The Center for Teaching and Learning, a K-8 independent school in Edgecomb, will hold its annual fall open house for the public from 3:30-5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20. All members of the Midcoast community are cordially invited to tour the school, meet the faculty and ask questions about the program.

CTL opened its doors on Cross Point Road in 1990. The school is accredited through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and has tax-exempt status as a nonprofit. Tuition is approximately one-third that of other area independent schools, and generous tuition assistance is available. CTL serves up to 80 children in five groupings: K, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8.

The school is known locally and nationally for its award-winning teaching, rigorous and engaging curriculum, relationships of trust between faculty and parents, respect for children, and program that supports students, stretches them, and prepares them for life beyond CTL.

CTL is also a demonstration school, training teachers from across the United States and around the world through a combination of internships, seminars, published writing by the faculty, and professional DVD’s. CTL's philosophy and methods are an invitation to other educators to look with new eyes at what is possible for their schools and students.

CTL graduates include eight high school valedictorians and salutatorians. They excel at Lincoln Academy and other local secondary schools, as well as Cheverus, North Yarmouth Academy, Phillips Andover, Phillips Exeter, Putney, St. Paul’s, Walnut Hill and Waynflete.

So far, 99 percent of CTL alums have matriculated to colleges and universities, including Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Carleton, Colby, Cornell, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Hamilton, Harvard, Haverford, Kenyon, Mount Holyoke, Middlebury, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Chicago, and University of Maine at Orono’s Honors Program.

Factors that contribute to the success of CTL graduates include small class size (16-18 students, with 8-9 in kindergarten); an outstanding faculty of experienced professionals; a school community where every child is known, accepted and respected — where the social rule “You can’t say you can’t play” prevents bullying; a full-day kindergarten in which children feel secure, competent and challenged as they learn the essentials of writing, reading and math, and as they bond with a teacher and class; a library in every classroom, tens of thousands of books for students to choose among, and time to read them every day; a research-based math program and an award-winning Mathcounts team; an equipped science lab and hands-on learning in science and history, including field trips, guest experts, experiments, project-based research, and explorations in the arts; daily writing workshops in which students develop their own topics, write in many genres, and communicate their ideas to others; an exemplary art program taught by illustrator-artist Mary Beth Owens; weekly music (K-4) and drama (5-8) classes, superb performances and productions, and twice-weekly physical education on the field and in the gym; multicultural studies and celebrations throughout the school year; kid-friendly traditions and rituals that create a strong sense of school spirit; and a commitment to community service, especially the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and Boothbay Region Food Pantry.

A second open house is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2. In addition, CTL invites parents to attend one of its morning assemblies; call Scott MacDonald, Head of School, at 207-882-9706 to schedule a visit.

Directions from the Boothbay region: North on Route 27; a left turn onto Eddy Road after Chase & Associates, then a left onto Cross Point Road: CTL is located about a half mile down on the right. From Damariscotta or Wiscasset, take Route 1 to the Route 27 South junction, then drive south (toward Boothbay) and make a right turn onto Mason Road (one mile from Route 1); turn right onto Eddy Road; then take an almost immediate left onto Cross Point Road.