Helen Paffile sits in the basement kindergarten classroom of her Lewiston home in this Barry Kough photo published in the Nov. 11, 1977, Lewiston Tribune. In the accompanying story by Wendy Aldrich, Paffile describes her time operating and teaching at her private Prospect Avenue Kindergarten in the years before Idaho public schools provided kindergarten to all children. Paffile had retired the previous spring after teaching at her kindergarten for 23 years. According to the story, “Once all the Lewiston schools had kindergartens, the enrollment at Prospect Avenue Kindergarten dropped. At the peak she had 52 students, morning and afternoon sessions with 26 children in each.” Paffile keeps busy now by knitting for her grandchildren. Readers who would like to share their historical photos (20 years or older) from throughout the region may do so by emailing them to blasts@lmtribune.com or submitting them to: Blast from the Past, P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501. Questions? Call Jeanne M. DePaul at (208) 848-2221.
