Who is Metropolitan Montessori's New Head of School?

Born in Uganda, Racheal Adriko comes from a long line of educators. "Every family in Africa has a calling," she told me when we connected for her first ever New York interview, and education is undoubtedly her family's. "Education was the emancipation to freedom," she said. "If you were educated, if you were smart, if you knew how things worked, you could save a nation. You could save yourself, but more importantly, you could save a nation."

When Racheal was a toddler, her family fled to Kenya during Idi Amin’s time in power, but they returned to Uganda — where her father had been a professor — to rebuild after the revolution. Kenya was very peaceful, but back in Uganda, school became a safe place for Racheal among the post-civil war chaos, giving her a space where she could talk about and process what she was seeing. Even in less chaotic circumstances, Racheal explained she has always seen schools as community havens.

At age 18, Racheal felt ready to come to the United States, where she studied education and business administration at a number of New England universities. "I knew I wanted to be a Head of School," she told me, "but I wanted to be a good Head of School. Before you can lead a school, you sort of have to walk in everyone’s shoes to understand all of the parts that make a school."

Her first teaching experience was in a Montessori environment, and she went on to work at several schools, most recently serving as Lower School Principal at the internationally-known Milton Academy. After 5 years there, one of her mentors came to her with another opportunity — a Head of School position at a private Montessori school in New York City with a 55% international population and food grown on the rooftop. She was intimidated, but came down to visit and fell in love with MMS. She began the position in July 2019.

What is the Montessori method?

Developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori in 1907, Montessori is now an internationally recognized teaching philosophy with over 100 years of research, development, and student outcomes behind it. "Montessori is a curriculum with integrity," Racheal told me.

Above all, individualized learning is the guiding principle of a Montessori curriculum. In an MMS classroom, no two students’ days are alike. Kids are free to explore whatever interests them most by selecting their own assignments, while teachers thoughtfully monitor their progress across all subjects. The approach includes mixed-age environments, where younger students model their older peers' behavior and older students become classroom leaders.

Montessori classrooms are also easily identified by very specific teaching materials designed to encourage hands-on learning, and plenty of easily accessible child-sized Montessori toys, games, and lessons that promote independence. Tasks like washing their own dishes, preparing their own snacks, and taking care of classroom plants further empower even the youngest students.

Maria Montessori also encouraged students to learn in nature and to build an appreciation and respect for the environment. MMS students plant, harvest, and eat from the school gardens and visit greenmarkets. From Kindergarten through sixth grade, they take regular trips to Black Rock Forrest, a nature consortium in upstate New York.

What sets MMS apart from other NYC private schools?

"Our values really fall first around understanding children and what they’re about," Racheal told me. "At the end of the day, being part of the MMS community means that your child is known, your child is seen, your child is heard, you're valued, your family is valued.”

She went on to explain that she settled on Metropolitan Montessori for her own twin four-year-old boys and nine-year-old son when they made the move to New York City. "As biracial boys, you know — my African Jewish boys — I felt they would do well here, that they would thrive here, that they would have a village, and that they would be growing up in real representation of the global world. Yes, New York is a representation of the world, but how lucky we are that our children get to experience the world in these four walls." In fact, there are more than 25 nationalities represented, and roughly 20 second languages spoken by MMS students. And the school has made it a key priority to create affinity groups and parent programming to help ensure that every family feels a true sense of belonging.

How do I apply to preschool or elementary school MMS?

"Come visit, come see, come talk, come ask questions," Racheal said about applying to MMS's preschool and elementary school. Visit the Metropolitan Montessori School admissions portal for details on the application process, sign up for an Open House or a Pop in and Play, or email admissions@mmsny.org to learn about upcoming baby class programming. Racheal attends every open house event, and is always happy to speak with prospective parents. "When you choose a school, you're making a commitment," Racheal added. "And behind that commitment is a breathing beautiful human being. We get that. And we want to partner with you to educate your child."

All photos courtesy of Metropolitan Montessori School