Final graduation for Little Baler Preschool draws 50 students and their families

Lea este artículo en español aquí.

Fifty Little Baler Preschool students went through their first scholastic rite of passage on May 15 as they crossed the graduation stage at the Anzar High School gymnasium, accepting the diplomas that signify their readiness for their next adventure: kindergarten.

Cellphone-wielding parents videoed the students who, after enthusiastically singing “The World is Rainbow” and “The Goldfish Song,” were recognized for their work by Little Baler owner Rene Rhodes, who read out their names and hopes for their futures. 

Professions such as policeman, fireman and teacher were popular choices. Two boys said they wanted to become garbage men “to protect the earth and the world.” A few had less conventional careers in mind, opting for lizard catcher, scarecrow or the Incredible Hulk. One boy, more prosaically, said he wanted to work at McDonald’s. One boy said he just wanted to be a kid.

It had all the whimsy you would expect from an event like this. Distracted students fidgeted in their seats, then suddenly raced into the audience to grab a hug from a family member, only to run back to wait for their name to be called.

But for Rhodes, the event was tinged with melancholy: after 30 years of providing an important service to the community, this would be the school’s last graduation as she shuts it down, following the loss of her lease at the Sunnyslope Christian Center.

“It’s sad,” she said, “but it’s something that I have no control over. So many people have come to the preschool to say goodbye; that’s been really amazing. But I must learn to go forward now and maybe help other preschools.”

Rhodes is facing this forced retirement partly because she has been unable to find another location and partly because restarting her business elsewhere would be prohibitive in terms of time and money.  

“There’s no place to do it in town,” she said. “Other churches aren’t interested. Even if I found a place, it would take at least two or three years to open up a new facility.”

Rhodes is proud of her work and her students and graduates, many of whom were in the audience at the ceremony.

“Early childhood learning is very important,” she said. “The elementary schools know if children have come from Little Baler, they’re ready to learn. Parents told me their kids started kindergarten and got bumped to first grade. What we did is very necessary.”

Decked out with a fireman’s helmet on top of his mortar board, Griffin Mew was one of the happy graduates that evening. His mother, Stephanie Mew, said she shares Rhodes’ sadness at the school’s closure. 

“It’s just hard to believe that this is the last graduation,” she said. “I’ve had all three of my kids go through here, so it’s difficult to accept that this is the finale.”

Stephanie said the preschool’s impact on her children was easy to see over the years as they progressed in their education. 

“All of my kids are shy by nature,” she said, “so just watching them socially just flourish has been the best gift. I’ve seen them going from being unable to walk in a room without crying to being able to confidently interact, have that social aspect, and just flourish.”

Mew said that she also appreciated the care Rhodes and her staff took in watching over her children.

“It’s been great to know that when they’re there,” she said, “I have that mom’s peace of heart and peace of mind knowing that my kids are seen, heard, and just cared for. It has been invaluable.”

Rhodes said that now that Little Baler is closed, she is only starting to understand how important it was to parents.

“I never really looked at me,” she said. “I always looked at everybody else. And now, with the letters, notices and people coming to see me, it’s made me realize how important the school has been in their lives. That is is super special to me.” 

Related story:

https://benitolink.com/little-baler-preschool-forced-to-close-in-may-after-30-years/

We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.