Third graders at the William E. Cottle Elementary School – under the direction of teachers Maureen Coleman, Michael Gray, Gay Jarvis and Jen Scrivo – planted a “poet-tree” in the Tuckahoe Schools Outdoor Classroom.
The Golden Delicious apple tree, which currently stands at five-feet tall, bears more than 90 poems that were written by students. The collection of words includes diamantes, sonnets, color poems, haikus, limericks, cinquains, rhyming and free verse poems.
The Outdoor Classroom is a new addition to the Tuckahoe School District this year. It includes a vegetable garden, learning and discussion areas. A greenhouse will be added in the coming school year.
Assistant Principal Peter Kilgallen – who helped organize the event - kicked off the event, digging the first hole.
Moving forward, the students will have the opportunity to grow alongside the tree they planted. Coleman added that she looks forward to returning in the fall to see the progress. She said the apples produced by the tree will represent the “fruits of their labor.”
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