REMEMBERING KATHY
Dr. Kathy Roemer
On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, Dr. Kathy Roemer, former American Montessori Society Board President (2011 – 2013) and recipient of the Douglas M. Gravel Benefactor Award (2020), passed away at the age of 69, surrounded by her close family. Since the 1980s, Kathy has been a proud advocate of Montessori and a guiding mentor
for so many educators.
Kathy was instrumental in uniting the NY Montessori community, and she leaves a lasting legacy of inspiring many Montessorians. Kathy was the founding President of the New York State Montessori Alliance and a friend and mentor to Montessorians across the nation. NYSMA board members continue her legacy of advocating for expanded access to high-fidelity Montessori education. Kathy was an exemplary leader who embodied the spirit of Maria Montessori, and her loss is shared
by the entire Montessori community.
In Memoriam: Celebrating the Life of Kathy Roemer,
published by the American Montessori Society
Kathy’s family asks that, in lieu of flowers, a financial contribution be made in support of the American Montessori Society or the ALS Association: Rocky Mountain Chapter.
OUR HISTORY
In May 2010, Dr. Kathy Roemer invited directors of Montessori Schools in New York City to meet to network with one another. The intention was to be inclusive of all Montessori schools in the 5 boroughs of New York City and Westchester County. Schools would volunteer to host meetings 4 times per year. The name of the group was
The New York City Montessori Network.
The first meeting was held at Riverside Montessori School, hosted by Dr. Kathy Roemer and Brooklyn Heights Montessori School hosted the second meeting in October 2010. At that meeting, the group began to talk about organization and goals and objectives. Upcoming professional development was shared in addition to collaborations that schools could participate in. The consensus was to keep the organization loose and informal while gathering a database of all of the Montessori schools in the area. A survey was conducted in January 2011 to gather information about schools and the issues that were most important to them.
In an effort to have a stronger public policy presence and one voice to represent the Montessori School community for the entire State of New York, we incorporated and the group voted on a name that changed in the fall of 2015 to
New York State Montessori Alliance.
With the help and support of Marco Ciocca, the organization became a 501c3. Bylaws were adopted in November 2016. The first officers were Dr. Kathy Roemer, President, Marco Ciocca, Vice President and Lisanne Pinciotti, Secretary/Treasurer.
13
Years
Since Founding
8
Alliance
Objectives
20
Member Schools
& Growing!
1000s
Students
Statewide
ELECTING OFFICERS
Member Voting RightS
Each school, organization, or individual member is entitled to one vote. A quorum must be reached for votes to be considered valid. Voting for new and re-elected NYSMA board members for 2024-2025 begins in Spring 2024:
-
Step 1 — Nominations accepted
-
Step 2 — Last day nominations accepted
-
Step 3 — Voting opens
-
Step 4 — Voting closes
-
Step 5 — 2024-2025 NYSMA board members announced on website
OUR OFFICERS
REMEMBERING MARLENE
Marlene Barron
Dr. Marlene Barron lived a full life. From her early days at Staten Island Montessori School, long tenure at West Side Montessori School, CHAMP/WSMS-TEP, and NYU Montessori Sequence, to her influential work in China and around the globe, she was a pioneer and leader in our Montessori community. She was a big thinker, had a fiery spirit, and even though she didn't necessarily agree with you,
loved to engage in the discussion.
Marlene was present and active right from the beginning of NYSMA. She attended the initial NYC gatherings, the formalization of the corporation, and was virtually present at our meeting last week. Marlene's influence can only be captured in the multitude of ways she influenced our approach to this important work. She forced us to THINK about what we do and why we do it, along with who we do it for. Above all, she asked questions
that made us dig deeper into the process of learning. She was forever curious
about the process of learning.
Please keep Marlene, her family, dear friends, and colleagues in your hearts. We invite you to find out who she was and learn from her body of work.
She will be greatly missed.
