GEORGIA NELSON/ PART THREE (1927- 1960 and 1963-1964)
Georgia Nelson/ Part Three
Nancy Nye Priest ‘39 was not only a student when Georgia Nelson was our Head of School but also a faculty member. Since I had the privilege of working with Nancy, a living legend in the truest sense, her paragraphs on Miss Nelson move me the most:
“Miss Nelson had a knack for meeting and bringing to school all sorts of very interesting people. She over brought Marin and Osa Johnson, two of the earliest explorers, with their black and white silent movies of the animals, lions, rhinos, elephants, and many other animals that we had never seen outside of zoos.
“She was very flexible in all her dealings with the children and this flexibility was, I’m sure, a product of her ability to truly love each individual child. She really understood what was important to each child and how that child’s needs could be fitted into the life of the school. She also knew how to work with parents and board members. My father once admitted, ‘Georgia Nelson is able to persuade every member of the board to do exactly the things she wants done.’
“She was a master at choosing her faculty, and she always kept her teachers on her toes. She knew how the element of surprise could keep the day-to-day existence at school from becoming boring. Teachers always how to be flexible because suddenly a special assembly could be called, or some event like Kite Day would be staged simply because the wind was right.”
I am laughing at Mrs. Priest’s final sentence, for Mrs. Gorham often spoke about Miss Nelson’s delight in surprising the faculty.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
