McKinley Students Remember Teacher, Celebrate Garden

Delma Carter-Nicholas, a longtime elementary school teacher in Fairfield who finished her career at McKinley School before passing away in December, was remembered by McKinley's 470 students today in a ceremony that included the dedication of a tree and bench in her honor.

"She was a wonderful teacher who helped a lot of students have a really successful time here in school," Dale Bernardoni, McKinley's principal, said to students seated on grass by the tree and bench. "We hope you will see the marker that mentions Mrs. Carter-Nicholas and think nice thoughts of her."

"When you come out here for recess, enjoy this space and think of your friend," she said.

Bernardoni said Oliver Nurseries on Bronson Road donated both the tree and concrete bench and that money McKinley students and families had raised for their purchase instead would be used to fund scholarships at a summer enrichment program at the school, to which Carter-Nicholas donated money before she died.

"I think she would be so proud to know, as of this afternoon, we raised $2,003 to send children to summer school," Bernardoni said.

Scott Jamison, owner of Oliver Nurseries, is the husband of Laura Jamison, a third-grade teacher at McKinley, Bernardoni said.

The bench includes a wave because the architecture of the McKinley School building also resembles a wave on the school's exterior, Bernardoni said.

McKinley students today also celebrated a new garden by the school's entrance, which Bernardoni termed an "outdoor classroom."

The garden, an idea of Betty Blackwell, a school nurse at McKinley, and created in large part through Connecticut Tank Removal's donation of labor and supplies, is big enough to allow a class to work in it at one time. The garden that existed before was only large enough to allow four or five students to work in the soil at a time, Bernardoni said.

"The fact that these beds are all spaced out is we want to have full classes, and, in some instances, a full grade level fit in the garden," Bernardoni said.

Blackwell said donations from McKinley's PTA and the Regional Youth Substance Abuse Council also helped to fund creation of the garden. "All this is the work of a lot of people," she said.

The garden not only teaches McKinley students about the importance of nutrition and eating properly, but also is used in math class by students who calculate the area of each garden bed. The garden also is incorporated into the curriculum in other ways, such as planting crops Native Americans had planted when students study Native American culture, Bernardoni said.

First Selectman Ken Flatto and Supt. of Schools Ann Clark attended today's ceremony at McKinley School.

Clark said she enjoyed hearing McKinley students sing "It's a Wonderful World" by the tree and bench. "The song you sang was so beautiful...Thank you for being such a wonderful group of students," she said.

Flatto proclaimed the McKinley garden part of National Garden Month and said students in the Thompson Street elementary school would have gardens to tend when they reached middle school and high school. "We're doing a lot of these gardens," Flatto told students.