Lehman-Jackson students earn ribbons for their produce at the fair

By Eileen Godin

egodin@timesleader.com

Lehman-Jackson Elementary School fifth graders Sam Alba and Charlie Sleyo look over the exhibits at the Luzerne County Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair1_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgLehman-Jackson Elementary School fifth graders Sam Alba and Charlie Sleyo look over the exhibits at the Luzerne County Fair.

Lehman-Jackson Elementary School students Evelyn Seifert and Ava Hudak enjoyed the various art and craft exhibits at the Luzerne County Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair2_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgLehman-Jackson Elementary School students Evelyn Seifert and Ava Hudak enjoyed the various art and craft exhibits at the Luzerne County Fair.

Jacob Gizenski and Cole Kaiser, fifth-grade students at Lehman-Jackson Elementary School enjoyed a few hours away from school during a field trip to the Luzerne County Fair. The students came to admire their pumpkins, gourds and Indian Corn on display.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair3_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgJacob Gizenski and Cole Kaiser, fifth-grade students at Lehman-Jackson Elementary School enjoyed a few hours away from school during a field trip to the Luzerne County Fair. The students came to admire their pumpkins, gourds and Indian Corn on display.

Lehman-Jackson Elementary students Mason Lee, Rachel Galasso and Haylie Meader enjoyed a trip to the Luzerne County Fair to see their award-winning pumpkins, gourds and Indian Corn.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair4_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgLehman-Jackson Elementary students Mason Lee, Rachel Galasso and Haylie Meader enjoyed a trip to the Luzerne County Fair to see their award-winning pumpkins, gourds and Indian Corn.

Taking a moment to take it all in, Jagger Miller, a fifth-grader at Lehman-Jackson Elementary School, admired the first, second and third place ribbons on pumpkins planted by the Lehman-Jackson Elementary School at the Luzerne County Fair in Dallas.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair5_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgTaking a moment to take it all in, Jagger Miller, a fifth-grader at Lehman-Jackson Elementary School, admired the first, second and third place ribbons on pumpkins planted by the Lehman-Jackson Elementary School at the Luzerne County Fair in Dallas.

Lehman-Jackson Elementary School fifth grader Reagan Woytowich admires the school’s Blue Ribbon winning gourds at the Luzerne County Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair6_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgLehman-Jackson Elementary School fifth grader Reagan Woytowich admires the school’s Blue Ribbon winning gourds at the Luzerne County Fair.

Lehman-Jackson Elementary School fifth students, Ahmad Dabsheh and Jacob Stambaugh checked out the art display last week during their field trip to the Luzerne County Fair.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair7_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgLehman-Jackson Elementary School fifth students, Ahmad Dabsheh and Jacob Stambaugh checked out the art display last week during their field trip to the Luzerne County Fair.

In the spring, Lehman-Jackson Elementary School third- through sixth-grade students planted pumpkins, gourds and Indian Corn. The harvest was so beautiful samples were submitted to the produce competition at the Luzerne County Fair in Dallas.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_cofair8_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgIn the spring, Lehman-Jackson Elementary School third- through sixth-grade students planted pumpkins, gourds and Indian Corn. The harvest was so beautiful samples were submitted to the produce competition at the Luzerne County Fair in Dallas.

DALLAS TWP. — Over 200 Lehman-Jackson Elementary School students ditched school to go to the Luzerne County Fair last week.

The fair visit was not about fun and games but a continued lesson on biology and self-discovery that began last school year.

In May, third- through sixth-grade students planted pumpkin, various gourd and Indian Corn seeds with the plan of donating the harvest to local food banks, said Donald James, principal at Lehman-Jackson Elementary School.

“It was a great hands-on experience,” James said.

The gardening program went further than academics and community service.

The program reached brought several different parts of the community together.

Garden

Marian DeAngelis, Lehman Township secretary and Lehman-Jackson Elementary School Parent Teacher Association member, proposed the idea in the early spring.

In 2014, DeAngelis spearheaded a partnership between the elementary school and township to create a butterfly garden and plant fruit trees on a portion of 10 acres owned by the municipality, near the township’s public works garage.

This year, DeAngelis renewed the partnership, allowing the students to get down and dirty planting crops.

“Volunteers from the township’s road crew prepared a 200-foot by 150-foot garden and made mounds for the kids to plant their seeds,” she said.

Before little hands dropped tiny seeds, students attended a Gardening 101 class conducted by a master gardener from Penn State Cooperative Extension, DeAngelis said. “They learned about fertilizer and water erosion.”

Then the seeds were dropped.

Volunteers

Throughout the summer months, DeAngelis, her husband Butch, township supervisors, municipal treasurer and several parents volunteered their time to help maintain the garden.

“They mixed up some type of concoction to keep the deer away,” said David Sutton, Lehman Township supervisor.

The harvest was better than anticipated.

Several prime pumpkins, gourds and colorful corn inspired DeAngelis to research submitting samples to the Luzerne County Fair.

DeAngelis reached out to David Schweizer, co-chairman of the Luzerne County Fair Arts and Crafts, for guidance in submitting samples of the harvest to the fair’s fruit and vegetable competition.

The community effort then competed against master gardeners.

Awards

Pumpkins grown by the group received first, second and third-place ribbons. Gourds and Indian corn were accepted in the locally-grown exhibit.

“Students were given an opportunity to celebrate the “fruits of their labors,” James said of the Sept. 11 trip to the fair.

Donations from Nick Daddio of ND Financial Services and his clients provided the students with bus transportation to get to the fairgrounds.

“They were very excited when they found out they won ribbons,” said Chrisandra Tosh, mother of fifth-grade student Evelyn Seifert-Blache and trip chaperone.

“It is really neat,” sasid Olivia Buckman, 9, of Lehman, as she looked at the big orange pumpkins with red, white and blue ribbons hanging from their stems.

Looking up at the pumpkins, Ahmad Dabsheh, 9, of Lehman, could not believe the little pumpkin seed he held in his hands in the spring could grow into a big plump pumpkin.

“It is awesome,” he said.

Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.