"You all made a difference": FUMC Learning Center staff reunites

Patty Tate, the former director and a member of the founding staff of First United Methodist Learning Center preschool, kept with tradition. 

When she was director at the preschool starting in 1992, Tate and the teachers collected books and wrapped them to give to each of the students for Christmas. 

After she retired, she still had more than 100 Little Golden Books.

And she knew exactly what to do with them.

She wrapped a few dozen and presented them as gifts to the teachers, staff and former directors of The Learning Center who gathered Friday, June 19, for a staff reunion, bringing together people who had worked together since the preschool’s opening in 1992. 

A wide smile came across the face of each of the at least 20 people who attended the reunion as they unwrapped their book to see the title they received. 

The night at the Church of the Messiah was filled with reminiscing over memories, updating each other on the lives of their children and grandchildren, and feeling the love of a tight-knit community that stayed with the school throughout the years that kept employees at the school.

Throughout the reunion, Tate reminded each person, “You all made a difference,” the theme for the reunion.

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‘You just keep coming back’

The Learning Center opened in 1992 with Tate, who had been involved in a preschool co-op program through Valencia College, serving as director. She said she was blessed and honored to be the preschool’s first director. 

She recalled the Learning Center only had 20 students who were split into two classes, each with a teacher and an assistant.

Since then, the school has experienced tremendous growth, having classes for voluntary pre-K, children ages 2 to 4 and a Mom’s Morning Out program.

Under Wendy Davis’ tenure as director from 2015 to 2022, she led the school through a playground renovation and classroom renovations. She spent hours computerizing various school records. She saw the school’s enrollment climb to more than 100 students. 

A spot at the school was highly coveted, with parents asking well in advance when enrollment would open. 

Davis recalled when a father arrived at the church at 2 a.m. and slept outside until the doors opened so he would be the first in line to enroll.

“We never had to advertise because we had word of mouth,” Davis said. “It was just a rewarding experience that we were such a family school.”

Numerous teachers and directors said the FUMC Learning Center simply was a place of love, community and care for families. Even if teachers left to work at another school or take time off to care for their children, they more often than not returned to the Learning Center. For example, before serving as director, Davis was a teacher. She started with the school in 1997 and took a break to be with her children before returning in 2001. She stayed until she retired in 2022. 

“It was that job that you never worked a day in your life, because it was so much fun and just rewarding,” Davis said. “You just keep coming back. You know the kids that are coming up and you just want to get with them. It was just a rewarding job.”

After enjoying a meal at the reunion catching up with one another, talking about what their children are doing as adults now or how they’re trying to keep up with the fast-paced lives of their grandchildren, Tate reminded everyone they have to indulge in a piece of cake before stepping aside from the podium to allow Davis to say a few words. 

“Patty is still ordering me around,” Davis joked, resulting in an eruption of laughter. 

“Absolutely,” Tate cracked back. 

Davis honored three individuals for their service to the school: Kim Bertsch, Sue Emerson and Lily Frets. 

Bertsch served as a teacher for the preschool for 18 years, becoming a “mainstay” at the school, said Davis, who thanked her for being a “great teacher” and for all her “great ideas.”

Emerson was the employee who worked at the school the longest — 27 years. 

“She just knew everything about the school and about all of everything that went on,” Davis said.

Finally, Frets was recognized for her time as a kindergarten teacher, assistant to Davis and director of the preschool for four years. Her dedication demonstrated her desire to always go above and beyond all the time as she “carried the torch for us,” Davis said. 

The three were given a bouquet of flowers and a gift bag.

Frets, who served as director from 2022 to 2025 and was a teacher at the school for 14 years prior to becoming the director, said the school environment allowed the staff to create lifelong friendships.

With so many teachers remaining at the school for years, they saw their families grow up, and many taught the others’ children. Davis’ daughter was in Tate’s first class in 1992. Frets’ children went through the school and now are graduating college or have started their careers. 

“I saw all these other staff members’ children grow up, and I’m going to graduation parties for children that were in my classroom,” Frets said. “It’s just something beautiful, and I was happy to be a part of it, happy with the friendships we’ve created. We all still get together.”

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Lasting memories

At the reunion, stories from throughout the years brought smiles and laughter. People took time looking over the dozens of photos spread on a table, and reminiscing over field trips, times in the classroom, staff outings and the students they taught. 

Davis said the academic calendar always was packed with traditions, events, field trips and more. 

Tate remembered when Margie Severance, who worked with 4-year-olds from 1999 to 2017, and her husband planted two trees on the playground, and the students used to make compost every year for Earth Day to put around the trees. Then, they would say a prayer for the trees. 

One of Severance’s favorite traditions was Dad’s Dessert Night, where the dads would come together with the kids for dessert. 

“With moms, they’re always watching the kids to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to, and with the dads it’s a whole different thing,” she said. “The kids were bouncing off the walls and going up on the stage, running around. The dads are just talking like there’s no problem. That was a lot of fun.”

For the mothers, the school hosted Mother’s Tea, which was an opportunity for the teachers to get to know the mothers at the beginning of the school year and begin developing relationships. 

The Christmas pageants were a staff favorite. Frets remembered the chaos leading into them, with rehearsals always being crazy and the looming question of how the performances would go. As soon as the pageant started, all was calm and the students always did a fabulous job, Frets said. 

The memories weren’t just from the major school events, either. Little classroom moments often were the sweetest. Frets remembered a little boy asking a little girl on a date, and the little girl said, “I’m sorry, I can’t date until I’m older. My daddy won’t let me.” 

From the big moments of celebrating pre-K graduation to the little moments in the classroom, every one meant the world to those who were part of the school. 

And none of it would have been possible without the dedication of each staff member who walked through the doors of First United Methodist Church Learning Center, Tate said. 

“You all made a difference,” she said.