Lexington, KY - For the past 25 years, a small troupe of dedicated teachers and instructors has watched a rotating cast of young children come and go through the halls of Walnut Hill Day School.
Working with children that long, says the school's co-founder and director, Marilyn Todd, a Chevy Chase neighbor, has made her immune to most surprises. But she admits she was a little taken aback when she started seeing students who are the children of Walnut Hill alumni. "That hurts," she laughed. "Seriously."
Founded in 1986, part of the impetus behind the day school was a result of Todd's sullied experience with a daycare she had sent her children to many years ago. She had to quit her job at a public school in Versailles so she could stay home with her children.
When Todd and two other people were looking for a location for their new school, the then-recently revived Walnut Hill Church off of Old Richmond Road, the oldest standing Presbyterian church in Kentucky, was suggested. Constructed in 1801, on land donated by Mary Todd Lincoln's grandfather, the church had an empty building adjacent to the chapel. When Todd approached Jack Cavendish, the minister of the church at the time, about renting the building for their school, he agreed but said they would have to outfit the building for their needs. A few months later, Walnut Hill Day School welcomed its first class of students.
Tucked into horse country on land neighboring prestigious Juddmonte Farms, the school's inviting location continues to attract not only Lexington families, but also those from Midway, Paris and even as far away as Lebanon, in Marion County.
"We wanted to start a school where everybody felt safe and comfortable leaving their kids, that they'd be well taken care of," Todd said. "We do that, we make sure they are taken care of, and taught."
Children's education has been a hallmark of the school, which serves children ages 2 to kindergarten, since it opened. Among the small staff of part-time and full-time instructors, which includes Todd's daughter-in-law, Bobbi Todd, who has been a kindergarten teacher for 15 years, there is a combined teaching experience of nearly 180 years, Todd said. (Along with her time in the public schools, Todd taught kindergarten at Good Shepherd Day School for 18 years).
One instructor, Nellie Wilkinson, has been with the school since it opened. "Her kids went here. She came in to look the school over, and she said something about teaching Spanish," Todd recalled. "And I said, 'Can you teach it?' She said yes, and I asked her if she wanted a job. So she's been here for 25 years."
Along with Spanish, children are taught reading, fractions, geography, music, art history (and craft), as well as "how to be a friend," Todd said. "Everything that that entails."
Even though the institution has been around for 25 years, Todd says Walnut Hill Day School, nor the surrounding area, hasn't undergone many changes; their emphasis on education and top-quality care are still the utmost priorities. "We've always had really great parents, really great teachers. I don't know if it has changed," Todd said. "The playground got bigger. ... I've learned a lot of things, especially from the preschoolers. Don't ask them a question unless you really want the truth, because they will tell you that. It's entertaining, it's fun and I think we're doing something worthwhile. We're taking care of something very precious."
To celebrate the school's 25th anniversary, Walnut Hill Day School will be hosting an anniversary party from 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. on May 15. All students, past and present, are invited (and encouraged to attend). Todd says there will be food, drinks, music, a silent auction and many children's activities. For more information, or to RSVP, contact the school at (859) 263-2807 or walnuthillds@windstream.net.
Todd is looking forward to seeing her former students, and knows they will enjoy revisiting Walnut Hill Day School as adults.
"Come see the school that used to look so big," Todd said. "When past students come back, they always think it looks so small."