Alumni News

Spotlight: Former Kindergarten Teacher Patty Home
Patty Home, Nueva kindergarten teacher 1975–2001


Many Nuevans first memories of school began in Patty Home's kindergarten class. Beginning her nearly-three decade tenure shortly after Nueva moved into the Crocker Mansion, Patty witnessed the growth and development of both her students and the Hillsborough campus.

With the assistance of her granddaughter, Charlotte, daughter of alumnus Todd Parker '76, Patty recently reminisced about her time as a Nueva educator from 1975 to 2001.
 

This is a wonderful time of year to conjure up memories of kindergarten at Nueva. All holidays were special, and they gave us time and space to re-enact the events of their origins. Our students listened to the stories and learned the history, then built the necessary “set,” and enthusiastically volunteered for their parts.

Who wouldn't want to teach at Nueva for 25 years with this amount of freedom and creativity? Who would not revel in the brightness and beauty of these children who thrived in learning by doing? 

The students all played their parts in the Nutcracker, Post Office, and the self-selected themes of castles, Space Shuttle Challenger, movies, ocean, rainforest, gold rush, Olympics, and many, many more. The wonderful parents of Nueva were active participants in the classroom, and all lent their expertise to these themes.

I began my Nueva years just after its founding in the Crocker Mansion, and with my two children, Todd ’76 and Delynn ’79 Parker, attending the first and fourth grades. In my 25 years at Nueva, I watched it become a flourishing school with a full gym, an outstanding library, and a middle school. I loved our early years, the staff, and our meetings on bean bags with wine and cheese—such good memories!

I hope that my former kindergarten alumni have continued to learn and play. I was and am still very proud of them!

 

 


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Spotlight: Former Kindergarten Teacher Patty Home

Many Nuevans first memories of school began in Patty Home's kindergarten class. Beginning her nearly-three decade tenure shortly after Nueva moved into the Crocker Mansion, Patty witnessed the growth and development of both her students and the Hillsborough campus.

With the assistance of her granddaughter, Charlotte, daughter of alumnus Todd Parker '76, Patty recently reminisced about her time as a Nueva educator from 1975 to 2001.

Nueva Connection Challenge!

Chris Garber, eighth-grade Class of ’08, has launched the Nueva Connection Challenge! — a friendly competition to see which class can create the most new alumni connections. 

Doshisha anniversary

For Nueva students studying Japanese, “Doshisha” has a special meaning. This is especially true for the more than 500 students who over the years have participated in the exchange program that has grown from one high school to four middle and high schools in and around Kyoto.

Laena Wilder

When Laena Wilder was 10 years old, a walk down San Francisco’s Market Street with her Nueva art teacher Barbara Marino and her best friend set fire to a passion that would drive the rest of her life.

Alumni Lee Holtzman poses with a lemur

“My years at Nueva were the best three years of my intellectual life,” upper school teacher and eighth-grade class of 2001 alum Lee Holtzman said. “Ever since I left Nueva, it was always the biggest part of me. Which is odd because I was only here for three years.” After only one week at the school, Lee identified the need for Nueva to expand from a PreK–8 school to PreK–12. “The end of my first week at Nueva (I started in sixth grade, so I was eleven), I went into the Head of School’s office, sat down, and said ‘You need to start a high school, because I need to go there!’”