Alumni News

Sarah Bodley, Class of 1993

August 24th, 2013

I attended Litchfield Montessori School from 1986-1993. Following my time at LMS, I attended Washington Montessori, Litchfield High School, and received a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase College in 2006. Currently, I am the General Manager of Doug Varone and Dancers, a modern dance company based in New York City. I live in Brooklyn, and am also a freelance performer with Nora Petroliunas' The Pharmacy Project, NOA Dance with Nelly van Bommel, and Alex|Xan: The Median Movement, among others. This past summer, I took a sabbatical to travel through Nova Scotia by bicycle, and hope to do much more bike touring in the future.

I have endless fond memories of my time at LMS. As the daughter of a teacher, I spent probably more time than average in that school, and remember learning a vast range of things, from long division (I still think of the test tubes) to how to put on lipstick (thanks, Melanie Walker from Texas who taught Upper El). Mostly, I remember the overall feeling of ownership over what I was learning; having the freedom to complete your work throughout the week at your own pace instilled a sense that my teachers trusted me to do what needed to be done; that sense of trust and ownership has proven immensely valuable in my working life, both as an employee and a boss. Montessori provides an environment that encourages curiosity and exploration, values which I've held on to throughout my life.

As I continue to explore and find my own path, I feel lucky to have such a strong foundation of encouragement to try new things, and learn by doing.