In Memoriam: Jeannine Schmid (1931-2003)

Montessori Life, Winter 2004

Dr. Jeannine Lillian Schmid passed away on November 17, 2003, after a courageous 3-year battle with cancer.

Jeannine led a life of service to the community that began in high school, when she became interested in a religious life. She joined a new order known as the Glenmary Sisters. Their mission was to bring the faith to the residents living in the rural area of the mountains of Eastern USA. She served there for 20 years, during which time she attained an AIMS/AMI Montessori teacher certification (Greenwich, 1963) and a master's degree in Theology.

Soon after leaving the order of Glenmary Sisters, Jcannine established her first school, the Monlessori Center Room, a nonprofit organization in Cincinnati, OH, which is still in operation. Other achievements include being named one of 10 lop women of the year by the city of Cincinnati, being invited by President Nixon to attend the 1970 White House Conference on Children, attaining a PhD in Child Development from Purdue University, and authoring two books: Religion, Montessori, and the Home (New York: Benziger, 1970), and Nurturing Your Child's Spirit (Loveland, OH: Treehaus Communications, 1998), still in publication today.

In 1987 she moved to CA to teach child development at Cal Poly. It was here that she met Alfred Barry Olson, her future husband, and Laura C. Lehmann, her friend and business partner. In 1981 they started The Laureate Private School, which is the fruition of their friendship/partnership. In 1994 a new facility for the school was built just off of O'Connor Road; it serves children from toddlers through eighth grade. The Laureate Private School stands as a tribute to Jeannine's dedication to and love for working with children. During her work with the school she has enriched the lives of thousands of children and families. Jeannine retired from active involvement in the school in 1998 to pursue her favorite pastimes: gardening, playing bridge, and traveling.

Donations in her honor may be made to the nonprofit Laureate Fund, 880 Laureate Lane, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. Condolences may be sent to her husband: Barry Olson, 1431 Sierra Drive, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420.