COURTESY OF PILGRIM COMMUNITY NURSERY SCHOOL
Pilgrim Community Nursery School teachers Aileen Riley, Jayne Petrick, and Mary Cullen each are celebrating 30 years of teaching at Pilgrim Community Nursery School in Oak Park this year.
The nursery school will be hosting a tea to celebrate Riley, Petrick, and Cullen and recognize their anniversaries during the nursery school’s upcoming 35th Annual Cookie Walk. The tea will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, in the parlor of Pilgrim Congregational Church, at 460 Lake Street in Oak Park. The event is open to the public.
Riley and Petrick teach four- and five-year-old students in the nursery school’s Diamond Room. Cullen teaches three- and four-year-old students in the nursery school’s Circle Room. Their current students were eager to share what makes their teachers so special to them. Their quotes include the following:
• “Aileen and Jayne are special because they read stories and write down plays. I like to talk with them and take walks. I like that they let us do jobs in the classroom.” Lucia, age 4
• “I like when Mary reads and sings!” Asher, age 3.
• “I like that [Jayne] came up with this idea to make a pumpkin light up in the dark. I like that she is really happy all the time.” Molly, age 4.
• “I like Mary’s big laugh!” Reece, age 3.
• “[Aileen] is fun. She helps us write stories. I like that she came to our house.” Molly, age 4.
• “Mary can do everything. She loves to clean up and play!” Oliver, age 3.
• “I love Jayne. She loves me. I love Aileen. She loves me.” Evangelia, age 4.2
In their classrooms, Riley, Petrick, and Cullen each combine 30 years of teaching experience with the most current child development research and training. “We are so fortunate to have Jayne, Aileen, and Mary as teachers at our school,” said Ruth Martin, Director of Pilgrim Community Nursery School. “They are dynamic and energetic teachers, and they have developed engaging play-based curriculums for their classrooms. At the same time, they have created a warm, supportive, and caring environment for their students to learn and grow.”
Riley started teaching at Pilgrim in 1984. Her children previously had come to school at Pilgrim, and she followed them to the school as a teacher. Riley holds a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin, and also holds a certification to teach high school. She enjoys travel, and in recent years has been able to travel to New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, Turkey and Thailand.
Petrick has taught at Pilgrim since 1983, with two years off for the birth of her youngest child. She has a BS in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois, as well as an Illinois K-9 teaching certificate. In addition to her work at Pilgrim, she taught first grade in Kankakee and Hazelcrest for five years, taught gym and swim classes at the Oak Park YMCA, was a Beye School room parent for twenty years, and was a Girl Scout leader for eleven years. She has three adult children, all of whom were Pilgrim students.
Cullen has taught at Pilgrim since 1985. Over the years, she also has worked and/or volunteered at various community organizations including Parenthesis, the Academy of Movement and Music, District 97 schools, and Ascension Church. She has sought out diverse educational experiences that include studies at UCLA, Pacific Oaks College, Columbia College, and the Erikson Institute, as well as attending continuing education workshops and seminars throughout the country. She earned her California Children’s Center teaching permit and director’s permit and worked at the Southern Californian Children’s Place, a state-funded early childhood center. Her life as a wife and mother also has contributed greatly to her understanding of human development.
The upcoming tea celebrating Riley, Petrick, and Cullen will be during Pilgrim Community Nursery School’s 35th Annual Cookie Walk, which also will be from 9 am to 11 am on Saturday, December 13th. The Cookie Walk will be held in the basement of Pilgrim Congregational Church, at 460 Lake Street in Oak Park. Attendees can purchase a Cookie Walk box and fill it up with festive home-baked cookies made by nursery school families. This year’s Cookie Walk also will feature a baked goods table, the Cookie Walk Raffle, and – new this year – a photo opportunity with the Cookie Walk Winter Wonderland Snowman. The Cookie Walk also is open to the public.
Pilgrim Community Nursery School is a nonprofit, nonsectarian nursery school serving the community of Oak Park, Illinois and surrounding communities.
