Origins of Ensworth Traditions: Mr. Picklesimer

2/17/2017

by Polly Bibb Douse

This is the second post in our series on Ensworth traditions. This week, take a look at some of Mr. Picklesimer's favorite traditions.

Outside of the classroom, favorite traditions include the first grade pet show and Patchwork guests. Ensworth legend and treasured teacher, Mr. Picklesimer, helped kindle his own unique traditions, specifically the infamous Grade 5 Science Egg Drop that continues to “fall” annually despite his retirement.

“The Pet Show has always been a big part of the school,” says Mr. Picklesimer. “We had two tennis courts where Frist Hall was located, and that is where the Pet Show always was. It was inside the fence. The kids sat around the fence of the tennis courts, and you went down there and walked all around and looked at all of the pets that the kids brought. At that point in time, a cow may be brought in, or a pig or horse. A lot of these kids had farms, and they would bring in their animals.”

He continued, “Another thing that I have loved all through the years is Patchwork. It is very different today than when it started. When it started, it used to last almost a week. They would fill up the cafeteria with books and they would have all these books in there that kids could buy. We would have two days of visitors coming in and performing. David Holt came through and a lot of others came, too. We would have this big celebration. That continued for a number of years, and later changed to spreading out these visitors throughout the school year. Overall, it has been a tradition that has evolved and changed its focus over the years.”

In the spring, students over the past decade and a half have experienced a special ritual known as the Egg Drop. Mr. Picklesimer elaborates on this tradition that he brought to Grade 5, “I spent my last 15 years teaching fifth grade, and a tradition that I started was an Egg Drop. Right around the time I started teaching fifth grade again, the first US Mars Landers went down. We were doing a whole solar system study and following the Mars Landers. We looked at the mechanism they used to get them to land safely, which was basically a large airbag. That got the Egg Drop started, and it became a staple in the spring for fifth grade. Over the last four or five years, as we changed the curriculum in fifth grade, we continued doing the Egg Drop. The kids looked forward to it and heard about it from their siblings. That was something that I looked forward to every year.”

While Mr. Picklesimer has now retired, his legacy and favorite traditions are enduring. As shown at the recent 2017 Egg Drop final presentation (pictured at top), Mr. Picklesimer continues to stay involved in our community and keep the traditions that make Ensworth special alive.

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