BELFAST — Susan Therio has completed her Adolescent Montessori Teacher Preparation and received her Montessori Secondary I-II Credential from the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program.

Teaching at Cornerspring Montessori School in Belfast for fifteen years, Therio holds a BS in Chemistry from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York and a MA in Chemistry from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She joined the teaching staff at Cornerspring in September of 2009 as Assistant Teacher. Over the years, she’s served in several instructional roles at the school.

In September 2019, Therio became a teacher in the inaugural Middle School program, developing an integrated program that helps encourage lifelong learning by fostering self-confidence and independence at this crucial developmental stage. The curriculum has been specially designed as a Montessori-driven approach to fulfilling the needs of students preparing to enter high school.

Over the past two years, Therio has completed 644 hours of Adolescent Montessori Teacher Training coursework and over 1,000 hours of practicum experience in the classroom. Her course work included extensive study in curriculum design and implementation and classroom leadership.

“Therio’s credential is proof of her many hours of dedication to her personal and professional growth, as well as her commitment to serving her students,” said the Cornerspring Board of Trustees, in a news release.

Serving children from 18 months to 14 years, Cornerspring Montessori School is an inclusive community dedicated to providing an environment for individualized education in which the partnership of child, parent, and teacher nurtures lifelong learning skills and a deep sense of compassion and social responsibility. Just minutes from downtown Belfast but situated on more than 42 acres of woodlands, Cornerspring offers a wealth of opportunities for nature-based education.

Cornerspring’s talented and dedicated teachers ensure that the educational program is academically challenging, engaging each student by linking the curriculum to children’s interests and experience, and supportive of the relationships between child, teacher, parent and the school community. Cornerspring programs provide an environment that enables students to set goals and establish deeply held values; independence, responsibility, self-respect, respect for others and compassion.

For more information about Cornerspring Montessori School or to apply for enrollment, please visit www.cornerspringmontessori.com.