St. Thomas Aquinas School Fulfills Long-Time Dream of Opening Pre-Kindergarten Class

The 2018/2019 school year marks a new chapter at St. Thomas Aquinas School as it opens its first pre-kindergarten class.  In an effort to meet the demands of the St. Thomas Aquinas School and Parish, the school has secured funds to expand its enrollment to include a preschool.  This endeavor has been a long time in the making and has been a dream come true for Principal Sr. Anne Louise Abascal, MPF and Msgr. Douglas Raun. Thanks to additional funding and the generosity of parents and families, the school was able to reorganize and create additional space needed for a classroom and the materials to craft a nurturing learning environment.  There are 15 students enrolled in the all-day preschool and St. Thomas Aquinas hopes to open a second classroom next year.  The class will be taught by Christina M. Vigil and Educational Assistant, Valerie Paul.
 
Christina M. Vigil has taught elementary education for sixteen years.  She earned her Baccalaureate of Science with Honors Degree in Elementary Education from Eastern New Mexico University and has completed graduate level classes in Bilingual Education and Early Childhood Education from the University of Texas at El Paso.  She is certified in both Texas and New Mexico in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Bilingual Education.  Mrs. Vigil began her career teaching Pre-K to bilingual students in Texas and spent ten years teaching third grade at STAS. She left the school to teach in the public schools, but returned after a few years, because she missed teaching about our Catholic faith and being part of the STAS family.  She is extremely excited about returning and helping start the Pre-K program and she sees it as a blessing.