Hello, my name is Nick Combemale and I am the Head of School at The Montessori at Flatiron and The Montessori in SoHo. The Montessori at Flatiron has been a part of this community for eight years now and has been a devoted sponsor and partner of Madison Square Park Conservancy since 2015. The Montessori Schools endeavor to help children evolve into happy, curious and creatively rigorous young individuals and knowing the Park was just steps away was a key consideration when we selected this space for our school.

More than 80% of the families that attend our school live in the local community, so what we do in our classrooms directly impacts the world around us. When the Pandemic happened, it was a major undertaking and an imperative goal to be able to get our school open and running in a safe and responsible way. It was more than just getting our young students back to school and keeping them safe. It was about giving our members the confidence that they could go back to work and trust that their children were in good hands; that they would receive the quality education they deserve within a safe and secure environment. Our standards and protocols for reopening have been very rigorous in order to ensure that we protect our students and staff, and safeguard the surrounding community where they live.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has truly underscored the importance of collaboration and community and we are so grateful to have had Madison Square Park down the block from us.  In normal times, you’d hear our students laughing and playing in the playground. Now, during COVID-19, we have still been taking advantage of the Park– but opting for more walks so that our children can enjoy the great outdoors while safely socially distancing. We also draw inspiration from the Park and the Conservancy’s horticulture program to develop science and botany lessons for our children.

We look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood, amongst all of the Flatiron Montessori children with their blue backpacks on, enjoying the beautiful Madison Square Park!