History of the School
- 1976-77 - Betsey Howard, Toni Serpe-Davis and Moira Padfield, all Montessori trained teachers, began investigating the possibility of opening a Montessori Preschool that would adhere to that philosophy. The three advertised for interested parents who helped find space, make materials, and recruit families.
- 1977 - Anchorage Montessori School (AMS) opened in September under the co-direction of Betsey Howard and Toni Serpe-Davis in the First American Baptist Church building at the corner of LaTouche and Northern Lights. The school registered as a non-profit corporation.
- 1978 - The School began affiliation with the American Montessori Society.
- 1980 - A summer Montessori playgroup is started.
- 1986 - AMS moved to the downstairs of the Bethany Christian Community building at 2824 E. 18th Street. A group of parents, staff and their spouses helped us build new shelving and other furniture. We had two preschool classrooms, one toddler room and an office. Toddler classes begin.
- 1993 - A two-hour Kindergarten program begins in addition to the half-day preschool.
- 1995 - Full-Day Preschool class opened.
- 1997 - AMS bought the building from Bethany Christian Community, remodeled the upstairs and added a Lower Elementary classroom.
- 1999 - Upper Elementary classes begin
- 2002 - Groundbreaking for our new building.
- 2003 - AMS moves into our current building in January.
- 2007 - Betsey Howard retires from Anchorage Montessori School.
AMS is an Alaskan non-profit corporation governed by an 11-member Board of Directors. The Board of Directors are elected by AMS members, whom are employees meeting the membership eligibility requirements stated in AMS Bylaws. Administrative responsibility rests with the Executive Director.