HEB ISD School & Family Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 7

“Now that I’m a parent, I look back on
those experiences we were able to
provide and I’m so excited my child
will have that same opportunity in a
couple of years,” She said. “The Core
Knowledge curriculum is so wellrounded and enriching, it allowed us
to step out of the traditional public
school setting to provide opportunities
that aren’t usually found at the early
childhood level.”

An Unbreakable Bond:
Although many of the students had
not seen each other for years, they
seemed to pick up right where they
left off. The structure of the full-day
Former Superintendent Dr. Gene Buinger poses with Alycia Evans and Diamond Brown.
program truly resulted in the making
of many lifelong memories for them.
As they looked back at photos they
Childs entered the first CK Pre-K classroom with a
joyfully
recalled
special memories of their field trips,
passion for teaching and five years of experience under
career
days,
and
dozens of visual and interactive
her belt. She was teamed up with Janie King, a talented
teacher’s aide, and together they brought a wealth of learning experiences.
knowledge and experience to the new program.

“Mrs. Childs and Mrs. King were truly a match made
in heaven,” Stanfield-McGarrah said. “They were both
such strong facilitators of knowledge, and the quality of
their teaching was a driving force behind the success
of the program.”

“After thirteen years my Pre-K teachers and
classmates still know me and care about me,” said
Diamond Brown, recent graduate of L.D. Bell High
School. “Our class was truly special, but so is the
district as a whole. In HEB ISD I feel like we are just
one big family, and family always comes first.”

At the reunion lunch it was plain to see the
strength of the bond between the teachers
and students. After more than a decade, they
were still able to call each child by name.
“I remember Mrs. Childs and Mrs. King
being very fair and kind,” said Samantha
Boyer, former CK Pre-K student and recent
graduate of L.D. Bell High School. “They
taught us how to grow up, and they played
a huge role in shaping who I am today.”
During the reunion, Childs got teary-eyed
recalling some of the wonderful memories
with her students. She shared her current
perspective on early childhood education.

The class photo of the original CK Pre-K group.

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