Old Field School in Setauket

The Montessori School of Old Field in Setauket traces its history back over 24 years, when it was first established by Bernardita McHugh in Amityville, NY. Back in 1997, Bernardita (Ditas) set up her first school, which started in a storage room of a local Synagogue. Then, under the name, Maria Montessori Children’s Center, the storage space was quickly converted into a classroom for a beginning enrollment of five preschool aged children.

Over the years, Ditas has enjoyed the support of her growing (and changing) family, now with her current husband, Shawn, and children Caterina, Alessandra, and Joshue, who all participate in the school endeavor. The Old Field School is located in the Marco Smith Building, owned by the Caroline Church of Brookhaven. Ditas points out this location and surrounding village as filled with American colonial history, and which was also an important site in winning the American Revolutionary War. She says the school itself is on “a lovely, quaint property, surrounded by ancient trees and is adjacent to a nature preserve, the Frank Melville Memorial Park..

For further information, contact: Bernardita McHugh, Director, Montessori School at Old Field,1 Dyke Road Setauket, NY 11773 www.montessorischoololdfield.org, Tel. 631-675-6757 Email: montessorischoolold-field@gmail.com