At The New Century School, with its emphasis on multilingualism, employing educators who are native speakers of a given language is critical for student success in achieving proficiency. This is not only important for measurable academic progress, it provides an undeniably special boon—TNCS becomes the setting for its own kind of rotating artist-in-residence program. This means that the artists/educators get the opportunity to experience being an educator in the United States, while TNCS students get the opportunity to learn from and with these visiting friends who bring their culture, language, and many special gifts to enhance the classroom. Federico Gauna Gonzalez embodies this beautiful synergy.

Meet “Mr Federico”

Mr. Federico wears many hats at TNCS. Originally hired as the art teacher, he now teaches art and PE to kindergarten through 8th grade students as well as Spanish to K through 4th-graders, working alongside Profé J, who teaches the 6th to 8th graders. He also helps out with aftercare.

Portrait of a Sculptor

“I’ve been doing art since I can remember.”

Mr. Federico was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but he grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay. His relationship with wire sculpture started early—at around 8 or 10 years old, an art teacher gave him a thin piece of wire during an after-school class. That moment so long ago shaped his artistic practice. He has been working with wire ever since, although he soon hopes to incorporate other materials into his sculptures.

His educational journey was exploratory and unconventional. In Uruguay, high school students specialize in their final 2 years, and Mr. Federico chose architecture. When he started university, he pursued video game design for a year and a half before realizing he wanted something closer to his wire sculpture practice. He switched to industrial design for another year and a half, but he still felt drawn to something more aligned with his artistic vision. That’s when he applied to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) here in Baltimore for a master’s in Fine Arts in sculpture. Remarkably—and surely a testament to Mr. Federico’s skill—MICA accepted him for a master’s degree without having completed a bachelor’s, recognizing his 3 years of diverse coursework as valuable preparation (and eager to see more of those wire sculptures).

After graduating from MICA, Mr. Federico was granted a 1-year work permit that aligned perfectly with the school year, allowing him to join TNCS. When his permit expires, he plans to return to Uruguay before pursuing another master’s degree in Europe, this time in textiles. Although this may seem like a departure from sculpture, Sr. Fedé sees it as an evolution: he’ll translate what he learns about textiles into his wire sculpture work. He also plans to continue being an educator in some fashion, having taken very naturally to this avocation.

And, with that, let’s  go inside the TNCS classroom with Mr. Federico!

Teaching in Color

Mr. Federico’s day is busy and action packed. Friday’s schedule, in particular, illustrates the breadth of his responsibilities. He begins with kindergarten Spanish at 10:55, followed by planning time, then 1st to 4th grade Spanish, K- to 4th-grade art, 6th- to 8th-grade art, and finally ECAs . . . you guessed it—featuring art! It’s a packed day that spans subjects and age groups, but he describes it as “a pretty fun day.”

Art Class

Teaching art across such a wide age range requires creativity and flexibility. For kindergarten through 4th grade, a large group with varying attention spans, Mr. Federico designs one-class assignments that balance structure with creative freedom. Recently, he gave these younger students a black-and-white version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night to color however they wanted. When he showed them the original afterward, some had replicated Van Gogh’s palette while others had created entirely new interpretations. His next project will follow the same format, using a Picasso cubist painting, but this time, he won’t show them the finished product so they are nudged to experiment with their own colors and visions.

For the older students, he is about to deliver on a much-anticipated project: slime-making. While the students wanted to simply mix glue and detergent, Mr. Federico structured the activity with proper supplies, including glue, activator, food coloring, Styrofoam beads, and containers to take their creations home, transforming a quick craft into a more thoughtful, complete project.

Indeed, his assignments are by and large products of his own imagination, a philosophy born out of remembering what it was like to be the young student stuck at a desk with a less-than-engaging task before him. He wants his students to instead be inspired, challenged, and to actually enjoy what they’re doing in class. For example, one of his smaller assignments involved puncturing holes with a pencil into a foam card to form a perforated picture or pattern. What kid wouldn’t gravitate to that assignment—sanctioned pencil punching?! The results speak for themselves.

Another involved “needlepointing” with yarn to make a picture of their own design. These kinds of structured yet unstructured activities are just what many kids need some days. They get to be productive, yet mostly unconstrained.

He adapts these types of assignments for his younger students such as be giving them more “size-appropriate” materials to work with.

But the cardboard chair project stands out as one of Mr. Federico’s most ambitious undertakings. Working in groups, the older students had to design and build a functional, full-sized cardboard chair: “Project X,” as they insisted on dubbing it. The project required sketches, a small prototype, and then the actual construction. Mr. Federico provided guidance on the properties of corrugated cardboard, such as how positioning it vertically makes it much stronger than laying it flat, but the students had to figure out the engineering themselves. Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Callahan, helped serve on the “jury” at the end. All four teams succeeded in creating chairs that could support one team member’s weight. For extra points, Mr. Federico sat on each one, and remarkably, all four held. He brought snacks from Argentina for all teams, with the winning team receiving the “best” treats, alfajores. These shortbread-type sandwich cookies are filled with dulce de leche and covered in chocolate or rolled in coconut or dusted with powder sugar. The chair that won its team the delicious alfajores is shown in the last two photos. It clearly “stands on its own.”

The assignment came from a first-level art class he observed during his teaching practicum at MICA, proving that even introductory college-level projects can work with younger students when properly adapted. Likewise, Mr. Federico has successfully incorporated his wire sculpture practice into his teaching. He taught the middle schoolers how to make the little wire figures that may be his hallmark. His stickmen all have spiral heads, which is compelling in so many ways. Looking at them, you can’t help but feel that headspace.

In some of his sculptures, he attaches them in intricate ways to become something else entirely. (You’ll soon see.)

While art is obviously his go-to choice of subjects to teach, Mr. Federico has come to appreciate his PE classes almost as much.

Physical Education

Mr. Federico’s camp counselor experience from high school in Uruguay prepared him well for PE duties. For several years, he worked as a camp counselor, learning how to keep large groups of children entertained and active over extended periods.

So, at TNCS, with kindergarten through 4th grade, he leads games like various forms of tag and red light, green light, although his version naturally includes creative variations like “pink light” where students must dance while walking. When the playground isn’t covered in snow, he calls out colors and students race to touch something of that color. The activities focus on movement, fun, and quick engagement. (As well as attending to visual cues—he is an artist after all.)

Middle schoolers, predictably, prefer competitive games like dodgeball or basketball, and Mr. Federico has learned to meet them where their interests lie. In fact, he joins in, much to their delight. (Just watch him walk across the TNCS campus and try to count the number of high fives and hand clasps that come his way.)

Spanish Class

“I think it’s very important, especially at a young age, to learn a lot of languages. At this age they’re like sponges and they absorb everything they learn.”

Spanish is Mr. Federico newest teaching responsibility. Although teaching Spanish per se is new to him, he was able to step right in and pick up the curriculum where the previous instructor left off. Many of the activities naturally incorporate art, such as coloring, connecting colors to names, and creating visual memory aids. Some of these types of activities he created himself, seeing how his students seemed to get the most out of them. Currently, for instance, 1st through 4th graders are learning about fruits and vegetables. They draw an example on small cards, Mr. Federico writes the names, and they play matching games to reinforce vocabulary.

Teaching kindergarteners Spanish is particularly new, as Profé J previously handled that group. Mr. Federico uses the same curriculum but simplifies the assignments, focusing more on writing fundamentals. He follows Profé J’s model of using worksheets with words to trace and repeat, incorporating seasonal themes.

Embracing the TNCS Philosophy

The approach to education at TNCS differs from what Mr. Federico experienced in Uruguay, and he appreciates this difference. The philosophy of providing structure and guidance while allowing students to explore and problem-solve independently resonates with his teaching style. The cardboard chair project exemplified this perfectly: he explained the properties of the materials and established parameters, but the students had to engineer their own solutions. He believes this approach leads to deeper learning.

The school’s multilingual curriculum also appeals to him. In Uruguay, he learned English in primary school (equivalent to 1st–6th grade) and added Portuguese in high school. He understands the value of language acquisition at a young age when children are best equipped to absorb information. The importance of multilingualism, especially when introduced early, aligns with his own educational experience and the interconnected world he navigates as an international artist.

The Artist in Baltimore and Beyond

Of course, as a bona fide fine artist Mr. Federico’s work extends beyond the classroom. He currently has sculptures displayed at the Winkel Gallery, just a block away from the school. On weekends, he can be found in Fells Point coffee shops with his wire, creating his sculptures in public spaces. Sometimes passersby ask about his work, especially when he brings his larger pieces, which can be several feet tall.

He also enjoys leaving his stickmen around Baltimore like Easter eggs for people to discover. He plans to do the same in New York during an upcoming visit. Mr. Federico also made connections with Baltimore’s existing wire sculpture community, having met the artist responsible for the clever and unexpected sculptures that hang from traffic light wires around the city. That artist is also a MICA alum.

Federico’s relationship with Baltimore evolved over time. When he first arrived and lived near MICA, he experienced the “MICA bubble”—the campus felt safe and welcoming, but stepping one block away revealed less inviting neighborhoods. After moving to the Inner Harbor, his perspective shifted. Now he walks to school every day along the water, passing boats and enjoying the waterfront. Discovering Fells Point particularly enhanced his experience. The neighborhood’s coffee shops became his creative spaces, places where he could work on his wire sculptures surrounded by the gentle hum of other people focused on their own projects, free from the distractions of home.

Over time, Baltimore grew on him. What started as a temporary stop for graduate school became a city he genuinely appreciates.

Looking Forward

Mr. Federico future unfolds in stages, each building on the last. After the school year ends, he’ll travel to Vietnam to visit a friend, potentially staying longer to pursue an artist residency in a place where the lower cost of living would allow him to focus entirely on his work without distractions.

In March, he’ll take up a 3-week artist residency in France, living in a château, devoted entirely to creating art. He plans to return to Uruguay before pursuing his textile master’s degree in Europe. Thanks to his grandfather, he holds a Spanish visa that allows him to study for free at many European institutions, potentially opening a path to living and creating there long-term.

He says teaching will likely remain part of his life, whether in Uruguay or Europe. He envisions working with older students with whom he can fully explore complex artistic ideas alongside them.

TNCS Legacy

Before leaving, Mr. Federico plans to leave TNCS one of his sculptures. He imagines it displayed near the front desk area, a permanent and uplifting reminder of the difference he makes at TNCS. The same hands that teach children to color Picasso and build cardboard chairs also create fine art everywhere they can. Like his wire sculptures, Mr. Federico’s  art and his teaching are intertwined aspects of how he moves through and contributes to the world.

You can see one of Mr. Federico’s works now, hanging over the TNCS front desk.

Great news for families at The New Century School—a major new study has confirmed what many of us have long believed: Montessori education delivers real, measurable benefits for young learners. And those benefits keep growing over time.

While the study results came directly from “A national randomized controlled trial of the impact of public Montessori preschool at the end of kindergarten,” the photos of children occupied with Montessori materials came from TNCS primary classrooms!

Scientific Observation: Montessori Method

Before diving into the exciting new research, it’s worth remembering the remarkable origins of Montessori education. Dr. Maria Montessori began her work in 1907, experimenting first with atypically developing children and then with low-income children. Working collaboratively, she developed what she called “Scientific Pedagogy”—what we have come to know as the “Montessori Method.”

Her approach was revolutionary: classrooms that group children in 3-year age spans (e.g., 3 to 6), where older children serve as role models and help younger ones. The teacher provides individual and small-group lessons, but learning stems largely from freely chosen interactions with a curated set of hands-on materials. Dr. Montessori’s training conveyed not just lessons on how to present materials, but aimed to instill in teachers “a profound respect for the developmental process and the interconnectedness of all life.”

Today, Montessori education is the longest-running and most common “alternative” pedagogy, with more than 16,000 schools worldwide—including more than 600 public Montessori programs in the United States.

What Makes This Study Special?

This isn’t just another small-scale education study. Published in the prestigious journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in October 2025, this research followed 588 children across 24 public Montessori schools nationwide from age 3 through the end of kindergarten. Lead researcher Angeline Lillard, MD, from the University of Virginia and her team used the gold standard of educational research: randomized-controlled trials (RCTs), comparing children who attended Montessori schools with those who did not.

Impressive (but Not Surprising) Results

The researchers found that, by the end of kindergarten, Montessori-educated children showed significantly better outcomes in several key areas:

• Reading skills
• Executive function
• Short-term memory
• Social understanding

Let’s dig deeper!

Reading Skills: A Standout Finding

The reading results were particularly striking—with effect sizes approaching a third of a standard deviation. To put this in perspective, the researchers estimate that “a child in a traditional program who performed at the median in reading…would have performed at the 62nd percentile [at] a Montessori study school.”

This finding is especially significant because it has now been replicated across all four recent RCTs examining public Montessori preschool. As the researchers note, compared to children in other programs, “children who entered Montessori at PK3 read at a higher level not in PK3 or PK4, but at the end of kindergarten.”

Why does Montessori produce such strong reading outcomes? The researchers point to alignment with the science of reading: “The methods Montessori uses to teach reading—e.g., beginning with writing, emphasizing phonics—align with the science of reading, perhaps explaining this finding.”

This is particularly important given that reading performance is declining nationwide in U.S. children. Because early reading skill predicts later reading success, these kindergarten gains could have lasting implications for your child’s academic future.

Executive Function: Building Mental Control

Children in Montessori programs performed significantly better on the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) test, which measures executive function, what the researchers call “mental control” skills. These are the abilities that help children focus attention, plan ahead, manage tasks, and control impulses.

The researchers emphasize that “higher executive function predicts more positive outcomes in school…and beyond.” Studies have shown that strong executive function in childhood predicts better financial status, health outcomes, and even reduced criminal activity in adulthood.

A child at the median for executive function in a traditional program would perform at the 60th percentile if they had attended Montessori. Better executive function among Montessori students is consistently observed across research studies, likely because the Montessori approach inherently builds these skills through child-directed learning, concentration on chosen activities, and self-regulation.

Short-Term Memory: Foundation for Learning

Montessori students performed significantly better on Forward Digit Span tasks, demonstrating more developed short-term memory. The researchers explain that “memory span is a component of working memory, which also involves manipulating information held in mind.”

Working memory is crucial for learning—it’s what allows children to hold instructions in mind, follow multi-step directions, and process information. While the study also tested backward digit span (which requires manipulating information, not just holding it), results still favored Montessori children, suggesting broad memory benefits.

To understand the impact: a child at the median on memory tasks in a traditional program would reach the 62nd percentile with Montessori education.

Social Understanding: Reading Minds and Hearts

Perhaps one of the most heartwarming findings involves theory of mind, the ability to understand that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from one’s own. Montessori students performed significantly better on the Theory of Mind Scale, and “theory of mind…predicts social competence.”

This makes intuitive sense in Montessori classrooms, where children of different ages work together, older children mentor younger ones, and students must navigate a complex social environment with freedom and responsibility. A child at the 50th percentile in social understanding would move to the 59th percentile with Montessori education.

Math: Positive Trends

While math results showed smaller effects that just missed statistical significance, Montessori students still did somewhat better. A child at the median in math would be at the 57th percentile had they attended Montessori. Math advantages associated with Montessori preschool appear less consistently across studies than reading advantages, but this positive trend is encouraging.

Putting It All Together

As the researchers note, these intention-to-treat effect sizes “exceeded a fifth of a standard deviation, considered large in field-based school research.” Even more impressively, when looking only at children who actually attended Montessori (complier average causal effect analysis), the effect sizes were 77% to 123% larger—meaning even stronger benefits for children who remained in Montessori programs.

The researchers emphasize an important point: “Multiplied across hundreds of thousands of children, such impacts would be very meaningful.” These aren’t just statistics—they represent real advantages in reading, thinking, remembering, and understanding others that your children are developing every day at TNCS.

As the researchers note, these intention-to-treat effect sizes exceeded a fifth of a standard deviation, considered large in field-based school research.

Why Kindergarten Matters

Here’s what makes these findings particularly exciting: most preschool studies show benefits that disappear by kindergarten. This study found the opposite pattern. The researchers observed that “this contrasts sharply with the more typical finding, where impacts of preschool are observed immediately following the program but disappear by the end of kindergarten.”

The study examined why this might be happening, exploring several possibilities including Montessori’s unique approach to multi-age classrooms, peer learning, and child-directed education with hands-on materials.

What the Experts Say

The study’s significance section puts it beautifully: “Given the impact and lower cost, Montessori might be considered by districts implementing preschool programs for 3-year-olds.”

Dr. Lillard and her colleagues note that their findings are especially meaningful because this was a real-world study of “business-as-usual” Montessori programs, not specially designed research interventions. The 24 schools varied in their implementation but all met basic Montessori criteria.

For TNCS families, this research offers powerful validation of your educational choice. You’re not just following a philosophy—you’re investing in an approach backed by rigorous scientific evidence showing concrete benefits for your child’s cognitive development, reading skills, and social understanding.

The researchers emphasize that “Montessori is an alternative type of preschool program that bridges this dichotomy, offering academic material without whole class instruction, and with several features of play, including free choice, discovery, hands-on materials, and self-evaluation.”

As we navigate the important early years of education, it’s reassuring to know that the Montessori approach at schools like TNCS isn’t just working—it’s working better and longer than many alternatives.

It’s important to note that the study examined public Montessori schools that children entered lotteries to earn spots in. The results are extrapolatable, if not conservative by comparison, to private institutions.

Community is the single-most important value at The New Century School, and gratitude has a way of making a community feel even closer. Below are reflections from members of the TNCS community about what they are grateful for at TNCS.

We hope these words leave you feeling encouraged, connected, and reminded of the many people who help our children—and all of us—grow.

You see, “TNCS” is more than a name. It reflects our values:

💚 Thankful
🌱 Nurturing
🤝 Community-Oriented
✨ Supportive

To everyone who makes TNCS what it is, thank you. Your care, creativity, patience, and partnership are felt in countless ways, every day. Here’s to carrying this spirit of gratitude forward into 2026!

Josee Molavi—known to students as “Profé J”—holds multiple roles at The New Century School. She teaches Spanish to the 6th through 8th grade and the kindergarten class daily, English language arts and global studies to the 1st through 4th grade cohort, and music to K through 8th grade. “I get to see every student every day—all age groups,” she explains. “It’s amazing how I found a place that was looking for a music teacher, a Spanish teacher, and an English Language Arts and Global Studies teacher, because those are all of my passions. I’m very lucky to have found them here.”

Becoming a Teacher

Before coming to TNCS, Profé J worked as a freelancer doing “a variety of different creative things”—photography, videography, music, and journalism. She had also taught Spanish and music but not full-time until her arrival at TNCS. “I’ve always had this language tie-in to everything and a progressive mindset about everything—wanting to tell stories and engage people with the work I was doing and creativity,” she says. “Those are kind of my three big things: being creative, a progressive mindset, and storytelling through media.”

Teaching became the thread connecting all her interests, she explained: “With being a teacher, you get to tell stories, you get to be creative, and you get to help students understand the world around them and what it means to be a global citizen.”

What drew her to TNCS specifically were the small class sizes and the ability to tailor the curriculum both to her strengths and what her students’ needs. She also felt ready to leave the freelance life “for a little more routine and rootedness in a classroom and school community.”

Background

Profé J is from Maryland, growing up in Severna Park. She attended American University in Washington, DC, graduating in 2020 with a degree in political science and Spanish. “In school I was always just enthralled by so many things,” she explains. Her multidisciplinary background informs her teaching approach.

Now living just outside Baltimore, she spends a lot of time in the city. “I love Baltimore a lot. I think it’s a really special place with a lot of interesting history, and having a school here in Fells Point especially is really nice.”

Teaching Philosophy

Profé J’s teaching philosophy centers on understanding and supporting her students as whole people. “Feeding off their energy and bringing the best energy that I can to the class is my most important thing—just imparting in them confidence and good character and compassion for each other,” she says.

She’s found surprising commonalities across age groups: “The kindergarten brain is so different from the middle school brain, but they’re really all motivated by a want to do good and be understood. I think being understood is really important for kids. My role in creating a good environment is to stop and consider, ‘What do these children need today?’ Because they all just really want to be understood. That’s been really beautiful for me—the social-emotional part of being a teacher.” She finds this aspect of teaching energizing: “Being a teacher takes so much out of you, but I really look forward to coming into the classroom every day.”

English Language Arts and Global Studies

Of her three instructional roles, Profé J says the priority varies by day. “We have the winter concert coming up, so music is a big focus right now. Spanish was huge during Hispanic Heritage Month because we were preparing for that celebration. But top of mind most days is what I do first in the day, which is teaching the 1st through 4th grade how to read, write, and relate to the world and understand their place in it. I think that’s a really important and crucial role.” With different age groups in the room, she says she puts a lot of energy into making sure that class time is engaging for them.

The class meets in the back of the middle school classroom from 8:30 to 10:10 daily—about an hour and 40 minutes. The class began with books focused on perseverance and goal setting: The Magical Yet, which “encourages children to find their yet and what they can’t do yet,” and Stacey’s Extraordinary Words, “about perseverance and showing up and doing your best even when you face challenges.”

When weather permits, she takes her class outside or to Thames Street Park to read poetry, such as Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. They’ve also read books exploring cause and effect like Too Many Pumpkins and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, along with fables like “The Lion and the Mouse” and “The Tortoise and the Hare.” A novel study is potentially coming up soon.

Music

Profé J’s approach to music represents a departure from her own background. “I am a vocalist. I grew up in choir, and I know that has so many benefits.” With younger students, she does incorporate vocal study—”they’re singing and finding their voice and using pitch and rhythm in the vocals.” But with the middle school students, she took a different path. “Rather than asking them to do something that they didn’t want to do, I decided to approach it as: What instrument do you want to play? What do you want to do? How do you want to do this song?”

She teaches them parts by ear with visual references rather than focusing on sheet music and perfect singing; “how you fit into the group and contribute positively to the song is more important,” she explained. The approach allows students with leadership qualities to rise as section leaders and gives them choice, which, she says empowers that age group.

The middle school students will accompany the younger students at the winter concert. “This lets students show their stuff.”

She worked with the instruments already available at the school, like bucket drums, keyboards, and glockenspiels, and filled in some gaps with djembes, part of a drum kit, and hand drums. “I was excited to discover the glockenspiels,” she said. “They represent an opportunity for students who maybe don’t have much of a musical understanding because the letters are written on the keys. It sounds good—it’s different, and I love that.” Some students have also been keen to incorporate guitar, piano, and violin.

Spanish and the Language Lab

For Spanish instruction, Profé J teaches kindergarten in the language lab in building South. Middle school students are taught in their homeroom. Each class runs about 40 minutes.

TNCS Community

The staff has made a strong impression on her. “I walked in the first day without an idea of what to expect, and I was amazed by the diversity—I’ve never been in a work environment where so many people seemed to be speaking different languages and coming from different backgrounds.” Being half Iranian and speaking fluent Spanish, she can relate. “I carry with me a mixed and diverse sense of identity, and that’s reflected in the student body too. I think that’s just awesome.” She says the staff has been so supportive of her through the challenge of coming to a new school. “It has been a challenge finding my footing as a first-year teacher here and learning everybody and learning the school and also really doing as much as I can in each subject. But I hope that over time the music program can grow. This is just where we’re starting from, and I’m pleased with it so far.”

Her message to parents reflects what she heard at recent parent-teacher conferences: “The resounding idea from all of the parents is that they really want their children to be confident and doing well and encouraged and feeling good, and that’s my priority—that the students feel like they have a place where they’re supported and that we’re working with them to not only just help them excel in academics but help them develop as people.”She sees her multidisciplinary background as an asset:

Showing kids the multidisciplinary nature of what so many of them are—because so many of them are interested in music or math or science or English or Spanish or Chinese—working to their strengths, I think being a model and example of that is important for them.The through line is your passion and your compassion for others and your why and your what. I think kids look for that in the teacher. They are not looking for ‘When does this paper need to be completed?’ but ‘Why? Why do I care?’ And I think that comes from more than just ‘You are getting a grade.

Ultimately, Profé J brings to her multiple roles a deep commitment to helping students find their place and voice. “That’s me.”

Life Outside School

Profé J is an active musician with her own artist project. She describes her music as “soul with a pop and rock twist—very multi-genre. I call it alternative soul.” She leads a band of five and also sings in another project with a band of 10. They perform up and down the East Coast, particularly in Baltimore and DC, including at such famous places like the 9:30 Club. See where she’s playing next on her website: joseemolavi.com.

Her other passions include travel and cooking.

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