Skaneateles Montessori Preschool continues tradition of excellence in education
New director Meghan Donahue brings experience, enthusiasm to the classroom
Although Skaneateles Montessori Preschool, formerly Sunny Patch Montessori Preschool, will now have a new director on board, the same excellence associated with a Montessori education will continue.
Veteran educator Meghan Donahue, who has been working closely over the past few months with current Director Kathleen Horzempa, will formally take the reigns at the preschool, located at 97 E. Genesee St. in Skaneateles, this fall.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to be working with children and their families next year,” Donahue said. “And it has been great working with the children alongside Miss Kathy this year.”
But Donahue’s experience with Montessori didn’t begin when she started working with Horzempa, as her son was a student at Sunny Patch.
“My son Charlie was a graduate of Miss Kathy’s school six years ago,” Donahue said. “My passion for Montessori began because of his experience here in the classroom and everything he has been able to accomplish since.”
A native of Binghamton, Donahue lives in Marcellus with her husband Tom and two children, Thomas and Charlie.
She is a graduate of SUNY Oneonta, the American Intercontinental University in London and The Fashion Institute of Technology. She worked for Ann Taylor Corporation, where she discovered her love of educating others after teaching and writing lesson plans for the company’s new purchasing and design computer program.
That passion for teaching led her to attend SUNY Cortland, where she earned a master’s degree in elementary education.
Working for eight years as a certified New York State Elementary Education Teacher, Donahue has experience with students in all age groups, from pre-school to 12th grade. She has also worked with students from many different demographics and learning abilities.
“Most recently I was working in a transitional classroom in a specialized school where students spent half of their time in the transitional classroom and the other half of their time in the mainstream classroom,” Donahue said.
Her experience with children of all ages and abilities makes her the perfect fit as director of a Montessori preschool.
“Montessori is a child-centered educational approach where all children are seen as individuals,” Donahue said. “They see things in their own way and learn best at their own pace. Montessori caters to the child as an individual with the goal that each child learns to think critically and work collaboratively, which are 21st century skills necessary to succeed as they grow.”
“Montessori fosters a nurturing learning environment and I think children learn best when they are happy,” she said.
Registration for the school is currently open, and Donahue welcomes parents to visit the website at skaneatelesmontessori.com or call her at 315-720-8109 to register their child or find out more about Skaneateles Montessori Preschool.
