Balloons, wind-whipped flags greet Turlock school’s 10th birthday

Sandra Tovar Medeiros Elementary celebrated turning 10 with a song and star-studded event that paid tribute to the teacher for whom it is named.

Nearly 800 kids crowded in front of the outdoor stage before school Monday as a stiff breeze whipped student-held flags and clusters of balloons in school colors of red, white and blue. Two star mascots flanked the stage in glittering gold costumes. Both were fourth-graders, probably born the same year the school was built.

Medeiros opened Feb. 22, 2006, noted kindergarten teacher Sue Indermuehle, one of 25 teachers still with the school a decade later. Over the years, the school has had winning floats in the Turlock Christmas Parade and a tradition of Monday morning assemblies. Field trips to Sutter’s Fort and Yosemite, supported by dance-a-thons, and special Fairy Tale Days and Native American Days have brought lessons to life, Indermuehle recalled.

A time capsule in its library still has 40 years to go, said Principal Jennifer Yacoub. But in a time frame to which kids could relate, there would be ice cream at lunch, she said, and a talent show and other festivities through the week.

Yacoub is the second principal to lead the school. Former Principal Al Silveira gave students a 10th anniversary salute as well. Also on stage were the Medeiros and Tovar families, who came to savor the moment and share their memories.

“I think it’s my job to tell you a little about the real Sandra Tovar Medeiros,” Scott Medeiros told students. His late wife was a Turlock native of modest beginnings, who sewed her cheerleading teams’ uniforms in junior high. She taught her cat to use the toilet, he said, in what may be the most-remembered bit of history of the day.

Sandra Tovar Medeiros died of cancer in 1998. But, speakers said, not before leaving a legacy of caring and commitment as a Wakefield kindergarten teacher and reading specialist.

“Her classroom was joyful, inspiring, interactive. Her kids loved being there,” said Mary Borba, who recruited Medeiros for the Reading Recovery tutoring program for first-grade readers Turlock used at the time.

She also started an after-school girls club at Wakefield, becoming friend, mentor and cheerleader for older students at the high-poverty school. “She wanted them to have dreams like she did,” Borba said, adding that Medeiros was the first school in Turlock to be named for a teacher.

The honor seems to have wound its way into the fabric of the school. Asked for her favorite thing about going to Medeiros, sixth-grader Maya Kern said, “I like how the teachers let everyone be involved. They don’t just have it all be about one person.”

Her face framed by an oval cutout in her star costume, fourth-grader Kaiya Olesen said, “I like that teachers are always nice to you. They always like you.”

Medeiros’ family cut a bright red ribbon on a memorial bench, placed beside a young shade tree by the school office as a lasting 10-year anniversary tribute.

“It gives me comfort. She did what she wanted to do,” said her mother, Rachel Tovar, moved to tears by the ceremony.

“It’s pretty amazing,” said her youngest son, Elijah Medeiros, 22, a student at Modesto Junior College. Beside him sat brothers Dylan, 29, and Mitchell, 34.

“It’s a real honor,” said Mitchell Medeiros. “I definitely think it’s deserving.” His mother’s name was not on the initial list being considered for the new school in 2006, but a community outpouring of support made the board reconsider and choose her, he said.

“She believed in the importance of reading,” he said. Inspired by the effectiveness of her tutoring, her oldest son now tutors kids as a volunteer.

“I see how much difference it makes in everything if they are still sounding out words (in later grades). It’s really glaring when a kid has trouble reading,” he said.

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Balloons, wind-whipped flags greet Turlock school’s 10th birthday."