She was a petite, older lady by the time we were in her class with her soft short fine hair do.  She inspired us to write short stories.  My best memories were learning about different subjects beecause we would have to later we would have to produce a story book about what we learned of which a few of my choices to learn about were elephants, how to make tooth paste, rockets and about the "sticky haired dog" which turned about to be a lost in translation story of a dog's "tough skin" not sticky skin...because it was short and there was no penetration.  Anyway, the rocket story was my science project that was stolen the next day.  To this day when I think of the different type of Elephants:  Asian/Indian & African elephants, I think of Mrs. Weiner's class and the best story book a 2nd grader could produce with water color paint pictures.  I also remember the inclass parties and Kylie dancing about with the other 2nd graders while a few of us, sat and watched.  To think 10 years later at 17 or 18 I'd be one to have enough confidence to dance Hip Hop & Latin Dances such as Bachata, Merengue, and Salsa despite being Thai of Asian descent is a complete 180 degrees.

Miss Nakayama's 1st Grade Class -1986-1987 School Year

She was the most graceful teacher I knew with her soft spoken speech, grand style of handwriting, and the way she would conduct the national anthem.  She wore her respectful sweaters and skirts while waving her right hand around gesturing the rise and fall of the notes to the "Star Spangle Banner" to guide and conduct for our 1st grade class.  She still remembered me when I revisited her class 13 years later, in 1999, of which she had her class in the Annex.  She had remembered my father, Mr. Meesriyong as she asked about him and reminisced on how he would regularly bring in fried rice and other sorts of "delicious food" for the teachers as she informed me.  I was too young to know this and he never spoke of his kind deeds.  I was surprised she had remembered him and myself as I have changed greatly.

From Men Who Have Made the Fifth Ward, by H.L. Schroeder and C.W. Forbrich,
copyright 1894:
"The Healy School, named in honor of Robert Healy, one of the original patroons [a word meaning "a person who held an estate in land with certain manorial priviledges granted under the old Dutch governments of New York and New Jersey (dictionary.com)] of the old Fifth Ward, was built in 1885 on Wallace Street, just north of Thirty-first Street.  The 75 feet front cost the city but $6,000.  The 15-room building consumed $48,000 more. January, 1886, it was opened to admit 525 pupils and ten teachers, Miss Jennie Dewey being the principal.... The Healy was a primary school -- sending all fifth year pupils to neighboring grammar schools to be prepared for high school.  In September, 1893, it was made a grammar school, holding its pupils through eight grades.  Its first class will graduate in June, 1897.  In October,  1895, nine additional rooms were opened, having been added during the summer upon ground originally used as a yard and the twenty-five feet between the yard and alley, owned by Patrick Casey, sold for $3,200.  The sum of $45,000 was devoted to the erection of these nine rooms and the rearrangement of basement to accomodate extra heating apparatus.  The Healy now has 1,250 seats in twenty-four well-arranged class rooms, and a large German recitation room.  One of its basement rooms is admirably adapted for manual training, and will doubtless be so utilized another year.  Parents having boys of surplus vitality, whom they wish to continue in school will appreciate the value of such training.... The salaries of the twenty-nine teachers and engineer amount to $20,425 annually.