Thirty-eight and doing great.
Hawkins Preschool marked its 38th birthday last week with cake and bubbles.
The preschool, located at Hawkins United Methodist Church 3736 Halls Ferry Road, opened Aug. 28, 1978, and has weathered the years.
Cathie Newton was a teacher at the preschool when it first opened. She taught for the first five years, and she is still involved in supporting the preschool as a member of the church.
“I just loved it,” Newton said. “The smiles, the laughter, the comradery of the teachers, because we started from nothing. We started out with Sunday school material in our rooms.”
The preschool has progressed over the years with students now having chapel every Wednesday and a larger playground was installed to accommodate the children — among other upgrades.
“It’s just grown,” said Julie Townley, program director.
She said the preschool has stayed open over the years because of the love the staff has for children and support from the community. She feels giving children a Christian foundation is priceless.
“There is just such a need for parents to have a quality, Christian environment (for their children),” Townley said.
The preschool can take up to 60 children ages 1 to 4 and currently has 43 enrolled.
“The highlight of my day is to greet them at the door because they give more to me than I could give to them with their hugs and their smiles,” said Nancy Biggers, former teacher and a current director.
During the celebration, students sang songs including Happy Birthday, counted to 38, ate cake and then went outside to blow bubbles. Newton was given the honor of blowing out the candles on the birthday cake.
Thirty-eight might not be the most common number of years to celebrate, but the preschool decided to throw a bash this year because the church has recently been looking to the past in order to follow its journey to the present. The preschool has been an important part of that journey.
“We’ve been doing a thing in the church about looking back where we’ve come from for the past six weeks. So this week they were showcasing the preschool and it happened to be the 38th birthday,” Townley said. “We’ve been on a journey of our past.”
The church supports the preschool and members often make donations of baby wipes, paper towels and other needs to the school.
“If the preschool asks for something, the needs are always met very quickly by the church members,” Newton said. “When we do a preschool program at night, the whole sanctuary is full.”
Biggers said the preschool is blessed to have the children and staff.
“We’re just happy to be a part of Vicksburg,” she said.