History

Over 50 years ago a mother named Georgeann Skakel Terrien was seeking better educational opportunities for her children.  She was frustrated with the status quo at local schools which fell short of her expectations and wishes for her children.  Georgeann knew quite a few like-minded parents in Greenwich.  From her mother's trip to Ireland, she became aware of the Montessori teaching method. This style of teaching and learning finally seemed right to her.  Georgeann was not only eager to share her discovery with the other parents but she knew that together they should start a school using the Montessori method. This core group of parents located and hired Nancy Rambusch, an American educator with a passion for Montessori, to head the Whitby School.

This is the simple story of how the Whitby School began in 1958 as a day school for children between the ages of three through fourteen and became the first Montessori school in the United States. Also significant in the history of Whitby is its founding role in the formation of the American Montessori Society. The first teacher training courses, based in Greenwich, also used Whitby classes as a lab school.

The first classes were held in a converted barn with the school moving to its present 25 acre Lake Avenue location school in 1960. Attending the dedication ceremony in 1961 was Maria Montessori's only son - Mario Montessori and a stone from the famed Whitby Abbey was presented to the school by the people of Yorkshire, England.

In 1975, a toddler class, Stepping-Stones, was created to serve children between two and three years of age. By 1982, Stepping-Stones was accepting children at eighteen months. In 1994, the Junior High Division was reconfigured into the present Middle School.

Whitby's beginnings came from the passion, energy and excitement of these early parents who shared a belief with others.  This passion to offer a new and better way to educate children continues today with the integration of the highly regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) program into our Montessori roots. As before, the vibrant Whitby community is the catalyst behind this addition of IB and the innumerable recent and positive changes taking place at the school.  Whitby is healthy and strong and remains an innovative leader in preparing students education to learn, live and succeed today and in the future. 

Whitby School, the flagship school of the American Montessori Society, holds American Montessori Society (AMS) accreditation and is an International Baccalaureate Candidate School. Whitby is also accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools, and is a member of the Educational Records Bureau, the Parents League and the REACH Prep program.

The Whitby Crest

Saint Hilda was the Abbess of Whitby Abbey, which was established in 657 AD Under Saint Hilda, the Abbey flourished as a seat of learning and celebration of life. She became known as one who nourished and encouraged the talents of her people.

Symbolic of the heritage of St. Hilda, is the Crest, which is dominated by the Benedictine Cross, representing the strength of the community. The three coiled snakes represent fossils found in abundance on the seashore near the Whitby Abbey. They were believed originally to be venomous serpents, which were changed to stone by the prayers of St. Hilda. The three waves represent the intellect in action, and the sun is the life-giving environment of the school.

Although our community has changed and grown over the years, the crest is still a symbol of our strength and endurance. When we look at the crest, we remember with pride the many children and parents who have passed through our halls, left their imprint, and have shared the unique experience - which is Whitby.