Early Act First Knight Program

Nancy Michelle Reynolds has been a teacher at Pecan Springs Elementary in East Austin for twenty-seven years teaching Kinder, First and Second grades but her real love is First Grade. Teaching to Michelle means giving every student who comes into her classroom, all the tools they need to enter the outside world and be successful. She also tries to ensure the learning environment is a place that students feel safe, heard and supported. She loves to see the “light bulb” moment for her students when they finally connect with their learning. She loves making a difference in their lives and was one of the major supporters in the education world to help her mother bring EAFK to Pecan Springs. She witnessed the major changes that happened at Pecan Springs within the first six weeks of starting EAFK and it is now in it’s twelfth year of giving the students ethics and character building skills for life.

Mary Reynolds is a long-time philanthropist of Austin. She was a teacher and a long time businesswoman before retiring. She believes there is no greater personal reward than to give of your time and talents to help others. She has been the Vice President of Community Service for the Rotary Club of Austin for the past fifteen years. She offers many ways that her club members can give back to Austin through Service Above Self. Some of those projects are Operation Vacation, Literacy, Community First, Helping Hand Home, EAFK and Scholarships. One of her most valued projects that she brought to our Rotary district is Early Act First Knight, an incredible and highly affective character-building program. EAFK’s multidimensional approach of teaching ethics to kids creatively integrates the live-action theme of gallant knights and chivalry. It also uses the Rotary Four Way Test as a guide that students learn to make right choices. Not only is this program an easy ten-minute daily lesson conducted by the teachers but every six weeks the teachers select one student from each class who best represents the trait being taught and honors them at a knighting ceremony. Lady Amber in full armor waits on the stage to present them with a medallion. Not only is it a surprise as each honoree is announced in front of their peers but their parents have been invited to attend the ceremony but must keep it a secret from their child til they join them on the stage for the knighting event. The tremendous success of this program is that it involved the entire community, reduces the referrals to the office, gives teachers more quality teaching time and give students a strong foundation for making right choices now and in the future. Mary is married to our Past District Governor, Ronney Reynolds, has two grown children, Bo and Michelle, two grandsons, Jacob and Bo Henry and one great grandson, Andrew.