SALT LAKE CITY — "Welcome to the Emma Eccles Jones Kindergarten Commemoration," said Christina Vierra-McGill, principal of the Madeleine Choir School Feb. 12. "We have been the recipients of a very generous principal gift for our capital campaign from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation." The dignitaries attending the commemoration were Father Rick Lawson, Emma Eccles Jones’ grandnephew and board member of the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Clark Giles, chairman of the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Msgr. Joseph Mayo, pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and administrator of the Madeleine Choir School; Greg Glenn, founder of the Madeleine Choir School, Chris Hemmersmeier, chairman of the Madeleine Choir School Board of Directors, staff, and parents. "We are experiencing a number of bicentennials today. There are several people who have turned 200 including Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, and Felix Mendelssohn," said Glenn. "These are three human beings who stepped outside of the norm, who pursued excellence in the arts and in literature, in the sciences, and also in the political and social sciences. Glenn said Lincoln defended the vulnerable, stood up for the weak, and brought this nation closer to its ideal of equal justice under law. Darwin advanced our understanding of the human being, and of all the animal kingdom. "Finally," said Glenn, "Mendelssohn advanced us in the arts. That is what this school is committed to. The same thing those three noble humans were committed to. We know that Emma Eccles Jones was also committed to that, as she was a strong advocate of early childhood education, and education in general in our state." The Madeleine Choir choristers performed Mendelssohn’s "Lift Thine Eyes" for the commemoration celebration. "We are so grateful for this gift," said Vierra-McGill. "We started the day outside and said a prayer of thanksgiving to God for all of the gifts that we have, and also for the generosity of all of the people who have put us here today. "We would especially like to thank Fr. Lawson and Mr. Giles for their generosity. "Emma Eccles Jones was a pioneer in early education," said Vierra-McGill. "In 1926, Em, as she was often called became Logan county’s first kindergarten teacher. She instituted progressive education and method teaching. Em worked hand-in-hand with her mentor and fellow pioneer Edith Bowen to make early childhood education more challenging, more joyful, and more effective. As a sign of her extremely generous nature, she contributed her first year’s salary to support children’s learning. She set the perfect example for all of us educators to follow in her careful and compassionate handling of young students. "It is an honor to be here to recognize the contributions of Emma Eccles Jones, both to the art of education and to our school," said Hemmersmeier. "Emma Eccles Jones’ life was filled with generosity in the care of her young students and towards the community. In 2005, The Madeleine Choir School became the beneficiary of that generosity in the form of a principal gift from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation toward the capital campaign for the restoration and renovation of Jacquelyn M. Erbin Hall. "Again, we would especially like to thank Fr. Lawson for facilitating this gift," said Hemmersmeier. "And now in Emma Eccles Jones’ memory, we dedicate this space." Msgr. Mayo told the children he went to kindergarten across the way in the Cathedral school, which was built in 1949. He said Fr. Lawson went to kindergarten in this house. "Now my assignment at the Cathedral of the Madeleine and Fr. Lawson’s assignment at Saint Mark’s Cathedral coincide with both the beginnings of our lives, and the generation of our lives," said Msgr. Mayo laughing at the truth of it all. It is a wonderful pleasure for me to keep connecting the thread of life, the thread of energy, and the thread of ongoing childhood education, and this building, which has been so successful for the children, and in the voices of the children we have just heard sing. "With that in mind, we offer this prayer of dedication," said Msgr. Mayo. "Today we ask blessing upon this Emma Eccles Jones kindergarten, which is to be a center of seeking, learning, and teaching what is truth. We ask that those entrusted with the education of these children in this institution may teach their students and these kindergarteners of the joy and the discoveries, so they will be able to keep the true faith and live up to it in their lives. We also ask the Lord and the students, that the students will find in their teachers, the image of Christ so that in each with both human and divine learning, they will in turn be able and ready to enlighten and assist others. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen." Fr. Lawson shared that Emma Eccles Jones was his Aunt Em, his grandmother’s sister. "I knew her very well," said Fr. Lawson. "When I was your age, about 5 or 6 years old, Aunt Em came to visit. She came to Utah every summer. She lived in California. The first year, when I was just beginning to be able to read a book, she brought me the very first book I ever owned. It was a story that she had when she was teaching people your age. "The book was called ‘The Gunny Wolf,’" said Fr. Lawson. "What you need to do one of these days is to persuade your teachers to look on the computer and see if you can find the story of "The Gunny Wolf." Mr. Glenn would like it because there is even some singing in that story. So he can help you to learn that little bit of singing. "Aunt Em was a wonderful woman, and indeed, every time you were with her it was like magic," said Fr. Lawson. "It was just superb. I hope that this gift to the school is the kind of magic that will continue to inspire you as well."
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