The Good Shepherd Montessori School has a rich history from the ground up. The school rests on 4 acres in McKinney, Texas, 1.7 acres of which originally belonged to G.A. Foote. Dr. Foote, in a handwritten deed from 1907, generously sold the land for $1.00 to the small community’s church. Included was a written provision for a portion of the land to be used as a school. This gesture showed a vision of the future for McKinney based on Christian principles with a high value placed on education. Around the turn of the century in Italy, Maria Montessori became the first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School. Dr. Montessori’s work with children led her to develop the Montessori Method, an approach to education that focuses on the individual child using hands-on materials in a child centered environment. In 1907, about the same time that Dr. Foote was providing the land needed for a church and school in McKinney, Maria Montessori was invited to organize schools for young children in Rome, Italy. On the 6th of January, 1907, at the inauguration of her first school, Casa de Bambini, Maria Montessori quoted from Isaiah 60:1, Arise, shine out, for your light has come…. Her success with educating children continued to shine as she opened educational centers in Italy and throughout Europe. Maria Montessori carried her message all over the world lecturing, founding schools, and creating teacher training centers. During a lecture tour in 1912, Dr. Montessori introduced this method to the United States. One of the first schools was opened by Alexander Graham Bell in his own home. The Montessori method of education took hold in the United States during the 1950’s when the American Montessori Society established teacher training facilities in this country. Today, the Montessori Method is successfully being used in almost 5,000 schools across the country including over 200 in public school districts. This includes schools in the public system in Dallas, Oak Cliff, and the Fort Worth area. More schools are scheduled to open in the near future. Accredited Montessori private schools provide quality education throughout the Metroplex. McKinney, TX