Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  When students returned to Nederland Elementary School two weeks ago, administrators were not sure what the final enrollment number would be. As of this past week, 285 students began the new year, about 20 more than last year, which is always good news.

The school had a Back to School night which allowed the parents a chance to roam the halls and visit their children’s teachers, including the teachers that are new to the school.

Along the hall on the upper levels, many local non-profit organizations and child opportunities set up booths, their chance to let the community know what was available to their children.

Wild Bear Mountain Ecology presented their after school programs and outdoor experiential events and even had a garter snake greeting people as they passed by.

Local girl scout leaders had an information booth and a chance to sign up for the year’s adventures with the troop. Peak to Peak soccer introduced their program which is an inter school tournament series between Nederland, Gilpin and Idaho Springs.

The evening also gave the children a chance to get together after a couple months of separation over the summer.

NES’s new principal Laurel Reckert greeted parents and children she had not yet met and within minutes after the last bell rang, the students were nestled all snug in their classrooms and another year had begun.

Nederland Elementary School counselor Eric Swan grew up in a small coastal town in Connecticut, where he had a fun childhood exploring the woods around his house and playing by the river. He was an active kid who loved baseball, soccer and lacrosse, but also liked to draw and listen to music. Because he grew up surrounded by nature, he became adventurous, curious, independent and playful. Especially curious about the world around him. As a result he has lived all over the world.

“Part of the reason I am a school counselor is to inspire others to discover their own interests and find connections between them and the larger world that lies just outside your neighborhood or place of birth.”

Swan studied at Loyola University in Maryland and at John Hopkins in Maryland, and more recently at Mercyhurst University in Erie Pennsylvania. He decided to go into education during his senior year of college when he accepted a job teaching in Bangkok, Thailand.

“I wanted to experience the different cultures of Southeast Asia and this was my ticket to do so. Teaching psychology and advising college students inspired me to work with students before they were off to the university, during high school and middle school.”

He taught in Bangkok for two years and then returned to the United States to get his master’s degree in education with a focus on Guidance and Counseling.

Working in a small school that is like a community and a family makes Eric feel connected and happy. He has loved Nederland since his first trip to Colorado in 2001. He says that NES and Nederland Middle Senior High School combines are smaller than the last school he served in.

In addition to bringing his passion and high regard for younger students, he will bring a sense of the skills students need to thrive in middle school, high school and beyond.

“I would love to be a great listener and advocate for the well-being and future of the NES population,” he says.

Nederland Elementary School’s new second teacher is Katherine Sylvest, who after a week of teaching says she loves the kids already, that they are excited to be learning.

“In addition to the fundamental reading and match skills, I hope my students learn to be inquisitive about the world, learn how to be critical thinkers and to be problem solvers. We are going to learn about the history of Nederland and its community this year.”

Sylvest also plans to teach the students about the environment by studying the weather, habitats and insects. Most of all she hopes the continue to learn about helping each other and teaching others kindly. She became a teacher because she loves learning and exploring and would like for her students to love learning as much as she does. Her greatest hope is that when her students are adults they will look back on their time with her and attribute their love for learning to their time together.

“My favorite thing about Ned is that the people are so accepting and we take care of each other in our community. I especially love the wildlife and the land. We live about 10 miles outside of town and treasure the serenity of the forest, the mountains and our peaceful lifestyle.”

Sylvester says she has the lofty goal of backpacking and photographing every country in the world; right now she is planning countries 42 and 43, hiking glaciers and photographing penguins in Patagonia, Argentina and Chile. She is into ecotourism, meeting local people and eating local food.

“I like to share those cultural ideas from abroad with my students and trekking has taught me a lot about myself and to keep an open mind. I like writing about the adventures and have started writing my first novel.”

Sylvester has been married to her husband Andrew for five years and they take turns plowing the driveway in winter. Andrew’s Dad, Don, has recently moved in with them and they have a special cat named Booger. They all work on sustainable homesteading ideas, including 15 chickens, rain barrel setups and gardens.

Meaghan McLuckie spent her first years in Trento, Italy where she was born before the family moved back to the states. They lived in Oakton, Virginia for five years and then Lansdale, PA. There she lived with her mom and older brother and she spent weekends with her dad and younger brother in Maryland.

She says her life in Pennsylvania was a blast, that she had an awesome family and neighbors and never had a dull moment. She loved school, teachers and friends.

Her mother has told her that she was playing school as soon she could talk, that she loved playing teacher with her neighborhood friends. In school her favorite class was art and she loved it so much that she joined after school clubs and always worked on arts and crafts in the summer. But she spent most of her time on the local swim team and running a lemonade stand.

McLuckie’s fifth grade teacher Mrs. McCormack sparked her passion for teaching. “She was so sweet, kind and loving. I remember she always made her students feel so at home whey they entered her class. The was funny and all of her students were engaged in what they were learning in her class. I remember how she made me feel and wanting to be just like her.”

McLuckie says she is passionate about teaching and especially for new opportunities. She thrives being around her students and in the classroom. She says she will bring a positive spirit, kind heart and passionate attitude to the classroom.

Becoming an active part of the Nederland community is her goal. She moved to Colorado last month and is looking forward to becoming more involved in the community. She loves to be outside in the sunshine, loves running, hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking and gardening.

“I am excited for a bright future in Nederland. I am living in Boulder so moving up to the mountains is definitely in my future plans. I hope I will continue to teach at NES and will have close connections with members of the Nederland community. I am so grateful for how welcoming everyone has been towards me and I know my future year will be wonderful.”

(Originally published in the September 7, 2017 print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)