Bowman School Celebrates 20 Years of Impacting the World Through Montessori Education

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - May 11, 2016) - Bowman School, an innovative Montessori program serving K-8^th grade students in Palo Alto, Calif., is celebrating 20 years of successfully inspiring students to be their best personally and intellectually through an academically challenging, globally aware, and culturally rich program focused on respect, responsibility and independence. At an anniversary event scheduled at Bowman School on Saturday, May 21, from 3:30-6:30 p.m., current and former students and families will celebrate this success by reflecting on the school's many accomplishments and highlighting plans to provide this unique learning opportunity to future generations.

"The goals we set when founding this school in 1995 have not only been met, but far exceeded what we could have imagined," said Fred van den Bosch, founding trustee and parent of a Bowman student alum. "Knowing that more than 700 children have walked through Bowman's doors during the last 20 years, and received the guidance and education needed to impact their lives and the world around them, provides a great sense of accomplishment. I look forward to seeing the future generation of students enjoy this same opportunity."

Combining Bowman's strong emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) activities with the school's focus on incorporating global studies into all grades, the students have spent the last several months creating a large mural to commemorate the anniversary event. With the seven continents as the focal point, students from every grade in the school have created a brightly colored, tiled mural with drawings of animals, events and landmarks specific to each area. With the 2016 date noted on the mural, it will be featured in the main administrative office as a lasting tribute to the school's first twenty years.

"Bowman's unique education model helped build my confidence, critical thinking skills, and thought processes to work collaboratively with others," said Alexander Dubovoy, Bowman alum currently obtaining a History degree at Yale University. "I've had the opportunity to travel throughout the world, am studying Russian history and founded a club at Yale to help promote music education. Both academically and personally, my interests and successes are a reflection of the educational foundation I received at Bowman."

The celebration event will be held in conjunction with the school's annual International Fair and the community is invited to attend. The event begins at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, with the Bowman Jazz Band welcoming guests as they explore the available games and entertainment. The Bowman Choir will kick off a short formal presentation at 4 p.m., during which Mary Beth Ricks, Bowman Head of School, school founders and student alumni will share their memories, successes and future plans. In keeping with the global focus, guests can enjoy an international food fair from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The festivities will wrap up with exhibitions by the Bowman Ikebana Club and Bowman Magic Club as the entire event showcases the vast and varied talents of Bowman students.

Clear Vision for the Future
Achieving 20 years of success enables Bowman School to not only reflect on its past successes, but to also plan ahead to ensure this excellence continues for many decades to come. As part of this goal, Bowman currently has plans to develop a 3-acre campus adjacent to the existing school that will be focused on providing new and innovative learning opportunities. This new campus will include an IDEALab dedicated for STEAM activities, outdoor learning environments such as a green house and science gardens, primary classrooms for 3 and 4 year olds, and the school's first gymnasium/multi-purpose room for onsite sports and other events. For more information on the funding efforts started for this new campus, or to learn how it will drive additional learning experiences for all students, please contact the school at (650) 813-9131.

"As Bowman's first teacher, and now the Head of School, I have been part of this journey from the beginning and it's remarkable to see the impact Bowman has had in the lives of our students, our community and the world," said Mary Beth Ricks, Bowman Head of School. "Twenty years is a great start and is validation that Bowman School is providing a unique learning environment where focusing on the mindfulness of the child, as well as their academics, is the core to true success. Our newly acquired site on Arastradero Road will provide the space needed to offer additional programs, giving the next generation of students this same opportunity for real success."

About Bowman International School
Bowman School is an innovative, WASC-accredited Montessori school serving K-8^th grade students in Palo Alto, Calif. Founded in 1995, the independent, non-profit school inspires children to be their best intellectually and personally through an academically challenging, globally aware, and culturally rich program focused on respect, responsibility and independence. The school is located at 4000 Terman Drive. For more information, visit www.bowmanschool.org.