| Date | Who | Comments |
| 11/18/2011 | other | i enjoyed going to this school, as i am sure my father had the same experence. great people, great community. |
| 4/28/2010 | other | Lake Country is the most engaging, respectful learning environment I have ever experienced. Their commitment to diversity is with parallel, and they live that commitment in real ways, every day of the year. Each child is encouraged for their gifts, and supported with their challenges. Lake Country teaches peace through philosophy and example. They educate, celebrate and honor children and families in all their wonderfully, various manifestations. Supporting Lake Country School means supporting the best all of us can give back to our world. |
| 10/26/2009 | parent | Lake Country School is an outstanding community of teachers and parents that provides a wonderful Montessori education that attends to the total development of its children. |
| 10/26/2009 | parent | Because both of our children have shared with me the importance of Lake Country education in shaping who they are today. |
| 10/25/2009 | parent | I love that I can come to school every day with joy and excitement to meet students who are alive to all that is waiting for them to learn and do. I love that we spend time together working in and on community and that we can face challenges together. It is a unique and wonderful place there is no other like it and I am thankful that I have been and continue to be a part of this school. |
| 10/25/2009 | parent | Lake Country School taught my daughter how to organize her work, how to work with and respect others and how to respect her environment. She transitioned academically and socially to Minnetonka High School easily because of her LCS foundation. Sara's teachers rave about her study habits and abilities as a facilitator of group work. I tell them that the foundation for those abilities was laid at LCS. |
| 10/24/2009 | teacher | Lake Country School is peace education at its finest. The staff respect,love, trust and challenge each other. Everyone does their best because everyone does their best. We see and believe in the goodness of others and work to help the children see it in themselves and others. Pat and Larry Schaefer's founding vision included the vision for peaceful people living in a healthy community. It's not that we never disagree. It's that when we do we also know we only have the best interest of the children in mind. I feel very fortunate to live and work in such a place and raise my child in this community. Thanks to all my former students for being my teacher and to their parents for the necessary trust to do this important work.Thank you to all who have shaped LCS! |
| 10/24/2009 | parent | I look back on my experience at LCS with immense gratitude. It is a community based on a pure love and appreciation for learning. I had no idea how lucky I was at the time, but I certainly do now. |
| 10/23/2009 | parent | My teachers from LCS were some of the best I've ever had; they helped me engage with what I was learning and to remain calm about trying new things. Even if you don't understand someone right away, the teachers at LCS will stand by you patiently and grapple with it alongside you. |
| 10/23/2009 | parent | Lake Country has soul. The staff, board, parents, and children are supportive and respectful of each other. It is a wonderful learning environment. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | The Montessori Method is the infallible way to begin childhood education. Lake Country helps nurture the students by utilizing this method. |
| 10/22/2009 | student | Lake Country School, as the only Montessori K-9 i know of, was a no-brainer, wonderful teachers, fourth, fifth and sixth graders in each class creates a wonderful mentor/mentee system. If my school were to win this award, it would help many students with paying tuition as it has helped me. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | Lake Country interprets and executes the Montessori method impeccably! The children who come from this school and community emerge with a joyful self-confidence and love of learning I have never seen coming from any other school. Lake Country is so much more than just a school that teaches the 3 Rs, it's a community that guides the whole child... You can't ask for more! |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | Lake Country School provided my children with an insatiable apetite to learn and grow. The persue understand without fear. They dream of why to satisfy their curious minds. They see barriers and challanges to be overcome not excuses to stop. The value of the individual child is stressed at Lake Country School. The staff makes sure that respect and responsibility and character are well developed aspects of life. I cannot say thank you enough to the wonderful staff and the caring community that made such a difference in the life of our children. If you are searching for a wonderful place to see your child come alive as a learner try Lake Country School. |
| 10/22/2009 | student | I have never been around more motivated, caring teachers than at Lake Country. From school trips to Colorado for archaelogical digs to feeding the llama on the school farm in Wisconsin to writing a 40 page 'cosmic autobiography' in sixth grade, this school shows kids how much there is to life! |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | LCS is a model of what schools, and even larger communities, should aim to be: a caring community where a love of learning and the capacities of individual students flourish, where children and young teens gain skills and awareness of issues and values that prepare them for independence and responsibility, and where a successful balance is actually achieved in furthering the interests of individual, community, and the wider environment. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | It is a community for both parents and kids and it is a child centered school. |
| 10/22/2009 | other | The world would be a much better place if every child were entrusted to the staff of Lake Country School. Their boundless enthusiasm and commitment to children is astounding. I was lucky enough to spend 8 years in this wonderful place and it is my greatest hope that my own children will get to do the same. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | Young people attending Lake Country learn how to be a part of a community and are given a life long love for learning. It produces amazing people and my friends from my time there are still among my closest. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | The teachers are fabulous - they support all children in their academic and social growth. |
| 10/22/2009 | student | Of course the education is great, especially with the small classes and the thoughtfulness of all the teachers. What sets Lake Country apart is how it fosters personal relationships between students, teachers, and families, bringing together a wide range of people from across Minneapolis and the surrounding area. |
| 10/22/2009 | student | It was fantastic to grow up in an enrhusiastic community that really fostered student learning. I have no doubt that it played a significant role in making me fall in love with learning from the start. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | What a rich and rewarding experience to spend time observing what Lake Country School is all about. The learning environment is one that encourages children to self-directed activities, For example, I found it fascinating that when children went to the bookshelves in classrooms--that included a wide scope of subject matter--they would select books about the universe; different cultures; and anything from which they could 'learn', (nothing for just entertainment), and this was 'their choice'. Also, the respect and regard they had for each other during interaction with their peers was absolutely beautiful to watch. How refreshing and heartwarming to know that children are being schooled not just in the academics, but also in the qualities that encompass what the individual as a whole should be----what a wonderful society we would be if all schools incorporated the Lake Country School method of teaching our most precious natural resources! Congratulations to the Teachers and Staff for inspiring children to be all they can be and for caring about nature, the environment, and all the peoples of our world. |
| 10/22/2009 | parent | LCS was an extraordinary place for all three of our children to start their school experience. The teachers are the ones who made all the difference. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | Both of our kids attended from Kindergarten through 8th grade. They received an outstanding academic start to their lives, but more important, graduated with people skills, personal confidence and the love of learning which has sustained them in and throughout their adult lives. Lake Country School was a key element in the 'village' that we cherished as we raised our children. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | Lake Country taught our daughter to respect her surroundings, her classmates, her teachers, other adults, and herself. She left the school prepared for high school and now is thriving in college. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | My children learned about themselves and the world in a respectful and caring environment. They were encouraged to develop intellectually, physically, emotionally and morally. They left very well prepared for their rigorous high school program and now one is in college at a highly selective school. Lake Country helps build solid citizens, compassionate humans and inquiring minds! |
| 10/21/2009 | other | committed faculty; engaed and motivated kids; supportive parents and friends |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | My child went to Lake Country from 3rd grade through 8th. The commitment to academics is incredible, but that's not the main reason I love Lake Country. Being one of the founding Montessori schools in the country, Lake Country has a certain commitment to other important life lessons for our young people. They create an incredible little community with the children there. They learn to help and support one another and to become better community members. That is something that is often not present in America. And Lake Country aims to change that and is doing an incredible job. |
| 10/21/2009 | other | Great school. I had four children there and now three grandchildren. A very caring and nuturing environment. Children learn at their own pace and visit the world through the materials offered. Also offered in the learning program is The Land School, a real working farm where students live and work exposing them to the land. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | The land school (aka farm) as part of the LCS urban program, provided extraordinary learning opportunities for both of my daughters |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | Lake Country nurtures a love of learning in every child. The committed teachers gracefully integrate kids into respectful relationship with community no matter what their age. My boys received an excellent education, grew life long friedships, and are confidence in both academic and social arenas thanks to an extraordinary range of opportunities while at Lake Country School. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | It is a GREAT Montessori school with the best teachers and staff in the world |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | LCS has amazing teachers, pedagogy,and caring nurturing environment. All 4 of our children, as well as my husband and me as parents, were able to learn and grow academically and emotionally and be empowered to be a responsible, caring human beings and leaders. The Land School adds to the unique, hands on experience of the school. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | Teachers respect and foster students' curiosity, autonomy, self-direction and self-control, empathy and stewardship of the school, the local environment, and the world. Kids excel not only in learning but in life. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | I really enjoyed my 3 years at Lake Country. It was a great experience that really helped me grow up into not only high school student I am now, but also the person I am. It's very based around community and leadership. It was an all around good experience that I wouldn't chance a bit. The only thing bad I have to say is the size, about 25 or so per grade is extremely small. Now if you like close comfort this is definitely the perfect school for you. I certainly enjoyed it and all the things they work for and are about. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | Lake Country is a child-centered Montessori school that builds self-reliance and confidence. |
| 10/21/2009 | parent | It has a holistic approach to life and learning , based on the principles of Dr. Montessori. My children continue their love of learning, because they were nutured by LCS. Thank you Pat and Larry and all that have followed. |
| 10/8/2009 | parent | Children learn to work together and to respect each other. |
| 10/7/2009 | parent | Excellent education that fosters love and learning and diversity not only in the student body but in the styles of learning |
| 10/6/2009 | parent | The Montessori program is amazing. The teachers and faculty are so dedicated to the students and the school encompasses and promotes peace, love and unity for all. |
| 10/6/2009 | parent | LCS really nurtures the independent and cooperative mind and love for study, work, and creative play. I have never seen any school like this. |
| 10/6/2009 | parent | From 3 years old through Jr. High children are taught to love and respect each other, their community and the earth. The Land school provides a unique opportunity to learn about food and how to use our land to grow and nourish a community. |
| 10/6/2009 | parent | The children are respectful, learn real life lessons. |
| 10/6/2009 | other | Lake Country School treats all children with respect and inspires curiosity and love of learning. |
| 9/18/2009 | teacher | Lake Country School has the best students and the best parents ever! |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | Lake Country School is a superb Montessori program. The Junior High, the Land School, the diversity of the student and parent community, the training and commitment of the teaching staff are some of the highlights, but the list could go on and on! |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | Lake Country School loves and respects children, and the Montessori method supports children's learning styles at all developmental levels. As a result, the graduates of Lake Country School are well grounded, enthusiastic learners ready to live productive lives. |
| 9/17/2009 | teacher | This is an extraordinary school community with an awesome sense of love and respect for children. It is just 33 years old, founded in 1976, but has an international reputation for excellence in Montessori Education. Staff tend to stay for many years as it is a rewarding experience to work in this environment where children love to work and play together, modelled by a group of teachers who value the same and make it a point to do just that. I have been teaching at LCS since 1977 and have taught many children of children I taught in the earlier years. Some of those early students are now Montessori teachers at Lake Country. This is an AWESOME Community! |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | My kids love school and empowered by the skills they've learned, the hands-on experiences they've had, and the trust and respect they've been shown. I love the commitment of the staff, the strong community spirit, and the passion with which kids and adults alike approach their work. Plus, it is a beautiful place to be! |
| 9/16/2009 | parent | LCS knows there are no two kids alike, so presents everything multiple ways for multiple learning styles. My kids went on to other schools well prepared for whatever was required of them. |
| 9/16/2009 | parent | Lake Country School loves and respects children, and the Montessori method supports children's learning styles at all developmental levels. As a result, the graduates of Lake Country School are well grounded, enthusiastic learners ready to live productive lives. |
| 9/16/2009 | parent | I so love this school because I have the pleasure of watching students grow up from three years old to become Montessori guides right beside me. |
| 9/16/2009 | parent | Wonderful, nurturing environment for my children. LCS is a great community encouraging academic performance while developing a child's awareness of aesthetics and the world around them. Love this school! |
