A heartwarming full-circle story unfolds as Nancy Preto reunites with three of her past students—now coworkers inspiring the next generation.
At Oak Chan Elementary School, the lessons that stick aren’t just about math facts or reading levels. They’re the relationships that carry forward, shaping lives long after the bell rings. For longtime teacher Nancy Preto, that truth came into focus this year when three former fourth graders returned to campus—this time as her colleagues.
Preto now works alongside kindergarten teacher Caroline Coffman, custodian Dylan Lundberg-Wilson, and yard supervisor Katie Bielefield. Once students in her classroom, they are now trusted staff helping guide young learners at the school where their own journeys began. Their return is part of a broader district tradition: former Folsom Cordova Unified School District students who come back to work in FCUSD are recognized as Legacy Employees, a designation honored with a legacy pin from the district’s Social Emotional Learning Department.
Those threads run deep in Folsom, where multigenerational ties connect classrooms, families, and educators. In one more full-circle note, Nancy’s husband, Gary Preto, once taught Oak Chan teacher Amy Livingston when he was at Folsom High School—another reminder of how education echoes across time and campuses.
“The first time I met my former students as adults, I recognized them immediately. I think it was their smiles. I was still Mrs. Preto to them, but it didn’t take long for us to be on a first name basis. The transition from teacher/student to colleagues was easy and fun. Since my husband worked with high school kids, he knew many of them as adults already, so it was fun for me to finally join that club! It’s truly a gift to work alongside my former students. We still laugh just as much as we did in the classroom,” said Nancy Preto, Teacher, Oak Chan Elementary.
At Oak Chan, that spirit of continuity is visible in everyday moments—a quick laugh in the hallway, a shared memory at recess, or the reassuring presence of adults who once sat in the same classrooms. The result is a school culture where students see real examples of lifelong learning, and where former students feel called to give back to the place that helped shape them.
“The spirit of learning and growth thrives here in Folsom Cordova USD,” the District shared in announcing the most recent connections at Oak Chan.
For Preto, seeing those former fourth graders step confidently into leadership roles is the most rewarding proof of what education can do. The bonds forged in childhood have matured into collegial respect and a shared mission: to help the next generation feel known, supported, and inspired.
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