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It is my pleasure to welcome you to YNZ Montessori, Aruba’s first Montessori High School. We are excited to provide your adolescents with a warm and embracing environment led by an exhilarating curriculum. Although we place great importance on our rigorous academic program, we are equally focused on supporting our students in becoming respectful, responsible, and ethical contributors of society.
The Montessori method is designed to provide an ideal setting to foster successful and fulfilling lives. One of my favorite quotes by Dr. Montessori reads:
“Education is the help
we must give to life,
so that it may develop
in the greatness
of its powers.”
– Dr. Maria Montessori
Our certified Montessori teachers are dedicated to cultivating this power. We are passionate followers of Dr. Montessori’s philosophy of education, which allows students to progress at their own level, using their abilities and experiences to enhance their learning. No two adolescent learns at the same pace and in the same way. Instead, adolescents learn when they are ready. At YNZ, we recognize that each adolescent has unique potential. This potential develops when the environment is thoughtfully prepared and provides freedom and love. For this reason, I am proud to say that we offer your adolescent:
One of our greatest advantages is our location on the beautiful island of Aruba. The wildlife found among our desert landscapes and our lush marine life allows our students to gain experience in the world of agriculture and aquaculture. Our tropical climate on the other hand, enables us to work the land and bring delicious organic food to our lunch program. Also, Aruba’s commitment to the entrepreneurial spirit provides ample opportunities — through mentorships, internships and student-run businesses — for our adolescents to acquire the skills needed to succeed in the real world.
By liberating subjects such as math, biology and history from the traditional grip of vague mental concepts forgotten as soon as standardized tests are taken, our students acquire the knowledge through practical application; solving real life problems that are relevant to their own lives. With this in mind, and with what we believe families expect, at YNZ Montessori we are continuously designing appropriate environments to accommodate the needs of your adolescents so they may thrive in the dynamic world we live in today. We hold great responsibility in educating our students and we do this with safety, care and excitement.
I look forward to meeting you personally and to begin a unique relationship with your family and our community.
Irayka Yanez
Founding Head of School and Lead Teacher
Graduating young adults in Aruba who have developed independence by means of their own activity, through their own effort or will — which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual. These young adults, who will become citizens of the world, will strive for world peace, strengthened by an education that empowers a commitment to lifelong learning and problem solving.
To provide wholistic learning and development opportunities that consider all facets of the individual and their transitional stage from childhood to adulthood. We believe in authentic education results garnered through inquiry-based, hands-on and personalized learning in a thoughtfully prepared environment.
Discovered more than 100 years ago by Italian physician Dr. Maria Montessori, the Montessori method is a highly effective, child-centered and humanistic education system.
Dr. Montessori’s extensive research in scientific pedagogy led her to develop the four planes of human development: infancy, childhood, adolescence and maturity. The third plane consists of the developmental needs of adolescents — who are on their way to achieving social independence. Montessori secondary programs strive to meet each developmental need through the following activities:
Dr. Maria Montessori on the cover of TIME Magazine (2020) as part of 100 Women of the Year, TIME’s list of the most influential women of the past century.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Montessori found that, especially during the sensitive period of adolescence, students need to feel accepted by their peers, learn how to get along and establish independence from their families. As this is a crucial time filled with significant changes, to immobilize students behind desks and render them submissive can be counterproductive. For this reason, Montessori adolescent programs consider the students a respected collaborator and independent thinker. Through an integrated, cosmic approach to academics, adolescents can fulfill their strong desires to build and understand connections, and satisfy their need to know that what they are learning is relevant to their lives.
DESIRED OUTCOMES
Students of Montessori secondary program are encouraged to follow their interests and engage in deep intellectual inquiry as they acquire expertise in science, technology, communication, humanities and the arts so they can go on to become responsible and inspiring citizens of the world. The Montessori method has produced great thinkers and creators in a variety of fields such as:
Software Engineering
Sergey Brin & Larry Page, Google founders
Entrepreneurship
Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder
Political Science
HM Queen Noor of Jordan, U.N. Advisor & humanitarian
Culinary Arts
Julia Child, celebrity chef & author
Filmmaking
George Clooney, actor, producer & director
Music
Beyonce Knowles, singer-songwriter
Social Science
Erik Erikson, psychologist
Literature
Anne Frank, memoirist & author
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel-prize winning author
Sports
Stephen Curry, NBA Champion
EXCEPTIONAL NOT EXPERIMENTAL
Practiced for more than a decade, Dr. Montessori’s pedagogy has been widely investigated by formal, longitudinal studies. Learn how it has been proven to have a more effective outcome than other techniques here.
Ultimately, the goal of Montessori secondary education is to graduate students who are adaptable, possess self-respect, a love of learning, who are humanitarians and who are prepared to continue their studies at a University or start a career. With a system that is rooted in social justice and respect for children, we are proud to bring the Montessori secondary program to Aruba.
The job of the adolescent is to become an adult.
The job of the guide is to build independence, community, inquiry, adaptability and the ability to cope with ambiguity.
