O c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 • M a r i e m o n t, O h i o • Vo l u m e X L I I I , N o . 2
Ms. Mary’s Place Yard Sale Benefits ‘Wigs for Kids’ By Suzy Weinland Ms. Mary Marchal is a Mariemont staple. For 14 years, through her in-home preschool Ms. Mary’s Place, she taught more than 40 children ages 3 to 6 to read and write, count, expand their imaginations, and – most importantly – tie their shoes! Ms. Mary cherishes the many photo collages she created showcasing each child on the day they learned to tie their shoes. When Ms. Mary sent her last two students off to kindergarten on August 16, 2018, she officially closed. “I probably don’t have to tell you how bittersweet that was,” she shared. “I am especially proud that I got to teach several groups of siblings – two Cables, two Quiambaos, two Siegels, three Pembers, the Mehl children.” Ms. Mary said her focus was always “to get her students as ready as possible for kindergarten. I was never in it for the money. I kept my rates low, and never turned anybody away due to finances.” She made sure to call each school where her students would attend kindergarten, to ensure the writing style and curriculum she was teaching aligned with what her young students would have to know. “At times it would not be strange to have three different learning levels among the group,” said Ms. Mary. And of course there were MANY fun adventures, especially the group's weekly outings to the Mariemont library for Makers & Shakers storytime. Anyone who lives on the north side of Wooster Pike can attest to seeing Ms. Mary with her big smile and energetic
Ms. Mary Marchal (third from left) with former students (L-R): Carson Quiambao, Peyton Quiambao, Trey Gruen, Cory Pember, and Caroline Pember. step, and students like ducklings in a row, walking to the library in the sunshine, rain and snow! Speaking of rain, the students loved going on “puddle hunts,” according to Ms. Mary. Before trekking out, they would get fully dressed in raincoats, rain boots and umbrellas. They even named a few puddles just around the corner from Mary’s Murray St. home. One deeper, muddy puddle was nicknamed “the swamp,” and another longer puddle that seemed to move in the rain was dubbed “the stream.” “We would always have to visit those before heading out to find new puddles to
jump – or lay – in,” laughed Ms. Mary. There were weekly journals, Tuesday and Thursday “lunch at the park,” and free morning movies at the Mariemont Theatre. And lots and lots of photos. In fact, as a student left Ms. Mary’s to become a big kindergartener, she would give them several photo albums that chronicled all of their adventures at Ms. Mary’s Place. There was even an annual Christmas photo with Santa! These bright, young students gave back to the community as well. It was Ms. Mary’s kids' idea to create a sign for the former, elderly Cont'd on page 5