Island Montessori in Wilmington breaks ground on new building expanding campus

Island Montessori Charter School broke ground on a new multipurpose building on Friday.

The 3,500-square-foot building, which will be used for music classes, concerts, physical education and assemblies, will be named Corrigan's Cottage, dedicated to Island's founding Head of School Brian Corrigan.

"He helped found our school and began the whole charter from the ground up,” said Alicia Rheel, Island's current Head of School. "From day zero, when we had just one building, no materials, no staff, and they were working on a folding table… he just built every building. He built this school."

Corrigan, now Island's financial and human resources director, took a reduced role at the school in 2020 following a cancer diagnosis, Rheel said.

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The tuition-free K-8 school began in 2013 and combined campuses with the private Children’s School, for ages 3 to 5, in 2017. Both institutions are operated by Cape Fear Montessori Village Inc.

The non-profit school has grown in enrollment, programs and additions to the campus in the last decade. It started as a K-5 school, with 23 instructors teaching 142 students and now has 42 instructors for its 220 students.

Island Montessori School was the first public K-8 Montessori-based school in New Hanover County. According to Rheel, the school has received approval for its second 10-year charter.

The mission of Island Montessori Charter School, which follows the model created by Italian physician Maria Montessori, is to enable children of diverse backgrounds to learn and grow at their own pace by offering a developmentally appropriate and challenging academic Montessori environment that models grace and courtesy and fosters a peaceful community of lifelong learners.

Reporter John Orona can be reached at 910-343-2327 or jorona@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ground broken on new building at Wilmington Montessori school