Education & Retreat Center
The Sheila and Frank Magullion Education and Retreat Center is located on Riverbend’s satellite campus, less than one mile from our main campus on Eliot Street. This land, along with two residential homes, was gifted to Riverbend School in 2024, and it includes over 5.5 acres of landscaped lands, diverse flora, and woods. The Center and its surrounding properties enhance Riverbend’s existing outdoor education programs, provide a reflective space for symposia and events for educators, and will serve as an integral piece of Riverbend’s fellowship program for aspiring educators, strengthening the pipeline of certified Montessori teachers.
Outdoor Education
Our students love taking field trips throughout the year to our satellite campus on the Riverbend mini-bus. The Magullion Center on Pleasant Street is an inspiring location for exploration and adventure as students learn about the many plants and animals that live on this property. It’s a truly special place for group discussions, sketching, contemplation, and fun adventures. Students from grades K-8 enjoy fully integrated outdoor learning projects that not only feature science and nature, but also include history, the arts, math, mindfulness, and literacy curriculums.
Reflective Space
The grounds of the Magullion Center provide a wonderful reflective space for educators to gather. The meditative atmosphere of the property makes it the perfect gathering place for Montessori educators from the Boston Metrowest area and beyond. We will host workshops and retreats for Montessori teachers and administrators, allowing educators to share best practices, innovative strategies, and diverse perspectives.
Montessori Teacher Training Fellowship Program
The Riverbend Center for Montessori Excellence will soon be a hub of Montessori teacher training and professional development in Metrowest Boston. Located in scenic South Natick, the Center consists of two adjacent properties where future Montessori teachers will be trained and current educators will enjoy professional development workshops and retreats. Pending renovation completion of a home where trainees will live rent-free on a two-year rotating basis, the Montessori Teacher Training Fellowship Program will launch at the Riverbend Center as early as the spring of 2027.
The teacher training fellowship program will provide free housing and training to three teacher trainee fellows from traditionally underrepresented communities. In partnership with area community colleges, universities, and highly regarded Montessori teacher training organizations, Riverbend’s teacher trainee fellows will take part in the rigorous certification process while working as paid interns at nearby Riverbend School. They will receive invaluable mentorship from highly trained and experienced teachers at Riverbend. At the end of each two-year fellowship, the trainees will be fully certified, ready to become a lead teacher at a Montessori school.
Benefits of the Fellowship Program
Improve the pipeline of qualified Montessori teachers
Build community and support among teachers in training
Address housing and cost-of-living challenges that young professionals face in the Metrowest region
Bring enthusiastic, qualified teachers-in-training to Riverbend School
When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.
— Maria Montessori
About Sheila and Frank Magullion
Frank, originally from Dorchester, and Sheila, who was born in Taggerty, Australia, met in Europe before marrying and eventually settling in Natick. Frank, a World War II Army Air Corps veteran, later became the owner of Multiprint Inc. in Boston. Sheila, a passionate horticulturist, began her career at the Arnold Arboretum and later worked at the New England Wildflower Society in Framingham, where she discovered a deep blue variety of Lobelia now known as “Sheila’s Blue.” Married for over 50 years, Sheila and Frank dedicated much of their lives to supporting education and environmental stewardship, and Sheila specifically built an impressive horticultural legacy through her personal gardens and work with local conservation organizations.