ABOUT US
The Board of Directors
- Nick Brennfleck, President
- Richard Sikkel
- Irene Park
- Nancy Gottfried
- William Fife
-Seung Sinj Lee
Brilliant Star is a non-profit school governed by a Board of Directors. The primary functions of the Board are
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to establish the school’s institutional mission and define the fundamental objectives and core values;
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to establish policies under which the school will operate;
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to select a school leader who will translate the school’s mission and objectives into day-to-day operations;
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to oversee the on-going operation of the school within board policy and government regulations, and
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to look to the future and plan for long-term institutional growth and development.
Our History
Brilliant Star Montessori School opened in January 2000, as a result of a grassroots effort by parents interested in providing the highest quality education for their young children. The school was formed as a non-profit organization and is administered by a Board of Directors.
For the first year and a half, the school operated out of the Cabrera Center. In June 2001, we were granted an acre of public land on Navy Hill, and the school has been on this beautiful site since then. We look forward to continued growth in the coming years.
Our Vision
Brilliant Star has an ambitious long-range vision. Our goal is to not only be a truly world-class school, but to become a model for educational excellence, character training, and family partnership. Students at Brilliant Star have the opportunity to participate in an internationally renowned curriculum.
Based on the unique character of the school and its curriculum, enrollment has steadily grown and we have extended the school through the elementary grades. To ensure the educational leadership needed to realize our dreams, the school is dedicated to the pedagogical approach defined by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), a widely recognized and respected organization that certifies Montessori schools and teachers worldwide.
Today the sense of transformation vibrates through the campus; evidence of the commitment Brilliant Star has to create something of lasting value for our children and the Saipan community.
Vision Statement
The activities of any school take place in an environment that is imbued with a particular vision of the world, the family, the child, the parent, the teacher, and the role of education. Our vision emphasizes that the ultimate goal of education is not only the advancement of the individual, but more importantly the betterment of humanity. Universal peace and unity are the inevitable goals towards which we strive.
• The Family is the bedrock of human society. The peace and unity of society is dependent upon the peace and unity of the family.
• The Child is the promise and guarantee of the future. Children bear the seeds of the character of future society and are in need of guidance and training.
• The Parent is the primary educator of the child. Parents exercise indispensable influence through the home environment they consciously create.
• The Teacher is a model and a guide. The role of the teacher is to bring forth from the child whatever perfections and capacities are within, assisting the child to reach his/her highest level of achievement.
• Education is the indispensable foundation of all human excellence. Education is crucial to the realization of true human potential and to enable the individual to render service to the world of humanity.
Our Mission
The mission of Brilliant Star is to provide an environment that will help children develop four key qualities:
• Global Understanding. We recognize that the world of the 21st century is one of increasing interdependence among peoples and nations of the world. Our children will be comfortable as “world citizens”, with a global perspective and understanding of issues. They will be free from prejudices of race, national origin, ethnicity, language, economic status and religion. They will recognize the equality of the sexes, and will celebrate the diversity of the world’s peoples and cultures. Our children will be promoters of unity.
• Service to Humanity. We recognize that meaning and happiness come from selfless service to others. Our children will strive to find ways to serve others – their families, their communities, and humanity as a whole.
• Exemplary Character. We recognize that ultimately, the strength of one’s character is the essence of one’s self. Character is that set of virtues that are developed in an individual. Our children will develop, foremost amongst their virtues, truthfulness, trustworthiness, kindness, courtesy, compassion, confidence, joyfulness and humility. They will be emotionally and spiritually balanced individuals.
• Creative Minds. The creative mind is one that can bring knowledge to bear on new situations and challenges. To this end, our children will be well versed in the branches of knowledge, with emphasis on mathematics, literature, science, history and arts. They will learn to independently investigate reality, to seek intelligently, to discover things for themselves, and to depend upon their own reason and judgment. They will practice applying this body of knowledge and this set of skills to the challenges around them, and to use their minds as agents of meaningful change in their communities.