Mars High School Teacher Erica Flowers carries on remarkable program: Planet Preschool

In the morning here at Mars Area High School, it is common to see a procession of preschool kids lining up in the front hallway hand in hand with high school students.  As this miniature army moves in a neat line bubbling with anticipation, you will see Mars Area High School teacher Erica Flowers leading the way.   If you ever wondered what you just witnessed, it is the beginning of another rewarding day of Planet Preschool. 
 
Planet Preschool operates four days a week and is run by high school juniors and seniors as part of their Child Development class.   It involves not just students who want to be teachers, but any student who knows their future career will have them working with children (doctors, physician assistants, nurses, dentists, psychologists, etc.).   What is even more amazing is these 3 hours of preschool per day, running from November to May, only cost parents $200 per child for the entire school year! 
 
​Originally, the program was run by Mars High School legend Susan Friters 25 years before Erica Flowers was hired to the district.  Erica was only 23 when she took on this responsibility, and after only a few days under the tutelage of Mrs. Friters, she was on her own!   “No one knew what went on in this classroom and how to run Planet Preschool once Susan retired,” Flowers said.   
 
Continuing to run a successful preschool program required countless hours of planning, research, and networking outside of school hours with old college friends who were engaged in similar endeavors.   On top of that, Mrs. Flowers ended up putting a lot of her own money into the program to make it work as “this room was in palettes – no one was here, it was newly renovated.” 
 
Today, Mrs. Flowers plays the role of principal while high school students are the teachers of preschool children ranging in age from 3 to 5.   She said her greatest reward is seeing the high school students take pride in their work and realize the positive impact they are having: “The joy my high school kids get when they see their preschoolers have that ‘Ah-Ha’ moment… it’s not just a grade, they are impacting a kid who will utilize these skills for the rest of their life.” 
 
High school students benefit from getting incredible experience in child development, all free of cost.  This allows students to discover early on if working with children is a suitable future for them.  The high school students will put in a tremendous amount of energy and time into what is basically a one-to-one teacher-student relationship.   “These pre-school children just adore the high school kids,” Mrs. Flowers observed.  Many attend the high school students’ graduation ceremonies, and high school students can be seen attending their preschoolers’ soccer games.   
 
When asked what she would like the community to know about Planet Preschool, Mrs. Flowers wishes more people in the community realized that we have a preschool here and understood just what an incredible experience it is, both for the preschool students and for the high school students.   “It is a tremendous amount of work, a crazy schedule, but it is a lot of fun,” Flowers said.   A lot of fun, yes, but also a splendid example of how one teacher can make a positive difference in so many lives. 

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