Common Roots Montessori School, a board-governed 501c3 nonprofit, recently opened their doors at the historic Bandana Square building. Moving from the Cathedral Hill neighborhood, Common Roots underwent a name change as part of their relocation. Head of School Maya Verjovsky told us more about the school’s mission and what was involved in their name change:
“Our mission is to provide a safe, beautiful and authentic Montessori learning environment; to serve an inclusive community of multicultural and economically diverse families; and to support children in becoming confident, independent, and compassionate members of society. This was revised as of about 5 years ago in our previous location as Cathedral Hill Montessori School, and we have been working toward creating a community of belonging, prioritizing equity and Anti-Bias Education, and eliminating barriers for families ever since. When our renaming/rebranding committee came together, we were looking to find a name that was more reflective of our mission, and obviously not tied to the previous neighborhood. We spent a long time and went through hundreds of possible choices for our new name, weighing out many different factors. We ultimately decided on Common Roots Montessori School because it conveys something of our community of children and families—sharing a common origin through early experience with us (like shared root systems), and then blossoming into a rich diversity of young people.”
We at WMI are excited for the new energy this will bring to Bandana Square, an already flourishing building that houses Allina Clinic and Urgent Care, Metro Pediatric Dental, Sister Kenny, and more. In addition to building out their new space, Wellington Management also allocated a portion of Bandana Square’s courtyard to Common Roots to use for their outdoor play area.
With their new space in Bandana Square, Common Roots is now able to provide daily hot lunch to their children and staff. They also hope to increase their tuition aid budget to support families and add more capacity to their Children’s Houses. Maya added, “In the coming year, we are really excited to re-form our Strategic Planning Committee of families, staff members, and board members. This committee will work on redefining the next 10-year plan for our organization’s goals, and the possibilities here are really sky-high. We are so excited to be providing top-quality early childhood Montessori education to a bigger community of families here at Bandana Square.”
Common Roots is hosting an Open House as part of their Fall Festival on Saturday, September 28th from 10am-12pm. They are incorporating a clothing/winter gear donation drive, and this event is open to everyone.
Take a look at the new space below, with four "before" photos at the end! You can also take a virtual tour by clicking here. We still have a couple available suites in this beautiful building; if you’d like to learn more, click here.
