Walking into Orcas Montessori Preschool, visitors are met with the kind of energy that only active children can produce.

Each child in the classroom is busy working on a specific task, either in a group or individually – counting, sewing, learning letters, watering plants, or cleaning up a project that got a little messy.

“We want kids to tune into what they are doing, focus, and follow through,” director Teresa Chocano said.

Orcas Montessori is holding its biggest fundraiser of the year, the 15th Annual St. Patrick’s Auction, on Saturday, March 14, 6 p.m. at the Outlook Inn Victorian Room. Tickets are $25 and include gourmet appetizers and a glass of wine. The theme of this year’s auction is “Let’s go Green” and will feature planters made by local artists as well as other “useful and beautiful items.”

“We’ve granted a lot of scholarships this year, so we’re hoping for a good turn out at the auction,” Chocano said.

Founded in 1988, Orcas Montessori Pre-School offers a learning environment for preschoolers and kindergartners based on the educational method of Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician and a pioneer in childhood education. It is part of a community of schools across the globe that, for the past 100 years, have put into practice Montessori’s theory of human development.

The “prepared environment” is at the heart of the Montessori method. It includes a variety of materials, all of which are real (wood vs. plastic) and encourage the movement necessary to a child’s early development. The prepared environment consists of four main areas: language, mathematics, practical life, and sensorial. Music, art, science and geography are also integral parts of the curriculum.

The students of Orcas Montessori are always involved with hands-on activities. The younger kids usually work on tasks by themselves or in pairs while the older students participate in group activities. The school serves ages two and half to six, and Chocano says the older kids act as leaders for the class.

The school holds morning, afternoon and all day sessions with around 20 kids in attendance. The children are overseen by Chocano, Tom Rubottom, head guide, and Ina Drosu, assistant guide.

When not working inside, the kids are outside in the school’s large play area, which has tricycles, a sandbox, a playhouse, jungle gyms, planter boxes waiting to be filled, and several large apple trees. This fall the school sold apple pies made from those trees as a fundraiser.

Tickets are on sale now for the St. Patrick’s Auction at Darvill’s Book Store and Orcas Montessori. Childcare is available for an additional fee. Call 376-5350 for more information.