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Campbell third-graders sing the praises of apples, autumn
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Campbell Elementary School hosted an Apple Fall Fest, where third-graders sang autumn-themed songs and put on a skit featuring Alyssa Perry portraying pioneer Johnny Appleseed. The event was Thursday.
By Jeanne Starmack
Campbell
When it comes to fall, pumpkins usually get all the press, and the flavor of pumpkin is everywhere.
Pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, pumpkin ale, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin this, pumpkin that.
Enough with the pumpkin. It’s time to give some consideration to a fall fruit that has for too long been overshadowed by that big, fat, overbearing orange gourd.
It’s time to talk about apples. And who better to champion that underdog, that second-banana to the pumpkin, than that cute crew in the white and the red shirts — the Campbell Elementary School third-graders.
They were seeded with knowledge about apples throughout this month — reading about them in a book by Gail Gibbons titled, simply, “Apples,” and even touring the White House Fruit Farm’s apple orchards last week. They learned about Johnny Appleseed, a pioneer who brought apple trees to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
Then, they used their new-found knowledge as an excuse to throw a party. They invited in their parents and grandparents and learned a few songs.
They made sure their audience who gathered in the cafeteria at the school Thursday afternoon also heard about the importance of Johnny Appleseed, who was born Jonathan Chapman in 1774. A lover of the outdoors, he set off at 23 across the mountains of Pennsylvania with sacks of apple seeds.
“I knew that some day, the pioneers would come to Pennsylvania,” said Alyssa Perry, 8, who portrayed Chapman on stage. “They would need apple trees.”
After three songs of praises about the wonders of autumn — “Autumn Vibe,” “Autumnal Equinox” and “Apple on a Stick,” the third-graders went to their seats at the lunch tables where they were rewarded with treats from home: apple pie, apples on sticks, candied apples, caramel apples, apple muffins, apple chips, apple slices coated with peanut butter, apple sauce and apple juice.
It was the third year for the Apple Fall Fest, said third-grade teacher Kim Kolidakis.
Music teacher Ryan Stowell said the school used to do its music programs separately.
“But now we’re trying to combine them with other events,” he said. “We get a better turnout that way.”
Is there anything a Campbell third-grader doesn’t know now about apples?
At the White House Fruit Farm, said Alyssa, they learned a lot about them. They ate a lot of them, she said.
Then while they were there, she said, they each got a pumpkin. It’s autumn. You need at least one.