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News & Photos
An Apple Orchard Grows at McDonogh
On the snowy slope overlooking the main drive, kindergartners and fifth graders planted 25 apples trees on the site of the school's original orchard this morning.
As soon as their teachers started down the hill from the boarder parking lot, the children ran behind them. They organized themselves in groups of five and six around the five rows of pre-dug holes.
"My kids thought they were going to plant apples!" said kindergarten teacher Tammy Rice. Some were surprised to see young, four-foot trees instead.
While the fifth graders held trees upright, the kindergartners covered the roots with soil. Some used trowels, others their hands. And some discovered that their feet made good shovels.
The children had much to say about the adventure.
"Oh, we found worms!"
"I planted a whole tree once with my daddy. Now I've planted two trees."
"Do I have mud on my nose?"
"I liked planting the tree. I liked when I fell and the dog jumped over me. It was fun!"
As a finishing touch, the planting contingent hung mesh bags with small guest soaps on each tree. "That's so the deer will leave our trees alone," a kindergartner reported.
As far as the kids were concerned, the snow was a bonus. The kindergartners enjoyed making snow angels on their way back to their classrooms.
"I think it went fabulously! The kids had a blast. The campus looks beautiful. Our trees are in. Come spring, we'll start pruning," said Stacy Gold '85, Roots volunteer and orchard planner.
The new orchard is the latest McDonogh Roots project. After SAGE Dining Service manager Janet Braun remarked about the four cases of apples consumed on campus each day, Roots volunteers set out to bring back the apple orchard.
Gold had the time and inclination to help, so she took on the project. She spoke with farmers, visited apple orchards, called nurseries, and relied on the expertise of on-site experts Kirk Robertson '98, Steve Simmers '70, and Colby Gill.
She also praised the Bernstein family, McDonogh parents and owners of First Fruits Farm, for their assistance.
"We just have a depth and breadth of knowledge on campus. I feel confident we know what we're doing. I have learned that our biggest challenge will be problems with the deer. Deer soap to tin foil to plastic bags, we'll be trying all kinds of tricks to keep the deer away," said Gold.
Said one fifth grader, "I think it will be good for McDonogh students and Lower School students to eat these apples in three or four years." Added another, "It's good to know we'll be eating fresh fruit that we know where it came from."
A second orchard, located near the Roots garden, will be planted later today by Kirk Robertson's fifth graders. Robertson, a farmer who studied agriculture in college, taught his science classes how to plant the trees.
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On the snowy slope overlooking the main drive, kindergartners and fifth graders planted 25 apples trees on the site of the school's original orchard this morning.
As soon as their teachers started down the hill from the boarder parking lot, the children ran behind them. They organized themselves in groups of five and six around the five rows of pre-dug holes.
"My kids thought they were going to plant apples!" said kindergarten teacher Tammy Rice. Some were surprised to see young, four-foot trees instead.
While the fifth graders held trees upright, the kindergartners covered the roots with soil. Some used trowels, others their hands. And some discovered that their feet made good shovels.
The children had much to say about the adventure.
"Oh, we found worms!"
"I planted a whole tree once with my daddy. Now I've planted two trees."
"Do I have mud on my nose?"
"I liked planting the tree. I liked when I fell and the dog jumped over me. It was fun!"
As a finishing touch, the planting contingent hung mesh bags with small guest soaps on each tree. "That's so the deer will leave our trees alone," a kindergartner reported.
As far as the kids were concerned, the snow was a bonus. The kindergartners enjoyed making snow angels on their way back to their classrooms.
"I think it went fabulously! The kids had a blast. The campus looks beautiful. Our trees are in. Come spring, we'll start pruning," said Stacy Gold '85, Roots volunteer and orchard planner.
The new orchard is the latest McDonogh Roots project. After SAGE Dining Service manager Janet Braun remarked about the four cases of apples consumed on campus each day, Roots volunteers set out to bring back the apple orchard.
Gold had the time and inclination to help, so she took on the project. She spoke with farmers, visited apple orchards, called nurseries, and relied on the expertise of on-site experts Kirk Robertson '98, Steve Simmers '70, and Colby Gill.
She also praised the Bernstein family, McDonogh parents and owners of First Fruits Farm, for their assistance.
"We just have a depth and breadth of knowledge on campus. I feel confident we know what we're doing. I have learned that our biggest challenge will be problems with the deer. Deer soap to tin foil to plastic bags, we'll be trying all kinds of tricks to keep the deer away," said Gold.
Said one fifth grader, "I think it will be good for McDonogh students and Lower School students to eat these apples in three or four years." Added another, "It's good to know we'll be eating fresh fruit that we know where it came from."
A second orchard, located near the Roots garden, will be planted later today by Kirk Robertson's fifth graders. Robertson, a farmer who studied agriculture in college, taught his science classes how to plant the trees.