Webster Montessori School

Webster Montessori School Purchases New Building

School owns property for first time in 37-year history

By Jan Morrill, Editor

There really is no place like your own home, according to the folks at the Webster Montessori School.

And they are in a position to know. After leading a somewhat nomadic existence, the school, for the first time in its 37-year history, owns the building which houses its educational program.

The new facility is located at 1310 Five Mile Line Road in the former home of the Calvary Chapel of Webster.

The 119 youngsters enrolled in the school, along with an instructional staff of 24, began their first day of classes in the new building on Sept. 8. The school purchased the building, which sites on four acres of land, for $600,000.

Although negotiation for the sale began almost a year ago, the closing didn’t take place until Aug. 11. To make the situation even more complicated, about $150,000 in renovations needed to be completed before the classes could get up and running.

Despite the tight time frame, Ron Gordon, school principal, said he was determined that the youngsters be able to begin their new school year in their new home on Sept. 8.

“That was 25 days I’ll never forget,” laughed Gordon.

Three new classrooms were constructed in what had been the worship area of the church. Three upstairs classrooms were renovated. Bathrooms were remodeled and made handicap accessible. Two outdoor playgrounds were installed.

It was a hectic pace, but the work was completed on time, and Gordon said that parents were overwhelmed by the result.

“Some parents wept [seeing the school for the first time]. The new school was a homey atmosphere, it’s very noninstitutional,” he said. “The parents were all very pleased and the peacefulness transferred to the children. We had a great start to the school year.”

Many of the unique characteristics of the church were incorporated to the school’s design. The stage where the altar had been was left intact, and now serves as the perfect place for school plays and performances. Another nook off the former church has been given new life as a cozy computer lab. Parents and staff can relax and talk in a modern cafe area off of the front lobby.

“We were looking to create something warm, welcoming, friendly,” said Gordon.

Last Saturday, the school held an open house. The event marked the conclusion of a long search, as several years ago the school was without a long-term lease and had seemingly few options.

In 1995, the school had entered into a five year contract to rent about 10,000 square feet of space in the Ridgecrest building on Ebner Drive. But when the lease expired, the town had been reluctant to enter into another long-term agreement because the adjacent Community Center needed room to expand.

“The town didn’t want to renew the lease, so we were looking for another place,” said Gordon, who became an administrator at the school in 2001.

Around the same time, the Webster Library was outgrowing its location. There was talk that the school might relocate there.

Gordon explained that while his predecessor had expressed interest in moving the school to the former library building, a thorough review of the school’s finances showed that the costs were prohibitive.

“Although there was a lot of dialogue when I came [about moving the school to the former library building], I looked at the numbers and the building was really just too expensive,” said Gordon. “I couldn’t make the recommendation to the board. There was no way we could afford that.”

The Webster Montessori School was started in 1967 by a group of six women who wanted a different type of education for their children. About half of their students are from Webster, the others live in nearby communities in Monroe and Wayne counties.

The Webster school is among the largest of the Rochester area Montessori schools, and enrollment has held steady throughout the years.

Gordon says that the school hopes to soon build an addition to increase classroom space. They also hope to do more to make use of the four acres of property, perhaps by developing gardens.

The Calvary Chapel of Webster, which also needed more space, has relocated to a largest facility at 770 Basket Road.

“This has been a win-win situation for everyone,” said Gordon.

Originally published in the Wednesday, October 27, 2004 edition of the Webster Herald.