Alumna Testimonial

“13 years later and 6,000 miles away, I have still never really left Casa di Mir. I may no longer sit in the morning circle every day, but with each new step I take in life, I continue to realize just how much I learned from my six years there. I truly am who I am today because of Casa. Every single interest, every single goal I have evolved from the core principles I learned from Casa di Mir: my decision to major in environmental studies, my choice to study in Switzerland so far from home, my dedication to volunteering both locally in California and abroad in Latin America. These all started with Casa teaching me how to appreciate the people and cultures of the world, how to care for myself, my peers, and my environment, and how to learn from my own independence, but also by helping others.

Many people assume that the transition to a large public middle school (with more students in one math class than I had had in the third, fourth, and fifth grades combined at Casa), would be a difficult one; however, for me, it was quite the opposite. Casa di Mir had given me all of the tools I needed to succeed. After years of practice with the Montessori hands-on approach, I no longer needed puff balls or beads; I had all the resources I needed for academic success embedded in me – organization, independence, and (perhaps most importantly) self-motivation. Learning was not an obligation and studying was never something I had to do. Instead, as I knew coming from Casa, each person gets out of learning whatever she puts into it, and in all my career as a scholar, this has been all the inspiration I needed to keep working hard.

And after all these years, I still remember all of the words to ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple’ and ‘Tumbalaika.’ I can still play ‘De la puna vengo’ and ‘Everybody Loves Saturday Night’ on the recorder. I still know all the steps to the Korobushka and the Troika. Every song, every dance, every lesson, every memory I have from Casa di Mir continues to move with me through the years and past the miles, guiding me through life wherever I go.”

– Arianne Renee, Class of 2001