Park District Creative Corners Preschool Graduates

The Des Plaines Park District Creative Corners Preschool graduated forty-eight students on Thursday, May 19 in the Prairie Lakes Theater. As the children received their diplomas, Preschool Director Margaret Nuscher announced what they want to be when they grow up.

"We have four prospective doctors, police officers, teachers, and firefighters, this year," Nuscher said, "and three who want to be moms and cowgirls. We also have two future wrestlers, builders, truck drivers, train engineers, models, dancers, famous chefs, princesses, and super heroes, like Spiderman. The rest of the children think being an angler, a pilot, a zookeeper, a restaurant owner, a monster truck driver, a scientist, an army general, and the leader of a robot army is the perfect choice for them. Each year students amaze their parents by selecting careers from stories read in class and at home, visits from professionals during community helpers week, or simply, their imagination.”

The graduation ceremony included the Pledge of Allegiance, led by William Drozd and Ethan Cusak, carrying the flag; welcome speeches by Sabrina Linek and Nicole Migaczewski; a presentation of the alphabet; songs, including “Oh What a Miracle” and “It’s time to Graduate;” a class poem entitled “I am Special;” and a farewell speech by Laura Obenberger.

“The children have been incredible this school year,” Nuscher said. “We have traveled to outer space, explored the rain forest, turned the classroom into a pizza parlor, sailed a sailboat, pitched a tent, laughed, learned, and played.”

Eleven of the graduates will attend kindergarten at Iroquois Community School in the fall of 2011. Ten will attend Central, four will attend Forest, and three will attend Orchard Place. The rest will go to North, South, Plainfield, Terrace, and Cumberland in Des Plaines, as well as four children, who will go to schools out of the area. "Beyond the scholastic training of letters and numbers, color and shapes, we teach social interaction and independence." Nuscher said. "Today, very few children attend kindergarten without some kind of preschool foundation, and our job is to give then a good start and teach them to love school," she said.

Registration for the Creative Corners Preschool 2011-2012 school year is now open for residents and non-residents. Parents can choose Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday with the option of adding Fridays, for both the three-year-old program or the four and five-year-old program. For more information or to register call 847-391-5700 or visit www.DPParks.org.