Spring Gala to offset costs at Messiah Montessori School

Montessori Schools are noted for their individualized teaching methods, and student-centered learning environments for elementary through high school pupils.

But the yearly tuition cost to attend a Montessori School can be high. The school in Houston charges between $10,000 and $18,000, according to Jennifer Schwertz, an administrator at Messiah Montessori School located in Houma.

“It’s expensive because the classroom is stock-filled with learning material, instead of textbooks,” she said.

To help keep the price of attending much lower, Messiah Montessori is holding its fifth-annual Spring Gala fundraiser on Friday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at Harvest Cathedral (1224 Museum Dr., next to Southdown Plantation). The school is an extension of Harvest Cathedral.

The gala will be catered by Spahr’s Seafood, and will have music by the stage band of the Houma-Terrebonne Community Band.

Tickets for the event cost $40 for singles, and $75 for couples. Attire is dressy casual.

The theme for the gala is “Mastering the Art of Montessori Minds.” There will be on display artwork by Messiah Montessori students “inspired by the study of the modern art masters Monet, Degas, Kandinsky, Picasso, and Pollock,” Schwertz said.

The artwork is “set up like a gallery,” she said. “Visitors can look at it.”

Also, the gala will feature live and silent auctions to benefit the school. The student artwork will not be for sale.

The auctions will have “lots of jewelry, and decorative dishware-a complete variety,” Schwertz said.

“This year’s auction items,” a news release states, “include quilts created by the students, a LASIK procedure, a houseboat weekend vacation with offshore fishing, a one-year hunting lease at Lake Houma, Fakier’s jewelry, gift certificates, and much more.”

“Fakier’s gave us a bracelet” to sell, she said.

The live auction will have the more expensive items, but “the silent auction has items in a range between $50-$2500,” she said.

Guests at the event can select from three different geographically-derived food stations: Mediterranean, Caribbean, and South Pacific Rim.

“It’s exciting,” Schwertz said. “The Spahr’s chef is a former Norwegian Cruise Lines chef.”

She said that “Spahr’s has kindly discounted their catering.”

Main sponsors of the gala are Edison Chouest Offshore, Bollinger Shipyards, and the Kellum Eye Center.

Call Schwertz at (985) 857-8808 for more information.