Last June, after students started summer vacation, Mrs. Rizkallah and Mrs. Pickering planted the pumpkin plants that had been started from seed by the fourth grade during their studies of plant life. Both teachers contemplated whether or not the plants would survive the hot summer with no one around to tend to them. Upon return to school in August, both teachers got a pleasant surprise. There were 5 green pumpkins!

A few weeks later when the pumpkins had turned to a beautiful orange and were no longer protected by their original green color, it was time to pick them. Mrs Rizkallah asked Mrs. Patel, our art teacher for the school, if she could paint them so that they could be raffled off. When Mrs. Patel returned to school with the pumpkins, it was almost like she had performed magic on them. The once plain pumpkins had been turned into beautiful works of art. Each pumpkin will be raffled off for five lucky students to take home. The winners will have an extra special pumpkin on their porch or in their window this year to help celebrate Halloween.