Washington Montessori Public Charter School (WMPCS) is a non-profit, tuition-free alternative to traditional public schools with an annual budget of $3.5M. Located on 36 wooded acres in Washington, NC in the Inner Banks, WMPCS is 45 minutes east of Greenville, NC and East Carolina University. Since 2000, WMPCS has served students in Eastern North Carolina in the traditions and philosophy of Maria Montessori. The school is structured in customary Montessori levels with each level in its own building and serves 450 children from 5 surrounding counties in private pre-K Day School to 12th grade settings. In addition to the Montessori based curriculum and pedagogy, WMPCS also has a well-established music, before and after school, middle and high school athletics, community outreach, and service programs. WMPCS is committed to the development of the whole child, enabling him to draw upon all his gifts and reach his greatest potential. We encourage personal responsibility both socially and academically. Each child is allowed freedom of choice and is offered guidance in setting individual goals. Our mission is to inspire academic excellence; to nurture curiosity, creativity, and imagination, and to do so within an environment rich with warmth, kindness and respect. Each year the students engage in service learning and immersion trips. These experiences are just as important to the student’s development as the academic instruction received in the classrooms. Students are encouraged to start, manage, and operate small businesses in order to fund their immersion trips. WMPCS believes that students do not become successful by accident; they train in the classroom, on the field, and in the community to achieve their best. Leadership, entrepreneurialism, critical thinking, adaptability, sportsmanship, and striving to compete at one’s fullest potential are integral parts of the development of the whole child.