By Emily Allen and Abintra students Anabel and Kiki “I’ve been in education my whole career, and I think that traces back to what a safe, joyous place school always was for me, which started at Abintra.” - Maurie Ponder Maurie Ponder is an Abintra parent, but she’s more than that: she herself attended Abintra in its earliest years. We enjoyed her bubbly personality and enthusiasm during our time together. Maurie shared her memories of Abintra and interesting insight into the life of an Abintra student in the early 80’s, as well as how her time at Abintra influenced her life experiences. Maurie attended Abintra from 1984 to 1988, during the equivalent of her 1st through 4th grade years (Abintra ended at 4th grade at the time). She transitioned to Nashville public schools for middle and high school, where she loved studying English and Science. She told us, “I was a bookworm from a very young age. I was an early reader and always loved to read, so English was someth