After over 30 years at the helm of the Farmingdale United Methodist Day Nursery School, Alice and Ron Harmon are retiring, Mrs. Harmon announced this week.

Alice helped found the school with other local community members in 1965, after she and her husband Ron moved to Farmingdale from Butler, Pennsylvania with their two small children, and found no nursery school in the area. She has served as director ever since. Ron, using his financial and business background, has served as treasurer for the past 33 years.

The Harmons plan to retire on Jan. 1, 2000, and will spend their new life in the new millennium taking trips to Jupiter, Florida in the winter, and enjoying their grandchildren. Alice said she also intends to walk with her husband on the beach, read some good books, and garden. Their permanent home will remain in Farmingdale.

"I love that saying, 'Life is made of many moments,'" Mrs. Harmon said in an interview at the school this week, explaining the couple's decision to retire. "And this is the moment to do something different."

Alice is proud of the way the nursery school has developed over the years. The program has grown from one 4-year-old class of 12 students to a school that has toddler care, as well as 3- and 4-year-old classes, with an enrollment of over 170 students. And, Harmon noted that its philosophy has always been to instill a love of school in the children that they will carry throughout their education. "School at this age should be fun, because that's when you learn," she said.

She also expressed gratitude to the program's teachers - both past and present. "My teachers are the heart of the program. They are my friends, and I will miss them," she said. She also commended her husband Ron on his dedication as treasurer, noting, "The nursery school would not have existed without his skills...He has done as much as I have to make this nursery school work and be viable."

Diane Mormino, a young mother of two who has taught at the nursery school for the past two years, will take the reins as director.

"I'm excited. I have big footsteps to fill, but she's paved the way very nicely," said Mormino, adding that her main goal is to continue the school's tradition of fostering the development of young children by allowing them to learn, while also expressing themselves freely through play and social interaction. Mormino is a lifelong member of the Farmingdale United Methodist Church, and resident of Farmingdale who holds a masters degree in business education.

The Farmingdale United Methodist Day Nursery School plans to hold a retirement party for the Harmons in May, and welcomes any past teachers, students or friends who would like to attend to call Cliff Mackin, chairman of the nursery school's board of directors, at 293-4381.