About Mrs. Nicholls:

This is Mrs. Nicholls' 29th year of teaching at Lone Rock School

Questions and Answers:

How did you come to teach here?

I drive every day! I started out teaching half-time Resource Special Education and half-time Kindergarten. I eventually switched to second grade and have been there ever since. That's because I'm short.

What are the highlights of your school year?

Brain Gym is a routine of exercises that the students and I do every morning. It gets their energy up, their mind focused and as a bonus, has been doing a great job of keeping me limber!

Another area of special interest includes learning about our local community, past and present. We are lucky to have some outstanding local resources to visit, such as St. Mary's Mission, Fort Owen, the Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge, Traveler's Rest, and Valley Drug Store.
At the end of the year, we raise butterflies from caterpillar larvae. That's usually very exciting, although last year we had no survivors. That was a first for me. I think it might have been because some of the students were sneezing on the caterpillars and chrysalides.

What are the interesting projects your class works on?

From year to year, I have done various multidisciplinary units on bats, butterflies, the desert, Africa, Latin America, pioneers, storytelling from quilts, and freedom from slavery. Although we study these things every year, they don't all become big projects.

What is the best part of teaching at Lone Rock? Why do you like teaching here?

Lone Rock is a great community school! Not only have I gotten to work with wonderful colleagues, taught brilliant students who come from amazing parents, I've also been able to raise my own family here.