March 10, 2023
Mary Reed and her 5th graders at St. Mary’s Parish School have been studying their schoolyard trees in downtown Westfield, MA for 7 years. They have ornamental apple, cherry, sweet gum and birch trees. Their leaf drop results this year were different from previous years, probably due to the drought. She is a very experienced teacher with 30 years in education. She finds real value for her students connecting to nature in a way that they have not before. Mary has lots of wonderful memories over the years in the schoolyard program, she particularly loved bringing her students to the Harvard Forest on a field trip a few years ago when her daughter was interning with our former Schoolyard Coordinator Pamela Snow.
