Montessori School to Get More Space, More Students

Fayetteville Montessori School is about to get bigger, both in terms of its physical presence and its enrollment.

“I’m just out of space,” director Victoria Butler said with a smile.

The expansion project will add roughly 8,000 SF to the school, which currently consists of about 17,000 SF spread across several buildings. About 2,000 SF of the current space will be lost as a result of the new project.

Nabholz Construction has set an Aug. 1 target completion date that would allow an opening in conjunction with the beginning of the fall semester. FMS has a current enrollment of 290, and the new space will allow an additional 120 students.

The addition will be in the form of two triangular buildings — a one-story building that will connect to a two-story structure. The new buildings will house elementary students in four “spacious” classrooms, Butler said, and also feature an expanded kitchen.

Marlon Blackwell, whose two children attended FMS, is the architect on the project. Butler said she asked Blackwell for “a happening building that’s way cool” during their interview session.

The result is the two-building expansion that will be LEED-certified and have features like a “green” roof, rain garden, etc.

“It’s Marlon,” Butler said with another smile. “He just gets it.”

Butler said the project has a “soft cost” of about $2 million that does not include furnishings and/or equipment. Legacy National Bank of Springdale is handling the financing.

Butler helped establish FMS in 1974, and served as a classroom teacher, in addition to her other duties, until about five years ago. Asked why she’s making such a steep investment at this point in her career, she didn’t hesitate.

“It’s my passion,” Butler said.