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Esprit International School encourages motivation, self-discipline, and excellence in learning

By: C. Pilgrim
| Published 11/04/2014

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Since 1999, Esprit International School in The Woodlands has been dedicated to enriching a student’s joy for learning by providing a solid foundation while also providing each student with many opportunities so that they are able to discover and develop their own talents. Located at 4890 West Panther Creek Drive, Esprit International School is an independent, non-sectarian school that enrolls children ages 18 months all the way to students in 12th grade.

The school is based on the educational thought of Dr. Maria Montessori, an educator who emphasized on freedom within limits while focusing on each student’s independence. Students at Esprit are in an environment that encourages cooperation and respect for other people, as well as self-reliance and hard work.

“The teachers at Esprit are all Montessori trained, which means that we all are coming to the academic perspective from the same philosophical approach: that the best way for children to learn is through their own construction of meaning,” said Rosemary Brumbelow, the founder and Head of School of Esprit International School. “For us, it is very much about the experience of who you become. We coach that and we talk about that with them. We also talk about passion. I tell the students that it doesn’t mater what you do, as long as you care about it.”

For Brumbelow, it is quite apparent that her passion lies within Esprit International School and its students. While working as a Montessori assistant teacher in college, it didn’t take long for Brumbelow to figure out what she was truly passionate about.

“When I walked into the classroom, I absolutely loved it. Right at that moment, I decided that one day, I would like to open a school,” said Brumbelow.

After getting married and having kids, a local private school was moving locations in The Woodlands, and the property they were moving off of was up for sale. Brumbelow didn’t hesitate at the opportunity, and she soon was the new owner of the location.

“It all fell into place and it was ready to go,” said Brumbelow. “We opened in the fall of 1999 and started with just 18 students. Since then, we have continued to grow.”

Unlike public schools, Esprit divides up students by multi-age groupings. Instead of students learning with others in the same grade, three grades are grouped together, with generally 2 to 3 teachers in each classroom. Not only does this allow the students to have their needs met socially, they also appreciate students both younger and older. Brain-based learning is incorporated to the everyday routine at Esprit.

“Everybody from preschool through high school at some point have interactions here,” said Brumbelow. “The high school students are very respectful of the fact that we have young kids in the community.

With the student population growing, Esprit International School has plans to expand as well. A new building will soon be added that will go along Panther Creek and enclose what is now the courtyard. The 20,000 square-foot facility will be able to accommodate all of the students, while the other buildings will be designed specifically for classroom use.

As for the increasing number of students and the growing facility, Brumbelow sees the expansion as continuing to improve each and every day.

We have grown a lot and we have changed a lot,” said Brumbelow. “Every single day we are striving to be a little bit better than we were yesterday. We try to increase our personal goals and accomplishments.”

For families interested in learning more about Esprit International School and possibly enrolling their children, the school’s website is a very helpful tool in that they can learn all about the facility and the Montessori philosophy. Tours of the facility and day visits to the school are also recommended so that a child can see if it is a good fit.

Esprit International School has standards and expectation for any core curriculum, the teachers follow the McGrail Standard of Learning and the school is also SACS accredited.

“Even though we are able to do things in a way that is really different and unique, and tailored to the children, we found that those accreditations are the best way for the parents to have something to compare. When you go into our classrooms, it is so different.”

To learn more information about Esprit International School, visit there website at the link provided below, or call 281-298-9200. For each student that walks through the doors at Esprit, Brumbelow hopes that that they one day leave with the skills to go out into the world knowing what to do before having to be told how to do it. She stresses the importance of each student finding their true passion, just like Esprit International School is hers.



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