Mesabi's Story
When St. Rose School closed its doors at the end of the 2013 school year the
community felt a loss and Shelly Vanneste, a Prekindergarten teacher at St. Rose at the time, saw a need. “Families and community members kept coming to me and asking me to please do something to keep a program that was so desperately needed in Proctor going.” It didn’t take much to convince Shelly, just a lot of work and with the support of family, friends, and our great community she realized her dream when Mesabi Preschool Academy LLC opened in September 2013.
Fast forward nine years and not much has changed regarding Shelly’s goals for Mesabi Preschool Academy. When she opened her doors, her plan was to be sure children felt safe and secure by creating a positive, caring and nurturing environment. Her program emphasis was and still is on the classroom experience for the child and the parent’s involvement in their child’s education. She wanted to ensure children had opportunities to build their self-esteem in a classroom atmosphere based on tolerance, kindness and sensitivity while building a solid foundation for a lifetime of successful learning.
Mesabi Preschool Academy provides the highest quality of care to as many families as possible. We are currently at full capacity and feature 3 rooms: an Infant Room (licensed capacity of 8), a Toddler Room (licensed capacity of 14), and a Preschool Room (licensed capacity of 20). We continue to provide a safe, healthy, nurturing learning environment to the children we serve!
Mission Statement
In partnership with parents and the community, Mesabi Preschool Academy LLC will create a foundation for a lifetime of learning that promotes independence, creativity, curiosity and problem solving. Mesabi Preschool Academy LLC will nurture students while continuing to provide age appropriate experiences, helping them reach their maximum potential.
Philosophy
In our school, children will be made to feel safe and secure. The atmoshpere will be a positive, caring and nurturing environment. Children will have many opportunities to build their self-esteem and self-concept. As educators, we feel building a classroom atmosphere based on tolerance, kindness and sensitivity to the needs of all children, will foster positive self-esteem among the children.