A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Celebrations with children typically involve a party, cake and ice cream.   However, a local school decided to buck tradition with a more unique celebration.   Mount Dora's Montessori at Roseborough is utilizing a Donnelly Street storefront to recreate a "Glass Classroom" that was originally installed at an international expo in San Francisco in 1915.  The goal, then and now, was to demonstrate to the public that young children have a natural love of learning and capacity for independence.

Today through Saturday twenty-three young children, ranging in age from 2 1/2 to 6 years old, will celebrate the centennial of the glass classroom by learning inside the downtown storefront.  The public is invited to peer through the windows into their daily educational world.  The Mount Dora exhibition was the brainchild of Mikie Seabaugh-Alford, who has taught at the local Montessori school for 16 years.  According to Merry Hadden, the school's director, Seabaugh-Alford's goal was to celebrate the anniversary in a manner that would increase awareness of Montessori education, a method that centers on natural childhood development.

Montessori at Roseborough began in Mount Dora in 1994 on Clayton Street before moving to its present location on 5th Avenue.  Currently, the school provides programs from infancy through middle school that were founded on the principles of Dr. Maria Montessori's first school in 1907. 

Mount Dora's "Glass Classroom" exhibit can be found downtown on Donnelly Street, next to The Spice & Tea Exchange with hours between 9am-2pm through Saturday.  For more weekend events, visit the calendar at www.MountDoraBuzz.com/calendar.

NEW LIFE FORMS SPROUTED DOWNTOWN

Fresh, local produce has taken on a whole new meaning in Mount Dora.   Amid the throngs of daily visitors, new life has sprouted in the heart of downtown's historic district.  Crissy Stiles, owner of Barrel of Books & Games, just planted her version of a micro urban garden in front of her store on Fourth Avenue. Her goal is to add edible greenery to downtown's streetscape. In the coming weeks, the two elevated brick planters are expected to yield organic green beans, tomatoes, peppers and kale. Stiles hopes Mount Dora residents and visitors enjoy the garden while leaving the fruits of her labor on the vine until ripe. When her crop is ready, signage will indicate which vegetables are free for nibbling when strolling by.  

For a list of downtown's specialty stores visit http://www.mountdorabuzz.com/gifts--specialties.html and for daily fabulous finds throughout all of Mount Dora visit www.Facebook.com/ShopMountDora