This week, the Gazette did a ride along with the Garretson Preschool students as they took their year-end field trip to the Great Plains Zoo. It was a great day to get away from the office and have fun with these young Blue Dragons. The concept of a school structured preschool is a relatively new idea for school districts across the state, but a popular notion that the Garretson School got right behind about a decade ago.
“When I started here four years ago, the Preschool program was already well established,” said School Supt. Guy Johnson. “From what I understand, it was created and put into action largely by the efforts of Mary Tilberg and she was our first preschool teacher. I’ve had the pleasure of viewing our two staff members, (Stacey Anderson and Trista Vandersnick) in action and they do an outstanding job! The preschool program provides a real benefit to our students and families. The kids who go into the pro- gram are better prepared for a K-12 education, and if you’ve seen them you’ll know they’re super excited to learn. This program really sets these students up for success.”
“This is my ninth year teaching preschool, and I absolutely love it,” said Anderson. “It’s the best job in the world. Trista and I form a tag team for our students, and the students are unbelievably awesome. Preschool is good for them in a lot of ways, learning social and academic skills, and problem solving skills. We focus on building a relationship with the students, and introducing them to ideas they’ve never experienced before. Continued on Page 2
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