltop Montessori moved to a temporary facility in Mt Laurel, and dreams began to form of one day building a permanent structure that would be a LEED-rated green school.

Last Friday, Jan. 20, dreams became a reality when 15 golden shovels pierced a plot of land located in Mt Laurel that will soon be the permanent LEED-rated home of Hilltop Montessori School. Students, faculty, staff and other project supporters were present during the ground breaking ceremony as Stehr looked on, her eyes bright with anticipation of the building that will soon grow to define the school’s values and principles.

“Creating a green school was the vision of Hilltop’s first board after we gained nonprofit status in 2000,” Stehr said. “The green school concept fits right in with the Montessori philosophy.”

A Montessori education stresses the development of the whole child with emphasis on their talents, social responsibility and place in the world, said Rita Smith, chairperson of the Green school action committee. The similar values of the Montessori education and “green” building practices have made the creation of a LEED certified building a top priority for the school.

Integrated into the construction of the school are seven stepping stones made by each of the classes that comprise Hilltop. The stones represent the children’s hands in the school’s creation and will give them a tangible bond to the new structure.

Hilltop Montessori was the first Alabama school registered with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system. LEED-certified buildings make use of cutting-edge technology and techniques resulting in structures that are healthy, competitively priced to construct and much more cost effective to operate over the lifetime of the building. Hilltop’s green vision has been a combined effort of faculty, parents, students and other members of the community. James Nietfeld, parent of two Hilltop students and LEED consultant, helped organize the building plans and present them for LEED certification. He explained that many factors must be taken into consideration while constructing a green building, including energy-efficient lighting, energy-efficient HVAC, water efficiency and minimal site disturbance. The entire process, he continued, is meticulous but extremely worthwhile. “Our two boys transferred form public schools to attend Hilltop,” Nietfeld said. “I want my kids to be aware of consumption and conservation, and the new facility will be a great tool. It can’t come soon enough.” Even the students of Hilltop Montessori are excited about the new building. Emily Fleisig, 11, is currently the longest-standing student of Hilltop Montessori and had the distinguished honor to represent the entire student body and use one of the golden shovels to help break ground. “I love Hilltop because everyone is close together,” she said. “What do I think of the new building? It’s going to be different. Different good though!” Partnering with Hilltop Montessori in the creation of the green school are EBSCO Industries, which donated the five-acre plot for the new school in May. John Thompson, human resources director at EBSCO, was present at the ground breaking. “We are proud to announce the establishment of this school. EBSCO chose to donate this land to encourage an educational institution that offers a unique and effective curriculum and a program that will make it a positive addition to the Mt Laurel community,” Thompson said. “The green school status also sticks with EBSCO’s principle of being environmentally friendly and raising awareness on the importance of not only abiding by laws, but by using common sense to work towards the restoration and preservation of our environment.” J.T. Stephens, chairman of EBSCO, praised Hilltop’s conservation efforts and emphasized that their dreams of a green school go hand-in-hand with EBSCO’s principles. “We at EBSCO have a great respect for the area’s beautiful environment and are passionate about its conservation,” Stephens said. “It is on both a personal and professional basis that we work to preserve the environment as much of EBSCO’s business is directly related to the outdoors. We are not academic armchair conservationists. Instead we get out in the woods, and we work to preserve it.” Also involved in the project are Bill Segrest, LEED Architect, and Nancy Jernigan, both of HWK Architects; Jane Reed Ross and Lea Ann MackNally, both landscape architects of Ross Land Design; builder Bill Kreis of JohnsonKreis Construction and AmSouth Bank.

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