New Hingham Nursery School director will continue retiring director’s tradition of warmth and friendliness

June 7, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer

Hingham Nursery School Director Murnie Leary is retiring at the end of June after 44 rewarding years of service -- first as a teacher,  and then in her current role for nearly three decades.

Lisa Warren, who has worked at the nursery school as an assistant teacher and then as a teacher for 26 years, is looking forward to stepping into Leary's position and carrying on her tradition of welcoming everyone who comes in the door with a friendly greeting and remembering every child by name.

"Murnie will be missed," Warren said. "I have her phone number to call her anytime [I need to]!"

HNS' approach, Leary explained, is reassuring, respectful, and positive, which hasn't changed in the more than 40 years she has worked there. "We want the children to have positive feelings about themselves while they are here and also when they move on, and the same is true for their families," she said.

In her role as director, Leary's duties have run the gamut from fixing a bike to leading the annual Spring costume parade to running the school.

She named relocating the nursery school from St. John's Church in Hingham Square -- when it was known as St. John's Nursery School -- to its current location at 1101 Main Street 15 years ago, and the pandemic, as among the biggest challenges she faced during her career.

Despite the challenges, Leary said that due to the support of HNS families, the nursery school was able to reopen during the pandemic.

She was particularly touched when on the first day that HNS reopened, "one little guy came in the door, giggled, and walked right back in" without saying a word.

Leary said she will most miss interacting with the children, teachers, and parents every day. "I especially love working with the children. They have such joy and spontaneity and are so open. They all do the same kinds of things in their own unique way."

One of her fondest memories is the day one of the older children said to her, "You are the best principal, and almost everyone likes you!"

Looking back, her two sons, Andrew and Peter, attended St. John's Nursery School.  After her older son enrolled, Leary found then-director Helen Broholm to be a "wonderful person. Her love and respect for the children was very evident," Leary recalled.

When Broholm asked her to be a permanent substitute to finish out the year, she was glad for the opportunity. "I really enjoyed the work, so when Helen asked me to fill a teacher opening, I accepted -- it fit with our family," Leary said.

After receiving training to be a kindergarten through sixth-grade teacher and earning her degree from Lesley University, Leary taught at Plymouth River School for a year before joining the then-St. John's Nursery School staff.

Warren's connection to HNS centers around her sister enrolling in the nursery school in the 1960s, and her mother's friendship with Leary.

When her mother recommended one of Lisa's friends for a job interview at the nursery school, Leary asked her at the time, "What about your daughter?!" Both were subsequently hired, and Warren has been there ever since.

"I had always thought I didn't want to be a teacher, because so many of my family members were teachers," she said. "However, I found that teaching that age group [.9 months to age 5] was a good fit."

While working full-time at the nursery school, Warren earned associate and bachelor's degrees in business from Lesley while also raising two children.

While Warren said she will miss teaching, Leary was quick to point out to her that she could visit a classroom anytime "to get a kid fix!"

As the new director, Warren's goal is to "learn the job as I go along and to do the best I can, carrying on Murnie's tradition of warmth and friendliness." She and Leary also plan to do some "visioning" together.

Warren enjoys the uniqueness of every child who attends HNS. "They are so honest and curious," she said. "What makes HNS special is first and foremost the kids, the parents who trust us with their children, and the teachers. I feel that we are all part of a team."

Warren especially enjoys having siblings, cousins, and other members of the same family attending the nursery school. "It's fun to see how each one is unique," she said.

While Warren is looking forward to beginning her new role as director, Leary -- although she will assuredly miss HNS -- is anticipating relaxing and enjoying the summer and spending more time with her grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews.