"I hear that there are college students still able to sing all (verses) of Old Mrs. Witch," says Sylvia McManis, referring to a favorite Halloween song she taught her students. Actually, there are also parents out there who also know all the verses - especially if they had several children attend Countryside Nursery School in Spencerport. For the past 26 years, McManis has been teaching preschoolers at Countryside Nursery School (CNS) housed at 32 Amity Street in the educational building of the United Methodist Church. She is now retiring. During those years, over five hundred students, most of them from the Ogden-Spencerport area, have attended and graduated from CNS. McManis first became involved with the school when her daughter, Karen, became a student there. She did some substitute teaching through the time her second daughter, Debbie, attended. She began teaching in 1978-79 and then ran the school from 1979 until the present time. Now McManis is teaching her granddaughters, Erin (class of 2001) and Olivia (class of 2003), and will retire in May as Olivia graduates. Her husband, Tom, states, "A wonderful way to go out and it probably helped her set an ending to what was a great career." To honor McManis as she retires, a group of parents of former students, is planning an Open House at Pineway Ponds Park on Sunday, June 8 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. They hope that many of her students and their parents will drop by during that day to visit and share memories with her. McManis was born in Delanson, NY near Albany and attended Cobleskill for a degree in nursery education and to SUNY Brockport for a degree in elementary education. She has New York state permanent certification in nursery education and K-6 and taught first grade in Schenectady and in Wheatland-Chili. She lives in Spencerport with her husband, Tom. "I have enjoyed every minute of my teaching career," McManis states. "I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to provide early learning experiences for many three, four and five-year olds and their parents in this community. Lifestyles and, indeed the world itself, have seen many changes in my 30 years of teaching, yet children's needs have always remained the same. "It has been my goal to provide a safe and happy place where children can experience 'learning by doing.' For most, nursery school is a first step away from home into a situation where they will learn to be a cooperative member of a group of their peers. My wish for each child is that they will develop independence, self-confidence and a love of learning. This has been my passion, not just my job or career. I can honestly say that I have never had a day that I just 'didn't want to go to work.' " Parent Deb O'Neill says, "I have had my two boys in preschool with Mrs. McManis. I'm truly amazed at her ability and patience with our children. She brings out the best in all children. She is a great inspiration for not only our children, but also for the parents of these children. We have also learned better parenting skills because of her. I'm so thankful to Sylvia for the opportunity to give my children a head start in their lives." Greg and Teresa Howe's three daughters have graduated from Countryside. "We are so grateful they had Sylvia as their very first teacher. She has truly been a blessing to our family. It was always very clear that she loved what she did. She introduced our children to so many new experiences, and she treated them with the utmost respect and care." "The memories I have are of each and every child (and their families) that has attended Countryside over the 26 years that I have had the school. Having lived in the community for all of this time, I have many opportunities to see and hear about many of my former students. It is one of the joys of life to hear of their successes and just watch them grow and accomplish all that I knew they could," McManis said. "I have to admit that it is most rewarding when I meet a former student, and he or she shares memories of the special times that they remember. Many recall our special traditional celebrations - like our stone soup Thanksgiving celebration, Green Day, when we serve green eggs and ham for our snack, our Post Office trip to mail Valentines and the Easter egg hunt where the bunny leaves his tracks and such a mess. Many remember a special toy or dress-up clothing that they loved. Some return to the school to find their group photo on the wall. A group of seniors, who met at Countryside and remained friends throughout their school years, returned to their first school to reminisce and play. I hope that all remember how we learned to work and play together and to care about each other. I have always thought that the well-known writing, All I Ever Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, could have been pre-school instead. McManis and her husband have two daughters, Karen and Deborah. Karen lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband, Christopher, and daughter, Victoria. Deborah lives in the area with her husband, Paul, and daughters, Erin and Olivia. McManis hopes to spend more time with her family once she retires. "I will dearly miss meeting and working and playing with pre-school children and their parents. It will be very difficult," she says, "to walk away from a career that I have loved, but there is a season for all things, and this seems to be the right time for me to go on to other things. There are many new challenges and adventures to pursue." Note: A Time To Grow Nursery School has a sign in front of the church at this time advertising openings for next year. This is not CNS. This group will be providing its own program and equipment. There are other Time to Grow Schools in this area. |
