As we celebrate NVNS’s 60th Anniversary, we hope to hear from YOU, the NVNS community. Share with us your favorite memory of NVNS: the classroom, Mz. Lori, a famous “Mz. Lori-ism,” your child’s experiences, whatever inspires you. Add your memory as a “Reply” below.
11 Responses
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WOW!! Where to start….?!?!? I think that our family’s whole experience at NVNS with Mz. Lori will not ever be forgotten. From the first day with our son and his being greeted at the door with “Hey lo di oh do” to our daughter’s last day playing with her friends in the yard, all these memories will be with us. Also all the wonderful families who we shared so many unforgettable experiences with cannot go unnoticed.
Mz. Lori’s uncanny ability to “wave” a magic wand and make everything better is still something I am amazed with. What a special person she is.
I am wishing all the past, present and future children and parents of NVNS a very Happy Anniversary. And, Mz. Lori, may you have another 25 years to share your love and learning.
Warmly,
Sharon Atkinson
Skyler Class of 2001
Lily Class of 2007
The love that Mz. Lori gave to our wild, rambunctious boys made her forever a part of our family. Her most lasting impact on us has been the way she “trains” all NVNS families to continue to be “co-op” parents as their families move on to other schools, sports and activities. Every time I serve on a committee or show up to volunteer there always seems to be other NVNS alum families there to pitch in their time and energy as well. We are all so lucky to have “Our Mz. Lori”!
The Wagner Family
Trey, Class of 2003
Cale, Class of 2006
I’m still not sure who learned more from NVNS, my son or me. Lori was a very special person in those early years of my son’s education. She and the families I met there embraced me and my son before he got his official diagnosis of ASD. I remember we were 9th on the list to get in. Never thinking my son would go to NVNS, but I got the call one day from Inger saying we were in if we were still interested. Absolutely !
Lori introduced me to the wonders of Borax powder and what you could do with it along with Elmers glue.
As difficult as that first year was for me after loosing my husband and then having my son diagnosed with autism, the nursery school was a place of refuge. I will always think back on those years fondly mostly of you Mz. Lori.
You are a special person in our life and we love you !
The Segal-Wood’s
Mark 2002
“A child’s work is play”
Reading the book “I love You Forever” at the end of class!
Mz. Lori is and will forever be a child “whisperer”!
Oh-lo-di-o-do. Where do I start? Did my son find kindness, compassion and love at NVNS? Yes, in a big way. Every day there was a smile on his face walking him into meet Ms. Lori, her wonderful warm charming smile so bright and caring meeting him at the door. Every day there was a joy of sharing among the children, a kindness permeating the room. I loved working side by side with parents, all looking after our children under the guidance of Ms. Lori. Truly, there is no other place I would recommend than with Ms. Lori. Forest is now in 7th grade and we are still connected to many other families from the same years. It is wonderful seeing these children, nourished by Ms. Lori, now becoming teens. I’m sure they all possess the essence of her tenderness and kindness. I will never forget her warm smile, always and every day!
I recently brought my daughter Tanner (who is now in Kindergarten) back to the nursery school for plate making. Mz. Lori greeted her with “Hey lo di oh do Tanner!”. This made her smile and then later after we left I could tell she was thinking in the car.
Tanner: “Mom, what was that word I was telling you I learned today at school?”
Me: “Empathy?”
Tanner: “Yeah, Mz. Lori knocked it right out of my head when she said Hey lo di oh do to me today. I had forgotten about that, and there is not enough room for both in there today.”
Thanks for keeping it real. Can’t wait to be back.
The Henrys
Wow!! The memories our family has of Mz. Lori and Napa Valley Nursery School are everlasting! All four of our children attended NVNS beginning in 1985. Our oldest son (Garrett) actually had Karen Frisinger for his two years @NVNS. We feel very priviledged that our daughter (Lisa) was a student in Mz. Lori’s first year of teaching at NVNS. Then our other two children (Kevin and Kyle)followed in the footsteps, continuing our family’s wonderful and amazing journey with Mz. Lori at NVNS!! Unfortunately, our youngest son Kyle was unable to complete his second year, due to our family moving to Oklahoma. All of our children are adults now, with the oldest being 29 to the youngest turning 22. However, we have so many wonderful and precious memories of Mz. Lori with all of our children that our family will treasure forever!! In fact, we were just looking at all of their plates that they had made each year!! Great memories!!
Thank you Mz. Lori for being such an inspiration and caring so much for all of the children you have loved throughout your 25 years!!
We love you !!
The Blackwood Family
Napa Valley Nursery School gave our family a warm, caring, and loving community which we would not have had otherwise, since our extended families don’t live nearby. We made lifelong friends at NVNS, who we now consider family.
Mz. Lori is nothing short of amazing. She touched the hearts of our boys, Levi and Max, in a deep and everlasting way. She inspired us to parent with compassion, to trust our instincts, and to work together to make this world a better place.
We love NVNS, and we love Mz. Lori!
The Olsen Family
Levi – class of 2002
Max – class of 2005
Mz. Lori’s “magic” goes far beyond the kids. When you knew that you were the most ill-equipped, unprepared, awful parent in the world, you never felt judged, but rather buoyed up by her wisdom as it slowly guided you back to sanity (even when we threatened to use duct tape in very creative ways).
We Love You Mz. Lori!!
Liam, Janae, Mike and Sarah Carpenter
It’s a tall order to put into words just what Mz. Lori means…she has this way of instantly seeing right into your child and knowing who they are. She connects with each of them on a magical level. A connection that stays with them for a lifetime, and at the same time, connects with parents. She gets right into our hearts teaching and guiding us all, and we are better because of her. When you’re at NVNS you never want to leave. But then the day comes to “fly away” and you find the foundation that has been laid while you were there, with Mz. Lori, is this gift your family takes away when you go.
Thank you Mz. Lori. You truly are such a gift and we love you. Happy Anniversary!
With much love and appreciation,
The Mecchi Family,
Tyler, Reese, Layne, Michelle and Jason
My son Abe had a great experience at NVNS but I also learned a lot from Mz. Lori at the parent meetings. One visual that sticks with me is the way she explained our ability to increase our responsibilities slowly. She used a juggling metaphor to show that once we’re comfortable with one ball in the air we can slowly add another and another and keep them all going. I still think about that as my kids get older and it seems like I can’t handle all of the activities/sports/school functions etc. that are a part of their lives. Thank you Mz. Lori!
Samantha Smith
Abe Smith (Class of 2005)