Lamplighter selects Cordova-The Town for school Lamplighter selects Cordova-The Town for school Lamplighter School has selected a 5.6-acre parcel at Cordova-The Town as the site for the consolidation and relocation of its Montessori school, according to Ray Gill, president of Gill Properties. A contract was negotiated by Lamplighter School board member Danton Berube and Gill in April to purchase a wooded lot on Fay Road, one block south of Macon Road and A Street. Arrangements are underway to clear brush, install a driveway and build footings in preparation for the arrival in June of a 72,000-square-foot modular building. The temporary building will house the school until a permanent building can be erected. For more than 30 years, Lamplighter School has offered the Memphis community a Montessori educational program for students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. For the past two years, the Lamplighter School board has been searching for property to purchase in the eastern corridor to consolidate, relocate and expand to eventually include toddlers and middle school students. "The board of Lamplighter School believes Cordova-The Town is an ideal location for our new school because of its easy access to major highway links, its friendliness and its rural nature," Berube said. "We were particularly attracted to the communitys features including parks and outdoor public spaces where neighbors can gather and interact." Cordova-The Town is Gill Properties 150-acre community in the center of old Cordova. It eventually will include two lakes, 450 homes situated on lots of up to one acre and 300 apartments. A 120,000-square-foot business section in the town center will be centrally located in walking distance of the homes. Lamplighter School was founded in 1967 and has been housed in Whitehaven since 1971. Lamplighter also operated a satellite location in Germantown at Faith Presbyterian Church from 1992 to 1996. During the 1994-1995 school year, the board of directors began a search for a consolidation site for the school to purchase. Lamplighter students use multi-aged classrooms and hands-on manipulative materials to teach concepts in all curriculum areas: math, language arts, geography, science, history, French, art and music. The focus is on the whole child in a community rather than a competitive environment. Students are able to progress at their own pace, while adhering to high expectations. Problem solving and communication skills as well as academics are a major focus of the educational program. Assessment is conducted by teachers through observation, recording, achievement tests and student portfolios. During the past five years, Lamplighter School has received community and national recognition. In 1992, Lamplighter became the only Montessori member of the Memphis Association of Independent Schools. In 1994, Lamplighter was accredited with the American Montessori Society after being an affiliate school since 1967. Also in 1994, Lamplighter became the first Montessori School to be accredited with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.