Sister Mary Leonilla, C.S.J., St. Anthony’s school, and a retired couple are among volunteers preparing small children for their first year at school through the Headstart program.

The first day’s training class was “a real experience” for Sister Mary Leonilla, who was driven to the training center at Central Methodist Church by Rev. Edgar M. Grider, of Central Presbyterian Church.

The nun, 25 years a teacher, said. “ I am grateful for this opportunity to take a summer off to help the children.” She plans to spend two mornings a week as a volunteer at Berean Academy and some morning at Peeples St. School. “Peeples St. is right across the road from us,” she said, “and the children share the same playground. We would like to keep up the neighborly spirit.”

Most important, Sister Leonilia believes is the “individual attention the program gives to pre-school children to better prepare them for their school experiences—I think this is the real interest of everyone involved in the program.”

Among full-time volunteers in the Headstart program are Mr. and Mrs. Ernest B. Duckworth of St. Thomas More parish. Grandparents of eight children, Mrs. Duckworth said, “I have learned more from the training course than I did working with my own children.” The Duckworths consider the program “a real challenge” and Mrs. Duckworth said, “We are gong to stick with it.’

Simple art projects are part of the program, and the Duckworths are going “well-fortified” with tin cans, strawberry cartons, tomato baskets, and other materials which the children can use in the classes.

Teenagers volunteering full-time include Exzine Haney, senior at Samuel Howard Archer. “I can get a night job this summer,” Haney said, “but I am interested especially in art programs for the children.”

Dorothy Smith, senior at St. Joseph’s and Shirley Moore read about the program in their church bulletin at Radcliffe United Presbyterian church.

“We just like little children, and hope to help them,” the girls said.

Volunteer Task Force sponsors summer Headstart programs in five private, not-profit centers. Each program is supervised by one professional and one professional assistant and funded by EOA. Volunteers will assist with art and singing projects, the lunch program and field trips designed to “help draw out the children”. A total of 3,050 children will participate in Headstart through public school and Volunteer Task Force programs in the Rockdale, Gwinnett and Atlanta areas.