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8-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Nursery sehool looks back on 40 years By STEPHANIE THIESSEN The Champion enii Niarinucci ton)idI\ý -emiem - Jbels lier das s, as a caret tee tod- lir arm'eninel Milton Coîîiiiitiity Nursery~ School nl the niid '70s. Sluc rcmcienclrs Ille lielîl Ill lri i ui niil (il îî boni IiL \. cii to ii chio! l aýih ,wd ~ 11W1< liSc iic ý, n l ici a',i iii' ica i hu 1 i ii r iIn ie I ici a, Mis. \laiil i andIll people Ilii iil i 1o\ sasi laî i e ,111 shc suc li e ici 1 îsi child liiloitsix Vtcarîs ago. Ms; iaintucdi <lidni lia\ c o iiiJîc il 11ILI< h îhoiit -- shc kncîs shc s\i autel lici dau-iicr. Sooa limhe as ool a lunec as site did. Su. siet Sofia tuniel 50ad al she fllossed iii hier mother's tootsteps and sielt t0 Miton Community Nursery School. And when eight- month-old Nicolas Marinucci is old enough, hie too wiîl attend. Milton Community Nursery School has become quite the family affaîr. And both Ms Marinucci and her grandmother, Elsie Manford, say iî has somne of the mosi caring, qualified workers around. Boîh women will be among the visitors ai Saturday's 44Jth anniversary open house at the sehool, which is located at St. Paul's United Church, 123 Main St. E. Former students and parents are invited to drop in between 2 and 5 p.m. and re-live somte old memories. The celebration will include chil dren's activities, a clown. refireshments. and a chance to tour the classrooms. No registration is required. Milton Community Nursery School accepis children wlîen they're two-and-a-half and toilet iraîned up to age tive. There's also an enrichment class for iunior and senior kindergarten studenis. which runs for a lesi hours a tew days a wcek. Supervisor iackie Ward explained thai the school is a co-operative school, which nîcans parents play an active role in many capacities. from working in the clasiroorus to cleaning 10 scrving on the various committees. . If's a very warrn, inviting environmeni.' she said. Since parents make up the board of directors, decisions are made by the people who are direct- ly involved, said Ms Ward, who's been working at the school for the past 14 yeurs. 'Thiey have a lot of input into the direction the school's going," she said. That's one of the reasons Ms Marmnucci knew she wanted t0 send Sofia -who's six nexi Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Jeni Marinucci shows her daughter Sofia a book she received from Milton Community Nursery School in 1975 as her grandmother Elsie Manford, a former teacher at the school, looks on. The scrapbooks; in front are Sofia's artwork. month and in the kindergarten enrichment pro- gram -there, she saîl, explaining she liked the fact that her presence was welcomed ai the school. That meani shte could stay with hier daughter until she felt comfortahle heing on hier own. 1I really felt comfortahle leaving lier there il was almosi like leaving hier with family,' she said. lits not only the kils who henefit from the par- ents helping oui. Ms Marmnucci said. At limes il was her link to sanity, she said, hecause the school connected her to other momns experienc- ing the sanie difficolties and joys raising their children. Ms Manîtîrd's years as a teacher ai the nursery school spanned 1964 10 1979. 1I always enjoyed working there," she said, adding the kids made tl a rewarding place to work. "You can't help loving the litie guys hecause they look up 10 you- well, most of them." Ms Mantord said she ofien wishes she'd known ahout the sehool when her children were young. She said she would've henefiied from the friendships and idea-swapping wîth other young nîoms. But she's glad hier granddaughter bas that opportunity. "I'm so thnlled it's stili going and that my greai-grandechildren are going ihere." As for Ms Marînucci, she saîd she's going Io miss the sehool duning the couple of years between Sofia's neaning graduation and Nicolas' enrollment. "l really has come fulI-cirele. its part of our famnily life." For more informnation on the open bouse or the sehool, caîl Milton Community Nursery Sehool ai (905) 878-70(17. Stephanie 7/itîen tait be t'eac/ted ai stlîiîsseîîCanillr;iîatadiaîîîItanîpiît.tîo, 2fVCOGECQ Cogeco Cable Channel 14 ProgZramming Schedule - Tuesday, February 22 - Monday, February 28, 2005 Wruly Local Television 'M -, ý '1 qýý e p www.cogeco.ca Laurier Plaza 500 Laurier Avenue Milton, ON L91 4R3 905-878-9306 Live AHL Hockey: Rochester ait Hamilton - Friday, 7300m on TVCogeco!