Our Story

Harbourview Montessori is a school that grew from a place of great love and respect for children. It was the brainchild of the founder, teacher and mom, Michelle Morrison. Here is how she describes the evolution of the school.

Harbourview Montessori was born from a dream. This dream was to create the most beautiful, calm and enriching environment for young children. It was to create a place in which children would be supported in their development, learn according to their individual learning styles and temperaments, and come to know that they have unique gifts to be developed and realized. Maintaining a cheerful, accepting and loving environment would be the atmosphere essential to the development of each child’s unique gifts. For too long, the happiness factor had been left out of the education equation; it was time to make this a priority.

Almost two decades ago, Harbourview Montessori School began as Harbourview Montessori Children’s House with six 3-year old children. The following year, the school expanded to 20 children; the third year, 24. We had reached our capacity. After our 6th year, we purchased the old Westmount School, fully renovated it and expanded to include Elementary and, eventually, Middle School. Today, we have 4 beautiful classrooms, over 2 acres of wild and landscaped grounds, and a staff that is dedicated to our goal of nurturing, inspiring and supporting the social, emotional, physical and intellectual development of the children in our care.

As teachers, we feel a deep sense of satisfaction when we walk down the hallway, hearing and seeing signs of joyful learning. We feel a real sense of contentment when we hear, over and over again, parents praising us for our peaceful atmosphere, our open and professional communication, and the rich and varied curriculum we offer to our students. Finally, we feel a sense of humility when we realize that, together, we are helping to raise children to be kind, loving, intelligent and self-actualized individuals who will see and create beauty in our world. We are happy to say that, after almost 20 years, we are as strong in our core beliefs as we were in the beginning.