I am proud to say that I was a member of Mr. Charney's very first 2nd grade class at Brookside. I will never forget the spirit of fun and imagination with which he approached our lessons; he made us laugh and learn simultaneously. I, too, remember the bogus bucks, as well as the rudimentary French lessons. I also remember how he encouraged his young students in sharing our own interests with the class - everything from bringing in a cow's eye to dissect to performing song and dance routines in class.

Mr. Charney was my 2nd grade teacher, right before he became Assistant Head Master. It was the year of my fondest memories at Brookside. I remember using Mr. Charney's bogus bucks to write a "check" for prizes. We had so much fun in that class! I also remember giving him a tie my mom had bought for me to give him that was in the shape of, and resembled a fish. Not only did he say he loved it, but wore it quite a bit! In retrospect, it was pretty ugly, and goes to show that he had a heart of gold to indulge me the way he did. He is definately one of the best educators Brookside has ever had.