Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/1187302
Nancy Elmer at Latin School of Chicago in 1971 Jill Almeida and Nancy Elmer Talk to parents and students of former fifth grade teacher Nancy Elmer, and the same adjectives are repeated: Dedicated. Loyal. Giving. Optimistic. Given these traits, it's hardly remarkable to learn that Latin recently was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million bequest by Elmer, Latin's largest to date, which will be specifically used for lower school financial aid. "I'm not surprised in the least," said former lower school director Linda Hennelly, referring to Elmer's planned giving. "It made total sense to me because Latin was her life." Elmer began teaching in 1963 and worked more than 30 years until her retirement in 1995. She was known for her memory maps, which were two by three feet in size and blank; they were used by Elmer to teach U.S. and world geography. Elmer believed that fifth graders had the ability to absorb an amazing amount of information. Students worked at their own pace, based on their own abilities. By the end of the year, the map would be filled in with states and capitals, as well as rivers and oceans and even other countries with their capitals. Elmer had each map framed with the class picture in the lower right corner. "Students had the greatest sense of pride when they finished the map at the end of the year," said Jill Almeida, a former Latin parent. "That map hung in [my daughter] Alexis' bedroom for years, even after college." Championing the Latin of the Future THE IMPACT OF GIVING Latin School of Chicago 12