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 Pre-Primary 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 pre-primary 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 Pre-Primary 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.
- 2011 - Tim Seldin, Montessori author and leader (International Montessori Council) visits AMS.
AMS is an Alaskan non-profit corporation governed by an 11-member Board of Directors. Administrative responsibility rests with the Executive Director.