Every year on October 13, the Ann Arbor Campus throws a party for a very special guest.
Dr. Pat Montgomery started Clonlara School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967. Today, Clonlara reaches learners and families around the world, but Pat has never gone far. She lives just down the road, joins the teachers for lunch now and then, and shows up for campus events. Her birthday visit, though, is a tradition all its own.
This year’s celebration was full of hand-drawn hearts, heartfelt thank-yous, and potatoes. So many potatoes.
A Building Dressed in Birthday Wishes
Before Pat arrived, students got to work. They covered the building in birthday messages and notes of appreciation, then drew potatoes on every window. They even sang her a song that started out as “Happy Birthday, Pat” and turned into “Happy Potato Day.”
Why potatoes? The tradition started about three years ago, when the campus team asked Pat what kind of cupcakes or cookies she’d like for her birthday. Her answer was neither. Pat isn’t one for sweets; she wanted a baked potato. The students took that and ran with it. This year, so many potatoes were dropped off that the campus had bags left over for potato soup the next day.
Every student had a favorite part. As one put it:
“I really liked the potatoes, also because I like bacon.” – An Ann Arbor Campus student
At Clonlara, celebrating someone means knowing the little things about them and celebrating people exactly as they are, right down to how they like their potato.
The youngest learners made something extra special: drawings just for Pat, filled with hearts, gems, smiling stick figures, and cheerful potato characters. One little artist delivered a card in person, a moment of quiet pride that said more than any speech could.
Lunch, a Song, and a Lot of Questions
At lunch, Pat settled in with a bowl of baked potato while students ate around her. There was no stage and no speech. One by one, students wandered over to say hello, thank her for creating Clonlara, or ask her a question, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” together.
Even the song took a little courage:
“I started the happy birthday song and thought no one would sing and I would be alone, but then they did.” – An Ann Arbor Campus student
One student wrote Pat a letter, and Kelley Brewer, Ann Arbor Campus Director, read it aloud on their behalf. Some thank-yous are easier to write than to say, and this one still found its way to her.
How often do students get to ask the founder of their school why it exists? Pat built Clonlara on the belief that curiosity deserves room to grow. Watching students turn to her with questions of their own, it was clear that belief is still very much alive.
For Kelley, who first came to the Ann Arbor Campus as a five-year-old, Pat has simply always been part of the family.
“When Pat comes in, she’s just another member of the community. The kids walk right up to her to say thank you or hi, and she talks to every one of them. That’s kind of beautiful in its own way.” Kelley Brewer, Ann Arbor Campus Director
The students feel it to:
“I appreciate how Pat can still come on her birthday so we can celebrate Clonlara.” An Ann Arbor Campus student
Pat loves hearing from the Clonlara community. Share a birthday wish or tell her how Clonlara has shaped your journey in the comments below. We’ll make sure she sees every one.
Already celebrating with us on social? You can also add your wish to our birthday post on Facebook or LinkedIn.
59 Years of Learning That Fits the Learner
Pat’s birthday isn’t the only milestone this month. On October 3, Clonlara celebrated its 59th anniversary.
In 1967, Pat started with a simple idea: learning should fit the child, not the other way around. Today, that idea guides families across the globe, on campus and off, with support in six languages.
Families still write to tell her what it has meant to them. In 2021, one Off-Campus parent wrote to Pat:
“Like a light, you give more days to nights, more hope to despair.”
We feel that too. And it leaves us with a question worth asking: what could learning look like if it were built around who your child already is?
The Story Behind It All
What leads someone to start a school of her own? Pat tells that story in her book, The School That’s Inside You, published in 2017, the year Clonlara turned 50. The title comes from a piece of advice Pat received from a fellow school founder early on, and it’s one of the book’s most memorable moments.
From a small school in Ann Arbor to a learning community that reaches families around the world, Pat shares the people, questions, and turning points behind Clonlara in her own warm, candid voice. It’s an invitation to rethink what learning can be, and to reconnect with the learner inside each of us.
“For me, the key is paying attention to the child.” Pat Montgomery, The School That’s Inside You
To celebrate 59 years, take 59% off the e-book with code TAKE59 through October 31, 2026.
Visit the Ann Arbor Campus, Where It All Began
The Ann Arbor Campus is where Clonlara first opened its doors. It’s still a place where learners are known, celebrated, and free to follow their curiosity.
Happy Birthday, Pat!
Thank you for your courage, your heart, and the path you opened for so many learners and families. Here’s to many more birthdays together.
