Peg Smith Scholarship Fund
Margaret “Peg” Cox Smith (1929-2015) was the tireless and passionate co-founder of Amherst Montessori School. When laying the foundation of our school she shared that the Montessori philosophy “makes learning available to children through all their senses and leaves modes of investigation open to them.” Peg believed in the Montessori method of learning to read and write at an earlier age and that a Montessori education “changes the texture and quality of what comes later.”
Her goal in founding Amherst Montessori School together with Marcia Matz (later Marcia Stein) in 1970 was to create a learning environment that children would find both enjoyable and deeply engaging. She wanted the children never to be bored and believed in their development of strong independence and self-confidence.
In honor of Peg’s determined spirit and years of commitment to Amherst Montessori School and the surrounding community, the Smith family and AMS have set up the Peg Smith Scholarship Fund. This fund is designed to provide Financial Aid to one or more families who would not otherwise be able to afford to send their children to our school. If you would like to make a contribution, please contact the school at 413-253-3101.
More about Peg
Peg Smith, as she was known to family and friends, was born in Brookline in 1929, daughter of Dr. Oscar F. Cox and Ethel M. (Ferguson) Cox, a native of Nova Scotia, Canada. She passed away peacefully on March 20, 2015.
In 1950, she married Francis D. Smith, a teacher and novelist and later the first dean of humanities and arts at Hampshire College. Peg attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1951, then trained at the Maria Montessori Institute in England. In 1970, she and Marcia Matz (later Marcia Stein) co-founded Amherst Montessori School. She served as the school's first director. In 1978, Peg earned an Ed.D. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After retiring from that position, she worked as an early childhood education consultant and counselor.
Her volunteer activities included teaching religion classes for children with disabilities at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Amherst, leading Great Books discussion groups, and working on issues of hunger and environmental education through St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Mystic, Connecticut, and Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst.