DOWAGIAC — Home for Sarah Ludwig-Ross is the Dominican Republic, where her school, 3 Mariposas Montessori, sits. However, coming back to Dowagiac, where she was born and raised, remains special.

On Thursday at the Dowagiac Rotary Club meeting, Ludwig-Ross shared information about her school to the Rotary Club. 

On Nov. 16, Ludwig-Ross’s school in the Dominican Republic celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

Ludwig-Ross, who studied elementary education, always thought she would be a teacher. At one point, she found herself in-between a rock and hard place after she left a secure job.

“The rock and the hard place was a great place to be,” Ludwig-Ross said. “At that time, I didn’t know it.”

She attended a conference back in the U.S. where Spike Lee was the presenter. He inspired her to take on a new passion. After her return to the Dominican Republic, she made the choice to open a Montessori. A Montessori teaches a child-centered educational approach.

When Ludwig-Ross started the school, its philosophy was based on the school’s name, 3 Mariposas Montessori. The three in the name represented children as the nuclei, and the school working to support them with teachers and their parents, Ludwig-Ross said.

The school serves a combination of children. About 60 percent of students come from a poverty-stricken community and attend on full scholarship, alongside families who pay a tuition for their children to attend.

“My belief in life is unless you get close to your differences and those that you are different from, we will not have world peace. We will not have understanding,” Ludwig-Ross said.

Ludwig-Ross did not know if the idea of combining students would work. When the school first opened, it started with 11 children. Today, the school serves 50.

The school has also grown to include a wider age range of students. When Ludwig-Ross had her own son, she observed him playing with other children at church. The interaction inspired Ludwig-Ross to start a classroom that served 1 to 3-year-olds. When her son turned 6, the school did not have an elementary program, so she added that too.

The Montessori also encourages parents to play active roles by volunteering in the garden, as snack reps or reading buddies.

Teachers also are the foundation of the school, Ludwig-Ross said. Currently, the school employs 17 paid staff, primarily from the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Throughout the school’s 10 years of operation, Ludwig-Ross has helped teachers go through formal Montessori training. Professional development has also been a focus, with the group taking a trip to Santo Domingo and touring other Montessori schools.

“It’s certainly not just me,” Ludwig-Ross said. “There’s a lot of people behind the scenes that have helped this school grow in so many ways.”

Ludwig-Ross listed her parents and the staff as a necessary part of the school’s growth throughout the years. To create a sustainable institution, she has made strides to have the school help be led by  Dominican and Haitian people.

The school’s food program has also evolved. In the beginning stages, only snacks were provided. Today, the school feeds 70 people and children daily. 

The changing continues. Recently, Ludwig-Ross purchased a 4,600-square foot piece of property that will allow students to have more room to be outside.

“Opening up this school has been the best thing I’ve ever done,” Ludwig-Ross said.