successful if their programmes meet the needs of adolescents.

Mr. Gordon Maas, who will assume his position as principal in August, told Hamilton Lions yesterday that adolescence was a "powerful age with extreme individual fluctuations, and middle school programmes should parallel the social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs of the age.'' He added, "The advent of the middle school is here. With this new structuring, the Montessori Academy will also move ahead with a middle school, utilising Montessori curricula, blended with educational standards and the needs of the students here.'' Mr. Maas, who has worked in the Montessori school system for the past 20 years, brings with him from Washington, DC, a vast amount of knowledge.

He also said middle school education has been a part of the Montessori experience in the United States for 15 years.

"Although interpretations vary according to the community in which the schools are located, they are rooted in a philosophy consistent with the needs of the adolescent,'' he said.

Mr. Maas also talked about the influence television has on children and the use of computers in schools.

"You cannot inject computers into the school without a plan as to how they will work with your curriculum and long range plans for growth.'' And television, Mr. Maas said, has both educational and entertainment value, "We must be very careful with our children watching too much TV.

"For the past 35 years, sociologists, educators, and psychologists have studied the effects of television on young children. Mainly, we hear about the violence and blatant commercialism, but, as an educator, I feel equally concerned about the act of watching too much TV, and not just the content.'' He added that no other experience in a child's life permits quite so much intake while demanding so little outflow.

MONTESSORI MAN -- Mr. Gordon Maas