‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go’

L-R, Ulas Butler, Gerri Pringle, Arnold Bailey, and Diane Dahl

BY KEIRSTEN JOHNSON, Contributor

ST. PETERSBURG – The 2017 Pre-Kindergarten Class at the Lew Williams Center for Early Learning, R’Club Child Care Inc. celebrated the culmination of their pre-school experience Friday, May 26. In the atrium of Pinellas Technical College, over 200 family members and friends gathered to honor the 34 children who are certainly kindergarten-ready.

The theme of the night was Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” While balloons hung from the ceiling in colors of blue, yellow, orange and purple, the children walked down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance” with smiling faces as camera flashes flickered from the crowd.

Center Director Ulas Butler gave the commencement speech that was packed with encouraging words and culminated the 2016-17 school year.

“We are so grateful and honored with the opportunity to be a part of all of your families,” stated Butler.  The children have had numerous opportunities to explore, investigate and discover new and interesting things about the world around them. Building the students’ social and emotional skills and a strong self-confidence is the cornerstone of our school philosophy.”

The little tykes sang three songs to showcase what they’ve learned throughout the year. The most important was the Lew Williams School Family Chant that highlighted the three main school expectations: be safe, be kind, be helpful.

“The chant was produced by one of the school’s teachers as a way to create a school ritual to give the children a repetitive opportunity to learn the importance of our school’s expectations,” said Butler.

 As the certificates were presented, the crowd roared for each child with joy and excitement.

“With the support of family and loved ones, we can cultivate a school/family environment where our children can develop freely in secure and supportive surroundings,” Butler concluded.

The Lew Williams Center for Early Learning, named in honor of the late educational pioneer Lew Williams, has begun enrollment for the 2017-18 school year, accepting ages one to five. The center partners with the Early Head Start/Head Start program and accepts School Readiness vouchers from the Early Learning Coalition as well as private paying families.

For more information, please call (727) 914-4935 to find out how you can enroll your child.