SAN ANTONIO — Elm Creek Elementary became Southwest ISD’s eighth elementary school in 1997. One of the teachers who interviewed for a job at the time says she just knew it was meant to be hers. In fact, she stuck to her guts, turned down two other jobs and waited for Southwest ISD to call her back and when she got the offer, she never looked back.
In honor of all her accomplishments, KENS 5 Anchor Sarah Forgany presented Mary Frances Nino with the KENS 5 EXCEL Award and a $1,000 check from our partner Credit Human as the campus joined in on the celebrations.
If you ask Mary Frances Nino, life’s a dance at Elm Creek Elementary. At 7 a.m. every morning, she opens up the school day with a dance in the hallway.
“As soon as I hear the music, I dart out the door,” Nino said. ”I start dancing, I grab a teacher and we do a little twirl.”
The campus doors have revolved with kids and teachers twirling with Nino for nearly three decades now ever since the campus welcomed its very first class in 1997. Nino recalls that day like it was yesterday.
“I remember it from day one when we first entered the building, I was the last person to select a classroom.”
Over the years, she’s taught first graders, kinder and now Pre-K, but one thing that has never changed is her bright colorful personality. Nino proudly told us as she modeled her pink overalls she wears to work, “Pink is my favorite color, that’s me."
She walked us through her classroom, where rainbows are on every corner and of course, her pom poms that have become famous at school during her dance routines.
When it comes down to it, Nino said she just loves her job, “That's why I've stayed for 27 years.”
She stayed put while all the people around her colleagues, staff and students have come and gone.
Thousands of students have graduated and now have their own families.
“Now her former students have become teachers,” Southwest ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeanette Ball told KENS 5, adding many still remember Nino. “I feel very fortunate to have somebody of her high caliber here at Elm Creek, part of Southwest ISD.
Dr. Ball said Nino instilled in students the love that she has for what she does and as influenced some of them to return to their roots at Elm Creek.
Abigail is now a teacher who works down the hallway from Nino, “Abigail, she was my first kindergarten student,” Nino said, adding memories come rushing back when Abigail walks by her. She still sees the little girl who once sat in her classroom nearly three decades ago.
“With the pigtails and the little braids,” Nino said, “Just an amazing feeling to be here and to experience that.”
Some of these kids have become like family “If they need clothes, I’ll buy clothes, If they need groceries, I'll buy groceries, whatever it is they need. I don't tell anybody. I just do.”
She admits teaching is challenging at times but emphasized quitting was never an option. Nino says the key is to take it one day at a time and never look back.”
“You have to reflect and say, what did I do wrong? what am I going to do better? and tomorrow is a new day.“
Through each lesson Nino says she too learns alongside her students. The kids are her role models and even the littlest ones have something to teach her.
“I see them as teaching me. They're teaching me how they learn. What is the best way that they can communicate in the classroom?,” Nino said. “To be patient, to be more understanding, to have more empathy.“
And the more lessons, the more wisdom “never change yourself,” instead she says, "just evolve."
“I've just gotten older, but I'm still the same person and I think also I have a hard time getting off the floor,” Nino said as she joked about getting older. But she added she still has a lot of room left to grow. Retirement is not in her immediate plans.
“I still feel like that brand new teacher that I started 27 years ago,” Nino said.
In fact, Nino recently returned to school to get her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education.
“I get excited about coming to school when the year starts. I get excited about seeing my friends.”
This is the KENS 5 EXCEL Awards 25th years partnering with Credit Human to honor local teachers. If you’d like to watch past winners, click on kens5.com/EXCEL.