Earth Day Lessons at Webster Avenue School

Donated seeds and a freshly turned flowerbed created a special Earth Day celebration for about 35 local pre-school students at Friday.

The three and four year olds learned the benefits of maintaining the environment, sang a song they've been working on and planted wildflowers in the backyard of the school. Local engineering firm Woodard and Curran donated the seeds, town employees stopped by to create a fresh flowerbed.

"It's an important thing for them to realize they make a difference and what they do matters," said Eileen Mauro, 46, the school's director. Children had spent the last two weeks learning about the importance of recycling, avoiding litter and other important ideas.

On Friday, parents, students and teachers met at the school for about 30 minutes, enjoying a healthy lunch, planting seeds and watering them. Each student was given the chance to try on gardening gloves, dig into the garden and plant a few seeds.

Representatives from the Harrison Engineering Department, Department of Public Works and Mayor/Supervisor Ron Belmont offered to help gather donations and organize the event. 

"It's the first time we've ever had an offer like that," said Mauro. "It's been a really nice coordinated effort, we've had a lot of support from the town."

The effort created a lesson students will benefot from moving forward. After summer break, some of the younger students will get to come back and maintain the garden this fall.

"It's a hands on approach to actually what's going to happen," said Dee Rozell, a teacher at the school. "They learn all about taking care of the earth and how it's going to affect them in the future."