Trust feelings when choosing a school

By KIBRET MARKOS

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2000

CLEARWATER -- When Bianca Levi was going to the Temple B'nai Israel Preschool in Clearwater four years ago, it was time for her mother, Robin Nicholls, to start looking for an elementary school.

[Times photo: Scott Keeler] Bianca Levi, 7, who attends Pinellas County Jewish Day School, reads for her mom, Robin Nicholls.

Nicholls spoke to the other parents who were sending their children to the same preschool. One mother, who had two children going to the Pinellas County Jewish Day School in Clearwater, told her about the school and set up an appointment for her with the principal.

When Nicholls toured the day school, the atmosphere in a kindergarten class impressed her most.

"The class had so much warmth. It was a happy environment," she said.

The Temple B'nai Israel Preschool had the same feel, Nicholls said. "So I decided right in that kindergarten class to send my daughter there."

Bianca, 7, is now in second grade at PCJDS, her third year there. Nicholls is still happy with her choice.

"My feelings for the school have blossomed," Nicholls said. "The kids enjoy what they are doing. The first time I saw a whole class of second-graders enjoying math was in PCJDS."

During her search, she regarded qualified teachers and safety as the most important things in a school.

"But the warmth in the school is also very important," Nicholls said, who is a single parent. "Both my daughter and I have developed friendships at PCJDS. This school is like an extended family for us."

Although Nicholls came from a strong religious background, she says that is not why she chose PCJDS for her daughter.

"There is just enough exposure to Judaism at the school," she said. "It accepts students who are not Jewish. The school's general focus is on academics, and so is mine."

Nicholls is noticing her daughter learning to be more responsible. "I never remind her of homework or the library books that she needs to return. It's part of what she has to do and she enjoys doing it."

Annual tuition at PCJDS ranges from $7,155 to $7,791, but the school had scholarship programs in which families could get discounts of up to 50 percent.

Working as a marketing and sales consultant, Nicholls says the fees at PCJDS are affordable. "It's not right to think of private schools as just for the rich."

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