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Take one look at the Bristow Montessori School, and you will immediately see what all the buzz is about. From the incredible attention to detail to the sustainably-sound classroom supplies, it's clear that this school is not your average Montessori. Take an even closer look at the masterminds behind this state-of-the art private school, and you will uncover why this is not your typical, run-of-the-mill story.
Beginning their careers in Baltimore, Sameer and Murad were hungry for one thing: stability. And even still, amidst the financial stability that their investment banking jobs provided, an air for much more − a feeling to do much more − pumped through their veins. Surging with an excited expectancy to achieve the trail of dreams that paraded their thoughts, both men could not hold it in any longer.
“We’d have these daydream lunches,” begins Sameer, with an almost dream-like tone in his voice, giving me just a taste of how thrilling dialoguing about business ventures and financial fantasies was and still is for the two. “We’d ask ourselves one thing: ‘What are we going to do when we grow up?’” When we grow up: Interesting, coming from the two successful financiers whose lives appeared a place like no other to be set. Still, they wanted more − more for themselves, their families and their lives. “When we looked back on our careers, would we be proud of them?” pronounced Sameer.
Those daily daydream sessions, signaled promptly by that 11:30 phone call, would catapult them into the next chapter of their lives − something entirely unexpected. On a typical day at the office, Sameer received a phone call that he will never forget. “I got the call from Murad at 11:30 as I always did, thinking that it was our typical lunch,” he recalls. Instead, Sameer says that this call read something like this: “‘I resigned’ he tells me. I couldn’t believe it.”
The hours of daydreaming over lunch would now be put to the test. Would it sink, or would it float? “This window of opportunity to start something new came,” begins Sameer. “We were just starting our families, both had kids of our own, and we knew that we were just at the very end of that window. We had to move.” And what was this new venture that had both excited? Why, a Montessori school, of course. Imagine two business-savvy men, the look of Wall Street permeating from their tailored suits, approaching the county with an idea to start a Montessori school. Interesting picture, isn’t it? In fact, it was this background that solidified developments for the school.
Obtaining the zoning rights was not easy; and at that, the Ivy League alum dipped into their bag of business sense and changed the entire look of their community. “We had to convince the county and surrounding neighborhoods that this would be a critical node to Bristow Commons,” explains Sameer. Their financier upbringing would lead them to believe that adding a premiere private school would be the perfect addition to the community. And in fact, they were right. “It was the antithesis of smart growth,” begins Sameer. “…a sustainable community, with a balance of land use.” Not only would matters of sustainability play into land use, it will also take center stage into the construction of Bristow Montessori. Green philosophy is a way of living and breathing and learning for Bristow Montessori curriculum.
“We’re very much into recycling. We have our own organic garden in the playground where the students plant and take ownership of the development of each plant,” says Sameer. “Students plant tomato, basil, pumpkin, and squash.” Integrating the growing process − with even a compost tumbler to create fertilizer − as part of the curriculum, is simply one of the non-traditional factors that separate this school from others. This non-traditional way of looking at the learning process could only yield from two founders with non-traditional backgrounds.
“The reason we left our traditional jobs was to establish something non-traditional,” admits Sameer. Sameer’s confidence in Bristow Montessori stems from more than just smart business sense; his passion for Montessori curriculum comes from his own personal experience. “We are firm believers in Montessori because we went to Montessori,” says Sameer. “When I’m talking with parents, I’m talking as a Montessori parent and as a Montessori student.” Indeed, the founders of the newest addition to Northern Virginia’s education circuit are direct products of Montessori teaching and upbringing; and it has served them well. Not only do they hold the professional perspective and skill sets to serve its community with excellence, they connect with each family that walks through the pristine doors of BMS. In fact, both founders have trusted the Montessori curriculum to lay critical foundation for their very own children. “I know their concerns. As a parent of Montessori, I can address particular parent concerns. How? Because, I had them!”
Parents of BMS students can rest easy. Students at BMS are encouraged to explore their own curiosity; which uniquely creates an atmosphere where learning is simple and not an effort. “If we’ve allowed the students to not be able to distinguish learning from having fun, then we’ve succeeded,” confides Sameer. “We are in a unique opportunity to create a new culture from the ground up.”
This unique culture is one that breeds happy teachers and happy students leading healthy, meaningful lives. Could both gentlemen hailing from financier backgrounds look back at their careers and be proud? With the legacy of adding rich value to both Montessori families, as well as their own, the answer is undoubtedly yes.
LINDSEY WILLIAMS, the dynamic writer and artist, wears a number of hats. She is the Marketing Manager for Flavor Magazine, as well as the Account Manager for Maguire Media Group. When not working, she is painting, writing, and/or planning her next adventure. For questions or comments reach her directly at
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