Change is in the Air at Elmwood School

When Ilene Silver first started working at the computers were sparse throughout the building. In the 18 years since she started working there a lot has changed and now not only do all of the classrooms have computers in them; they also have interactive white boards and mobile teaching tools.

More changes are on the way for the school too. . She will be retiring and she said she is having mixed emotions about it.

“I’m excited to start something new, but at the same time working here at Elmwood has been such a significant part of my life. It’s very bittersweet,” Silver said.

Since Silver has been at the school the Wee Deliver program has started, the cafeteria was repainted by parents, the student body changed from second through sixth graders to only second and third, and the Meeting of the Eagles has become a school tradition.

Silver said she has some very fond memories of the school including all of the above changes but she said one of the things she will miss most is getting a chance to meet the Kenyan runners every year in April.

“We always have the winning runner here before they actually win,” Silver said. “I’ve seen them every year except for the one year they couldn’t come because the whole school had chicken pox.”

One of Silver’s more recent changes to the school was through a grant from the Hopkinton Education Foundation. Silver wrote a grant and purchased a classroom’s worth of Witt Fitt balls. Silver said the balls are similar to exercise balls, but are designed to be used as seats for the children.

“They really help build the core muscles and once the students get used to them it helps students that are easily distracted focus more,” Silver said.

The process of hiring a new principal for the school is already underway and candidates are expected to appear before the by the end of the month, but for Silver the focus is on figuring out the next step.

“I think about what I want to do when I retire, but I don’t really have any hobbies. I love what I do so much that I put all my effort into it. I’m looking forward to taking that step back and doing other things,” she said.