Inly School celebrated its 40th Anniversary in style on Saturday, May 11, 2013 with a Gala and Silent Auction held on the campus. The Meehan Family Artsbarn was transformed for the evening with sweeping sheets of gossamer and an elegant, pinterest-inspired chandelier crafted from colorful coffee filters. Inly’s logo was brightly projected onto the floor of the entrance for all to see while Inly alum, Bob Sommer (’09), played jazz with his trio on the stage. Over 250 guests strolled through the space and placed bids on the nearly 100 enticing auction items. The 40th Anniversary Co-Chairs, Muffy Antico and Maureen Sheehan, both agreed, “This year is a very special year for Inly and we wanted this celebration to reflect that.” Inly’s Auction Chair, Sarah Adamson, said, “The money we raise tonight will support Inly by helping to fund the academic, enrichment, and experiential programs that make our school such a special place.”
Overall, the evening was a huge success. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was local on-air broadcasting veteran, Scott Wahle. During dinner, Wahle welcomed Inly’s Head of School, Donna Milani Luther, to the stage to speak about the growth of the school over the past 40 years. Milani Luther noted how Inly has remained true to its core. “Over the years, while other educational philosophies have come and gone, Montessori continues to be relevant and amazingly effective,” she said, “Inly remains committed to combining the philosophies and methods of Dr. Maria Montessori with other compatible and innovative practices that help to inspire and nurture our children and prepare them for global citizenship.” Milani Luther invited Charles Terranova, founder of the Inly School (then called The Montessori Community School), to the stage to share stories of the school’s history. Terranova applauded Milani Luther for her work over the past 17 years and the entire audience echoed this sentiment with a standing ovation.
Donna Milani Luther announced that the school will continue the very successful speaker series launched in 2012 with a slight name-change to commemorate two former Inly teachers who passed away from cancer, Sue Omran and Brien Nelson. Going forward, the series will be known as the “Omran • Nelson Speaker Series.” This past year, the series welcomed well-known speakers including Deepak Chopra and Richard Louv to the South Shore. Thanks to a generous $10,000 donation from the Nelson family, the series will continue to bring speakers to Inly who will explore a range of parent education topics and philosophies.
Additionally, the school announced the launch of an Endowment Fund, which it hopes will help the school continue to grow and thrive over the next 40 years and beyond. In a video that aired on large screens during dinner, parents, students, teachers and alumni shared the many reasons they love Inly and their collective hope for it to continue to thrive in the future. “More people’s kids will go here someday,” one Inly lower elementary student remarked, “I know mine will.” Another middle school student noted, “Someday, I want people all over the world to know Inly and know it like it’s Harvard.”