At Durango Montessori School we seek to honor your child by utilizing the whole-child approach. This teaching philosophy prioritizes all the personal as well as developmental needs of students in addition to their academic achievement. We strive to make sure our students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged as individuals. They are capable of so much more than regurgitated jargon or standardized testing. Through this careful inclusion of all the pieces and parts that make them unique, we are able to better suit learning styles and encourage the overall expansion of knowledge and a deep wellspring of desire to learn. Research indicates that this philosophy can improve classroom behavior, academic performance, and social-emotional development. One way we seek to highlight students who exemplify the social-emotional curriculum is through our Peace Crane Awards. They are issued to students from each class at our monthly school community meetings. This is a wonderful way to bolster and uplift student spirits and highlight the ways they are excelling. This also serves to spotlight behavior we would like modeled in all the classrooms; Peace begins within an action.