May 4, 2009 First Lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to the Latin American Montessori Bilingual School in Washington, DC and participated in the school's Cinco de Mayo festivities. Mrs. Obama was enthusiatically greeted by Executive Board members, teachers, staff and students. She was presented with a special gift, entertained by dances and songs performed by the students and other area community organizations. Mrs. Obama spoke to these elementary school students about the importance of education and pursuing their dreams. At the conclusion of her remarks, the First Lady was mobbed with hugs by several children who could not contain their glee at this once in a lifetime opportunity. The smiles on their faces speak for themselves.
The Latin American Montessori Bilingual School(LAMB) is a charter school, free and open to all District of Columbia residents.
Students at LAMB work together in multi-age classrooms using a hands-on Montessori dual language immersion approach (English and Spanish). Half of LAMB's students come from Spanish language dominant families and half are from non-Spanish language dominant families. LAMB is the only dual-language Montessori public charter school in Washington, D.C., and one of just a handful in the United States.
LAMB students use Montessori materials that are developmentally appropriate, self-correcting, and ordered from simple to complex. Students will learn, master, and be able to apply academic content in language arts, mathematics, and science in two languages.
For more information on LAMB, visit their website, http://www.lambpcs.org/
