Good News from Schools

Ripe for the Picking

Mrs. Sharon Lee’s 3rd grade students were very excited about working in Hawthorne’s Garden!  Many had never been up close to a real “Hawthorne Grown” watermelon.  There were Oooh’s and Ah’s as Mrs. Lee explained what students observed.  Her last year’s class planted the gardens in the spring after the CRCT.  They would come out and work whenever they had a chance after all school work had been completed. 

Mrs. Lee, Hawthorne’s Teacher of the Year, is a stickler for academics with a passion for Science.  Every year, students plant seeds, watch and observe as they grow.  They record and keep data on the changes that occur.  Before Hawthorne’s outdoor garden was designed, each of Mrs. Lee’s students utilized the portable indoor garden which looks like large shelves on wheels with lights.   They’d begin by planting seeds in cups and would then transfer the plants to the garden.  She was very excited when the garden was landscaped as part of Hawthorne’s new edition a couple of years ago.

As Mrs. Lee moved the vines to expose watermelons that were ripe for the picking, she was just as excited as the students!   First, she showed the girls while the boys waited patiently in the shade.  Each group was able to observe and choose their favorite.  She commented that never before had there been so many watermelons to grow!  “If all goes well, and we finish our work on time, we will cut the melons on Friday,” exclaimed Mrs. Lee.  Students clapped and cheered when they heard the news! 

The class had also planted corn, beans, tomatoes, zucchini squash, and flowers in the spring.  However, the vegetables didn’t do as well as the melons this time.  The flowers on the other hand, bloomed in vibrant colors of purple and yellow.   Students indicated that they could hardly wait until they’d have an opportunity to use their green thumbs to see what they could grow.  Not only are they looking forward to planting in the spring, they also want to conduct scientific experiments.  They read about last year’s 3rd graders in the Good News in Schools section.  Mrs. Lee’s class is featured in Weathering the Storm.  Lee’s Weather Team investigated similarities and differences between ice from the ice machine and hail that closed major school districts.

Before leaving to go back inside the building, all gave the famous Hawthorne Thumbs Up to signify that they were very pleased with the work of last year’s young scientists.  One class had planted the seeds while another was able to observe and pick the fruit of their labor.  Stay tuned because you will definitely be hearing from this young group who like the fruit they observed is ripe for the picking!  That is, they are ready to absorb all of the information they can so that they will be successful 3rd graders this school year and exceed expectations on the CRCT.