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DOWAGIAC — A Dowagiac native is coming home this week to share the latest updates on a school she founded in the Dominican Republic.

Sarah Ludwig-Ross will be in Dowagiac Friday to share updates on 3 Mariposas Montessori – the nonprofit school she founded in the Dominican Republic almost 16 years ago. Ludwig-Ross will be sharing information and pictures about 3MM from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 2 at the Dowagiac District Library.

A 1992 Dowagiac Union High School graduate who graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in education, Ludwig-Ross spent a semester studying in the Dominican Republic during undergraduate school and fell in love with the Dominican people, culture and climate. After teaching for three years in a Grand Rapids area school, she found herself back in the DR, initially teaching for an American nonprofit school, but then answering the call of her heart to provide a Montessori education to families without the means to pay.  

3MM has grown from just 16 preschool students – with Ludwig-Ross as the lone staff member – to a student body of 96 students ages 1-12 and a staff of 31. Of the students, 60 percent are on scholarship. All 31 staff are Dominican and Haitian, except for one Venezuelan and Ludwig-Ross. The mission of 3MM is to provide an excellent Montessori education to all children, regardless of their ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds. The school provides an environment in which children of diverse backgrounds learn and play together, acquiring skills and tools that will give those living in poverty opportunities to live a life different from the one into which they were born.  

For more information, contact Janet Ross at (574) 339-2460.