Founders Cami and Shelly Thompson discovered their passion for Maria Montessori’s philosophy when their daughter enrolled in the Montessori School of Plainview in 1973. Having already spent many years teaching in the American public school system, the Thompsons spent a year training to earn their Montessori certifications from the Washington Montessori Institute. Twenty three years of dedication, perseverance, and gratifying success working with numerous Montessori schools eventually led the Thompsons to the shores of Alvernia. With its harbor-side access, lush woodland campus, and vast open spaces, the campus at Alvernia was a Montessori dream come true. With outdoor education at the center of its founding purpose, the Thompsons commenced Love of Learning’s first year of operation in September of 1999, enrolling of 65 students from pre-school to 6th grade. We owe our current success to their dedication; with a current enrollment of 125 students between early childhood ages to 8th grade, LOL maintains the very same commitment to holistic education that inspired the Thompsons to join the Montessori community nearly 50 years ago.