Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gurdon Kindergarten class graduates

The graduation ceremony was, in most ways, very traditional. Graduates marched in, single file. Family and friends cheers as the grads trekked across to receive diplomas and handshakes. And no one minded if tassels were on the wrong side of the caps or if the caps were a little crooked.

Sixty-eight students officially completed their year of Kindergarten with a ceremony in the Gurdon Primary School gym on May 18. Students were introduced by class, awarded a certificate of completion and ended the program with a song in which the children "took a bow" and gave themselves "a pat on the back."

But what does it really mean to clear that hurdle and head into the world of first grade? The students, without fail, said they are ready to face the challenge. And there were some interesting memories of what they'd learned and accomplished during the year, both by students and by the teachers.

Lynley Welch was in Susan Norris' class. She said she made good friends including Kelsy and Keyona.

Maurien Ross was also Norris's student. Asked for the best learning experience of the year, Maurien said, "I learned about the ocean." And the favorite fish? "A shark!"

Ty Norman was in Diana Boyce's class. He also talked about the ocean.

"I learned about the ocean, and about what lives there. There's dolphins and octopus and humpback whales and fish." And his favorite? "The humpback whale because it's almost the biggest."

Ty said the best part about recess was the chance to swing.

Joshua Ray Howell was in Mary Ann Anderson's class. He said his favorite part of the playground was simply the wide open space to "run around, a lot."

Joshua said he learned "a lot of new words and how to read."

In fact, Norris said students learned 52 sight words, 180 phonics words and most had some additional words they could recognize.

Counting and the alphabet were also among the year's accomplishments, Norris said.

Asked what he learned in Kindergarten, Devin Simpson apparently drew a blank at first. Turning to his dad he said, "Dad, what did I learn this year?" But once he got started, he produced a listed that included counting to 100, his ABC's and all about goldfish.

Alex Garrett said his favorite part of the unit on oceans was learning about the fish, especially the clown fish. And Alex said that he "loves catfish."

But playgrounds are naturally a big attraction and Alex said he liked everything about the playtime.

"I like swinging and sliding and running, and just everything."

Erica Jackson said her favorite playground equipment was the monkey bars, and she proudly announced that she can cross them without dropping to the ground.

Erica said her favorite part of Kindergarten was learning about animals, including those found in the ocean. And her favorite?

"A seahorse, because he's cute."

The fact that most mentioned the ocean studies was probably because that was the most recent unit of study the Kindergarten classes completed. Teachers said the students also liked the units on bugs.

Kindergarten teachers include Norris, Anderson, Boyce and Martha Thomas. Each class has a foster grandparent that becomes an integral part of the daily routine. Grandparents are Helen Perrine, Erlene Self, Wanda Crow and Benegene Cottingham.