Montessori adolescent educators from the Asia-Pacific region will be invited to share their experience and challenges in the founding of Montessori middle/high school and provide the first-hand status in the development of Montessori adolescent program in different regions, including the characteristics of each school and school planning. During the event, speakers will also conduct a panel discussion on the development of Montessori adolescent program in Taiwan and provide suggestions and practices for running schools. If you want to  learn more about Montessori adolescent programs, don't miss this rare opportunity.

Founding co-ordinator and guide in the adolescent program at The Hills Montessori School in South Australia, Pippa Milroy has worked in education for many years in both secondary and tertiary settings. Her diverse background spans medical science, English literature and education research and, with her interests in camping, travel, theatre, gardening and food, provides an apt foundation for working with the middle years. Her three daughters are all Montessori graduates.

Alex Ioannou has been teaching for over 30 years. After many years in mainstream education, primarily in the Catholic system, she took time off to have her first child and discovered the Montessori philosophy and practice. In 1999, Elonera Montessori School Wollongong had begun its Adolescent programme and Alex was employed there in 2001. There were 9 students who were determined to complete their Middle Years at Elonera. In 2015, we started the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme with 3 students. Today there are 39 students in our Middle School and 22 in our IB programme and a dynamic and committed team of guides who work with our students. 

Spouses Chris and Ann Barrameda founded The Abba’s Orchard, a twenty- year-old school system that offers highfidelity Montessori education. The school enrolls close to 1,500 children across all planes of development in thirteen campus locations in the Philippines, four of which include Erdkinder farm environments. 

Chris belongs to the first batch who attended the very first Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies in 2003 in Ohio under the auspices of the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA).  He is currently enrolled with the University of the Philippines for his doctoral studies in education, major in physics.

Ann  trained with the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) under which she was certified in Assistants to Infancy (AMI Denver), Primary (AMI Phoenix), and Elementary (AMI San Diego). She completed the NAMTA/AMI Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies in 2015 in Satila, Sweden.  Last April 2019, she keynoted the Research Day of the Annual General Meeting of the AMI with her doctoral dissertation captioned “The Cognitive Impact of Successive Montessori Programs.”

Carlos S. Cariño is the Executive Director of Maria Montessori Children’s School Foundation, Inc. (MMCSFI), one of the oldest Montessori environments in the Philippines, now celebrating its 48th year.  Mr. Cariño is also the Founding Program Director of MMCSFI’s Adolescent Program which started in school year 2013-14 and which graduated its first group of students into university last May. He has been an educator for almost 30 years and is in his 13th year at the helm of MMCSFI.

Carl coursed his elementary and high school studies in New York, his undergraduate degree (B.A. Liberal Arts, Major in English and History) in Connecticut, and then came home to Manila, pursuing a Master’s in Liberal Education. He is a firm proponent of the humanities, of liberal education and the liberal arts, and of student life and co-curricular learning – all of which are very strong features of the MMCSFI AP. 

Mr. Cariño describes himself fundamentally as “just a Literature teacher.” He teaches Literature, History, and Philosophy. Finally, Carl is also a theater director. He is currently directing a professional production of “Macbeth” for staging in November. And the AP Theater Ensemble has performed in Sydney, in Cleveland, along with many venues in Manila. Earlier his year, the Ensemble was granted a special Award of Recognition at the annual international Fast & Fresh Theater Festival in Manila.

Adam Broomfield is a proud “Aussie” and comes from Melbourne, Australia. Adam has degrees in History and Literature, Primary Teaching and Child and Adolescent Mental Health. He has a Diploma of Management and a Postgraduate Masters in School Leadership. Adam has been in education for over 20 years and taught students aged from 5 to 18 years old in Australia, New Zealand, China and most recently Hong Kong. He began his teaching career in the Upper Elementary/Primary before moving into teaching students with severe behaviour and emotional difficulties. He has taught PE and IT at Primary level, History, English Literature and Theory of Knowledge at an International Baccalaureate level. He has held the positions of Principal, Deputy Principal, Student Welfare Coordinator, Regional Drug and Student Wellbeing Network Leader, Head of Teaching and Learning and International Baccalaureate DP Coordinator. Adam is a Restorative Practices trainer and sat on the board of the Victorian Association for Restorative Justice. Adam worked in government schools for 12 years before taking long service leave to travel to China in 2010 and has worked in International Schools since then.

He joined the International Montessori School in Hong Kong in 2013 at a time when the school was expanding significantly. He is now Head of Stanley Campus which has approximately 600 students from 3 to 12 years of age and 88 staff. In that time Adam has been a part of setting up a brand new campus for Casa Bambini and Elementary, merging an existing campus into one larger campus, planning, designing and implementing a Middle School programme.

Adam is proud to call Hong Kong home with his wife Melanie (also a teacher) and daughter Chloe.

Y2 Foundation for Future Education