By Khalida Sarwari
Throughout the years, hundreds of little feet have passed through the halls of the preschool behind the Saratoga Federated Church on Park Place, but two faces remain as familiar today as they were more than 30 years ago.
Mary Lou Snowden, who had recently moved to Saratoga from Willow Glen, walked into the Village Preschool in 1982 to see if the school would be a good fit for her 3-year-old son, Ryan. A year later, Mary Ward followed suit with her preschool-age son, Patrick. Neither of them thought they’d end up staying there long after their children and their friends’ children, and yes, their friends’ children’s children would move on. Now, they’ve decided it’s time for them to move on.
Snowden, the school’s director, is retiring in mid-June after 33 years at the school, and Ward, who holds a dual position as the school’s assistant director and pre-kindergarten teacher, hung up her hat on May 29 after 32 years. Both educators started their careers at the school as teachers. Snowden also served as assistant director before being promoted to director 22 years ago.
While they didn’t intend to stay for as long as they did, the school is now like a community and a family for them, said Snowden. It’s a place where they can easily feel the love of their students in the school’s hallways, she said.
“It’s really hard to walk away from this place,” Snowden said. “I feel like it’s a family we’re leaving. I think the message for us is it does take a village to raise a child, and we have modeled that, we hope.”
Ward echoed her colleague’s sentiments, adding that seeing her former students as successful adults has been “very gratifying.”
“It’s a very hard place to leave,” she said. “The joy of working with the children and the families–they have really been our inspiration to stay. We’ve seen the generations come through this school, which is wonderful.”
With their eyes on the next chapter of their lives, both Snowden and Ward said they’re looking forward to spending more time with their grandchildren, traveling and doing volunteer work.
The Village Preschool was founded in the early 1960s; today, around 90 students from Saratoga and the nearby cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Cupertino and San Jose are enrolled at the school.
A celebratory luncheon was held for the the ladies at the Federated Church on May 17. Linda Kerin, a teacher and staff member of 17 years, has been appointed as the school’s new director.
