The Louisa Procter Early Childhood Education Center at The International School of Minnesota in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, U.S., officially opened on Tuesday, August 27, 2019. To mark the event, the school held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the presence of members of the school community as well as representatives from local businesses, SABIS^® Educational Systems, INC., and the mayor of Eden Prairie, Ron Case. 

“The entire ISM Early Childhood Education Center was totally renovated,” explained Gail Asche, Marketing & External Relations Manager at ISM.  “Essentially, the classrooms were taken back to the original brick and completely rebuilt. In addition, new rooms, including STEAM, gross motor, and a multi-purpose room, were created.  All rooms are furnished with modern furniture and accessories for children under 5, and all have circadian lighting that supports health and mood.” 

The new ISM Early Childhood center, which currently welcomes 30 students in Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten, was named in honor of Miss Louisa Procter, a pioneer in education and one of the two founders of the first school in what is now the global SABIS^® Network.  In 1886, Miss Procter, in defiance of all odds, societal norms, and external pressures, co-founded a school for girls in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Three years later, after much success, the school opened enrollment to boys in response to parents who wanted their sons to have access to the same, high-quality education that their daughters were getting. Miss Procter worked tirelessly at the school until the end of her life in 1907.  Her work shaped the lives of generations of students who used their education to make a difference in the world.  

“Over 134 years later, Miss Procter's passion for education, grit, and determination is reflected in schools throughout the SABIS^® Network and now particularly in ours, where her legacy will be forever preserved in our state-of-the-art Early Childhood Education Center,” commented Ms. Asche.