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mINuTes FROm sOmeWheRe eLse





            At 60, St. Mark’s Nursery School has become a township tradition



            By roB Anthes                   the fourth generation to be involved with                       sees every day, and gives a realistic picture
            ranthes@mercerspace.com         the school. In one recent year, nine of the                     of what a child’s strengths and needs are.
                                            students were children of graduates.                            The school also has an open door policy,
              Last month, I walked through the   And they all made the same paper pump-                     meaning that families can visit the class-
            doors of St. Mark’s Chruch on Paxson  kins and the same handprint plates I and                  room whenever they’d like. Sullivan said
            Avenue, and straight back to 1990.  other graduates did. While instruction has                  there are very few problems when parent-
              I hadn’t been inside the building since  transitioned to adapt to the times, very little      teacher conferences come around—a rar-
            June of that year—when I graduated from  else has changed since the school moved                ity today.
            St. Mark’s Cooperative Nursery School—  into the St. Mark’s building in the 1970s.               Another rarity at St. Mark’s is that
            but everything seemed as it was then.  (The school started in 1956 at Union Meth-               every teacher is certified, with degrees
            The same risers in the auditorium, the  odist Church on Quakerbridge Road. A gas                in elementary education and a specialty
            same bright-colored classrooms, the same  explosion in 1970 leveled the church, but             in early childhood. The staff uses their
            building blocks and wooden chairs and  miraculously injured no one. Union Meth-                 training to focus on more than fact-based
            little boxes of apple juice. I wasn’t wearing  odist and Hamilton Square Methodist later        instruction. Children will develop their
            Ghostbusters sweatpants and white Stride-  merged to form St. Mark’s.)                          motor skills, learn colors—in English and
            Rite sneakers, but I might as well have.  Sullivan said the school and its staff are            Spanish—and complete the typical pre-K
              Angela Dixon, who teaches the 2 and  like  a  family,  and  like  many  families,  St.        academics. But, the goal, Sullivan said, is
            3-year olds, noticed me flailing in my time  Mark’s Nursery School takes its traditions         to help every child become the best per-
            warp, and smiled. She, too, is a gradu-  seriously. Some are fun,  like  the  annual            son he or she can be. This means devel-
            ate of the program—Class of 1966—and  cookbook where the recipes for students’                  oping social skills, confidence, self-aware-
            knows the look. It’s common.    favorite foods run alongside the children’s   Jen Latini and Janet Sullivan stand  ness. The timid students at the beginning
              The nursery school, whose 60th  descriptions on how to make them. But oth-  with Adeline Ngo and Owen Ngo  of the year are the ones who are the stars
            year just ended, has become a mainstay  ers, like the cooperative nature of instruc-  at St. Mark Cooperative Nursery  of the June graduation concert.
            because of this consistency. School direc-  tion, are essential to the fabric of the school.  School’s graduation in June.  As every parent knows, there are a lot of
            tor Janet Sullivan has been there for the   St. Mark’s is the last cooperative school           choices in early childhood education today.
            last 40 years. Her son went through the  in the Trenton region, a point of pride for            Day care and preschool franchises dot our
            school, as have her grandchildren. Dixon  the staff. At a cooperative school, each fam-  cal as they are practical. It means an extra  highways now. St. Mark’s—a Hamilton tra-
            has taught there for 20 years. Jen Latini,  ily helps in the classroom one day every  pair of hands helping the teacher, but it also  dition—is not like them. But, in a world of
            who  teaches  4-year  olds,  sent  all  three  two months or so. (Not every child has a  gives family members an opportunity to see  rapid change, that’s not a bad thing.
            of her children to St. Mark’s. The great-  family member who can do this, and there  their children in the classroom and interact-  For more information about St. Mark’s
            granddaughter of school founder Doro-  is a non-cooperative option for enrollment.)  ing with other children. This provides the  Cooperative Nursery School, call (609)
            thy Hutton will be attending this year—  The benefits of a co-op are as philosophi-  family the chance to see what the teacher  586-0030.






















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