Our History

60 Years of Alexander Montessori School

From humble beginnings . . .

In 1963, Beverley and Jim McGhee, Sr. were searching for an early childhood facility for their two children in the Miami area. Beverley, a professional educator, was not satisfied with anything available at the time. In order to ensure that her own children would get an excellent educational head start, she founded Alexander Montessori School.

From the outset, the school enjoyed the reputation as a place where children learned and where the Staff cared. McGhee recognized early that the Montessori Method was best for children. She became certified as a Preschool Montessori Teacher and then as an Elementary Montessori Teacher. She gathered teachers around her who share her dedication to providing a quality, caring educational environment for children, and who are motivated to be second to none.

McGhee did not plan to start a school that would eventually become one of the largest and finest Montessori schools in the country. From that single Kindergarten class, however, Alexander Montessori School has grown into two Montessori Toddler Houses (for children ages 1½ to 3), nine Montessori Children's Houses (for children ages 3 to 6) on three campuses, with an additional six-acre Elementary Campus for children ages 6 to 12. The school now enrolls more than 560 students.

Sixty years later, some of the children of our alumni are experiencing first-hand the school where their parents spent their formative years. Maria Montessori (1870–1952) envisioned and helped realize a new approach to education, and Alexander Montessori follows her philosophy. Our task is to aid children in their work of self-creation, to help them become independent learners and thinkers. Our goal is to help our students live up to our motto: “To Learn to Love to Learn.”