“Mary the Lady Bug” Goes to Acorn School

About the Author - Scott Warren
Greetings! My name is Scott—known as Raptor to my friends and Pop to my grandsons. Both of my daughters, Sally and Abby, grew up at The Acorn School, and now my grandsons are following in their footsteps.

Raising my daughters was one adventure after another, from skiing and camping to boating and traveling. Our favorite bedtime stories often reminisced about these adventures, blending real memories with fantasy. The most brave and adventurous character of all was "Mary the Ladybug." Whenever Sally and Abby packed their backpacks for a new journey, Mary would hitch a ride in a hidden pocket, emerging at the peak of the excitement. In one story, as Sally was landing a bluefish, Mary was swallowed by the monster, only to be freed when they fileted the fish for the grill.

Today, the stories of Mary the Ladybug continue. Now told to our grandsons from the coast of Maine, these new adventures revolve around the activities of the day and our most recent memories. We are happy to share Mary The Ladybug with you!

“Mary the Lady Bug” Goes to Acorn School (1990 to present)

Mary the Lady Bug is an EXPLORER!  Mary the Lady Bug goes everywhere with her best friend Sally.  Mary wakes up with Sally and flies straight to Sally’s backpack so that she can hide inside.  Mary knows if she hides inside Sally’s backpack that she will be off for many daily adventures like boating, island camping, skiing, rollerblading, sailing, even cycling in Europe.  She LOVED IT!  Life was GOOD!

In 1990, Sally turned four.  That was the first time Mary the Lady Bug visited the Acorn School.  Mary did not know it, but Sally was about to become a Chipmunk.  Of all things???  A CHIPMUNK!  Mary The Lady Bug was very anxious about this mammal body and personality transformation!  I mean Chipmunks are moving ALL THE TIME!  There is NO REST for a Chipmunk.  Mary was concerned her little wings would not keep up with Sally “the Chipmunk”.  But it all worked out!

That first day at The Acorn School, the car door swung open and standing there to meet Sally were Becky Shepard and Sue Bendroth.  The positive energy and welcome were so sincere, so loving and accepting.  Mary thought, “There is no way they are going to turn Sally into a Chipmunk… right?”  Becky and Sue promised Mary the Lady Bug that Sally was safe and Mary too was welcome at the Acorn School.  

At the Acorn School, there was day after day of playing, learning and making many friends.  The Acorn School brought so much adventure into Mary’s life!  She hoped it would never end.  She learned to go inside when the bell rang, she watched Sally hang up her coat and put boots in cubbies and join the circle of singing and stories.  Mary the Lady Bug learned everyone’s name by singing, then snack time, free play, arts & crafts, then back outside.  They even had a slide inside!  Mary and Sally had to sit quietly during story time, which was hard.

The next year Sally became a “Chickadee”, which suited her well.  Now everyone knew the routine, how to share, play well with others, sit quietly during circle time, clean up after snack time.  Heck, the Chickadees even knew the words to most of the songs and knew everyone’s names too.

Then, Oh My Gosh, Sally graduated to a “Mighty Oak”.  WOW!  Now it was getting serious.  We are talking mathematics!  Even Mary the Lady Bug can count to 100!  There was letter writing, reading skills, science experiments,  painting, poems, they even learned how to count in Japanese!  There was just so much to learn.  Don’t misundertand, it wasn’t high school or anything.  All the Mighty Oaks still had SO MUCH FUN!  And, all the learning was experiential, which was so cool and much more meaningful.

Did you know that Becky plays the piano?  And her voice is like a Broadway performance.  We love Becky and Sue.

But then DAGNABIT, Sally graduated to first grade.  1st grade was not nearly as fun asThe Acorn School.  So, Mary the Lady Bug decided to adventure with Sally’s younger sister Abby for a few years.  You see, Abby was 3 years younger than Sally.  So, Mary the Lady Bug got to do an entire Acorn School repeat.  And, to make matters even more interesting, RIGHT NOW (today) Sally is a mother, and her children go to the Acorn School!  So, Mary the Lady Bug sends her children along with the Henry and Max to The Acorn School.  Mary knows the best way to give her children a good start in life is to give them every adventure and opportunity possible, starting with The Acorn School.  

And now, 35 years later, Sue Bendroth is still there to greet you;  and although Becky isn’t playing piano at school, there is still plenty of singing and music.  What a gift!  Mary the Lady Bug and her kids love The Acorn School.  They love Sue Bendroth and her entire team.  Mary the Lady Bug wants Becky Shepard to know that she is ONE IN A MILLION AND A TRUE VISIONARY!  

Lastly, Mary the Lady Bug is glad the students did not turn into actual Chipmunks, certainly not fuzzy Woolly Bears.  But Mary the Lady Bug did confirm that those children did turn out to be Mighty Oaks.  They grew to understand kindness, confidence, appreciation and so much more.  Through all these years, Mary the Lady Bug thanks the entire Acorn School team!  And, Mary’s Lady Bug children LOVE THE ACORN SCHOOL!