At St. Mark's Montessori School we foster Dr. Maria Montessori's philosophy that children have a natural curiosity and desire to learn. In the Montessori environment, the greatest possibility exists for flexibility in individual lessons and progress, while still retaining group lessons at no expense to the individual child. The use of individual, self-directed materials permits varied pace. Children work in a non-competitive environment composed of students in a three-year age grouping designed to guide each child from curiosity to mastery.