Henry Barnard Elementary School teaching assistant and Amy's Greenhouse Chairwoman Millie Radonjic teaches first grader Lucas Pedomo about pumpkins.

Photo Credit: Justin Stock

Lucas Pedomo visited Amy's Greenhouse Monday.

Photo Credit: Justin Stock

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – First-grader Lucas Pedomo picked up a pumpkin from a large table in the center of the greenhouse at Henry Barnard Elementary School and weighed it in his hands to get a sense of how heavy the gourd was.

"I learn about plants and I learn about pumpkins," said Pedomo.

His class has been studying pumpkins, and visited the greenhouse on Monday to supplement its in-class learning with real-life experience.

Located next to the school at 129 Barnard Road, Amy's Greenhouse is used by Barnard School students as an addition to class instruction in subjects such as math or science. It is named in honor of Amy O'Doherty, who perished in the Sept. 11, 2011, attacks on the World Trade Center. O'Doherty's mother, Geraldine Davie, is a retired Barnard prekindergarten teacher. She spearheaded the creation of the structure in her daughter's name.

"It's like a learning lab," said Millie Radonjic, the chairwoman of Amy's Greenhouse and a Barnard School prekindergarten speech and language teaching assistant.

Monday's lesson compared a student's height, weight and width to that of a pumpkin, which each class picked out. They'll measure and weigh the pumpkins they select this week, and then carve and decorate the gourds next week.

"At least they are having fun, but they are also learning," Radonjic said.

The remaining pumpkins will be sold at the Barnard PTA's pumpkin sale on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event will include pumpkin-painting, arts and crafts, and a costume parade at 10:30 a.m. Apple cider and donuts will be served.

Another project the students from Davis Elementary School are working on is the planting of 200 bulbs for spring flowers. Ninety students from Davis gave a $1 donation toward the purchase of the bulbs, which they'll plant near the greenhouse now and watch bloom in the spring.

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