Peru RPCVs Dominick and Julie Maglio celebrate 20 years of their Montessori-type school



Peru RPCVs Dominick and Julie Maglio celebrate 20 years of their Montessori-type school

Wider Horizon celebrating its 20th anniversary Friday

DEBORAH BACON dbacon@hernandotoday.com

Published: Mar 11, 2003

SPRING HILL - Wider Horizon School will turn its grounds into an outdoor festival at 10:30 a.m. Friday when the Montessori-type school celebrates its 20th birthday.

Spring Hill was largely a wild landscape with its building boom just beginning when the school opened.

Today, the school stands in the middle of a suburban development.

Games, artwork and other events will highlight the festivities slated from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Parents, children and former graduates are expected to attend.

Nick Morana, long time Spring Hill activist and former head of the Spring Hill Civic Club, will be the keynote speaker.

"He's been here since the beginning and he helped build the community we're part of; he also has been helpful to the school," said Dominick Maglio, director of the school.

Wider Horizons opened its doors in 1983 on Howell Avenue in Brooksville, the brainchild of Maglio and his wife Julie, both former Peace Corps volunteers. "We'd opened schools in the jungles of Peru and we believed we could do the same thing here," he said.

Maglio said the school's major accomplishment has been "turning out some incredibly bright, self-motivated students over 20 years."

Today, Wider Horizons remains the only private non-sectarian school in the county.

"We do not have any public money or any religious community to help us financially," Maglio said. "It's quality education on a shoestring,"

Wider Horizons calls itself a college preparatory school with a Montessori tradition. The first six grades are taught using Montessori materials and methods that encourage independent learning by individual students. The curriculum also is individualized, Maglio said.

"Altogether, we have 160 children and 30 in the upper school, ninth through 12th grade," he said. "Many of our juniors and seniors are dually-enrolled in Pasco-Hernando Community College.

The school plans international field trips each year for students 14 years old and older. Last year, the Maglios returned to Peru with their students for 10 days.

After their stint in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s, the Maglios returned to the U.S. where he taught developmental psychology at Marywood College, at Penn State University, and worked in the Eckerd youth camp.

They came to Spring Hill first when Maglio worked as clinical psychologist at the Sumter Correctional Institution. He won his doctorate in psychology from Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

When this story was posted in December 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

---

December 10, 2004: This Week's Top Stories Dodd says Rumsfeld's answer was unacceptable 9 Dec RPCV Blake Willeford runs classic movie theatre 9 Dec RPCV says education is key to curbing AIDS 9 Dec RPCV Dannielle Tegeder opens exhibition 9 Dec Shalala 1st Woman In Touchdown Club 9 Dec "Today we have a new country" says Toledo 9 Dec DDN wins Investigative Reporting Award 8 Dec Celeste on Panel to study Colorado finances 8 Dec RPCV leads Rotary Club medical team to Togo 6 Dec Vasquez to speak at Hawaii, Wisconsin commencements 6 Dec Tom Murphy warns Pittsburgh on budget abyss 2 Dec Venezuela RPCV Martha Egan runs Pachamama imports 30 Nov more top stories...

---

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

Vote "Yes" on NPCA's bylaw changes Take our new poll. NPCA members begin voting this week on bylaw changes to streamline NPCA's Board of Directors. NPCA Chair Ken Hill, the President's Forum and other RPCVs endorse the changes. Mail in your ballot or vote online (after Dec 1), then see on how RPCVs are voting.

Charges possible in 1976 PCV slaying Congressman Norm Dicks has asked the U.S. attorney in Seattle to consider pursuing charges against Dennis Priven, the man accused of killing Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner on the South Pacific island of Tonga 28 years ago. Background on this story here and here.

Your vote makes a difference Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.

Read the stories and leave your comments.