|
50 years of ABCs
By Mary Madewell
Published October 10, 2009
Even before quality early education for young children was in vogue, the leaders at Central Presbyterian Church, 309. S. Church St., knew the importance of children socializing, learning manners and becoming accustomed to routines.
That was 50 years ago.
Today, students at Central Day School continue socializing and learning manners, but the youngsters there also begin an early learning foundation for reading, writing and arithmetic and so much more.
Thought to be the longest operational pre-school program in Paris, Central Day School celebrates its 50th year this month.
A service of celebration and rededication is planned Oct. 25 during morning worship services at the church followed by a reception in the school’s wing of the education building.
On Sept. 7, 1959, the Central Presbyterian Day School opened, beginning modestly with 15 kindergarten students. It grew during the following years in both size and scope to its present size of 75 students in classes for 3, 4 and 5-year-old children. A new class was added in 2007 — a “Mommy and Me” play day for 2-year-olds.
Back in 1958, teachers taught community living, cooperative play and creative activities.
Students in that first class included Kate Pilgrim, Billy Bramlett, Wayne Mann, Paul Sammons, Jay Jackson, Carla Ruth Williams, Stewart Dodson, Dane Wilkerson, Peggy Lee Wood, Darlene Ellison, Mary Alice Watson, Brent Davey, Nancy Lawler, Jimmy Short and Rebecca Sweeney.
“I remember the playground and playing with my friends,” Dotson recalled during a phone conversation this past week. “I don’t recall a lot of things because I was so young, but I am still friends with a lot of the people I went to school with then.”
By 1961, the program had expanded to include a cooperative play group for 3-year-olds. The mothers of these children each worked on a rotating schedule as aides to the teacher. By 1963, the school program had grown to classes for 3, 4 and 5-year olds.
No record of the exact number of students who have attended has been kept, but a conservative estimate is at least 2,000 students, according to current director Lynne Noland. Directors through the years have been Mrs. Frank White, Mrs. Donald Nafus, Mrs. Eleanor Chapman, Mrs. David Patty, Mrs. Arlene Schleppi, Mrs. Robert Swaim Skinner and Mrs. Lynn Clem.
Both Skinner and Clem shared about their experiences as teachers and directors.
“Before I began working at Central in 1977, I taught for a couple of years in the public school system and then I discovered the fun world of pre-k,” Clem said. “I always saw my job as getting the 3 and 4-year-olds ready for “Big School.”
“The days were very, very busy,” Clem said. “I was trying to offer positive learning experiences with letters and numbers, reading several books daily, talking about how we must be kind to each other, and giving many hugs and an occasional Band-Aid when needed! At the end of the day, I always got so much more from each child then you can imagine. The little ones captured my heart, making it a wonderful time in my life!”
Skinner (then known as Becky Swaim) was perhaps the longest serving director. She taught kindergarten and served as director from 1976 to 1994.
“When I took over the position in 1976, I did so with the intention of staying one year while my son was in kindergarten,” Skinner said. However, she continued to teach for 18 years and has a wealth of memories.
“When I agreed to take the job I couldn’t foresee the blessings that would come my way,” Skinner said. “Kindergarteners are so eager to learn, so honest, so loving,” she said. “Teaching just doesn’t get any better than this.”
Skinner said she had a constant need for at least one extra set of hands.
“One day when more than two hands were needed, I stuck a bottle of Elmer’s Glue under my arm but failed to screw the lid shut.
Within a few short moments, the white sticky stuff had cascaded into the long blonde hair of one 5-year-old. A lot of giggles were heard as I had to shampoo glue-laden hair. That was not a mistake I repeated.”
Skinner said year after year she repeated an activity during the first day of school. On the first day, her class would bake a gingerbread man, which after being baked in the hot oven, ran away.
“We would spend four days looking for him,” she said. “He left clues as to his hiding places, but he was never found until Friday of that week. Students never failed to be thrilled.”
About show and tell activities — when students bring something from home to share with the class — Skinner said sometimes interesting things were “smuggled in coat pockets to school without the parents’ knowledge.
“Mothers diet pills (when we were studying the letter ‘D’, the entire families’ well-worn toothbrushes (when the letter ‘T’ was being emphasized) and some items are better to be remembered and not mentioned,” Skinner quipped.
“Kindergartners usually tell it like it is,” the retired teacher said.
“One day, a child whose parents were rather short said, ‘Mrs. Swaim, you are the tallest woman I have ever seen.’ At 5 feet 9 inches, I could understand her perspective, but I countered with the fact that I could easily reach the things way up high. In less than a second, she replied, ‘But what about the things down low?’
“Can you not see why these students added so much joy to my life?”
Share |
Save |
Mail |
Print |
Letter
|
|
 |
|
|
