On Friday, January 14, Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) students celebrated both MLK Day and Tu B’Shvat (which were both on Monday, January 17th this year) with a morning of volunteering and celebrating at Felicia’s Farm.
Students started the day with prayer and learned about Felicia’s Farm. Upon arrival, each class participated in different projects including planting, harvesting, composting, and painting rocks for decoration. The school joined together to plant a pomegranate tree, took part in a tasty Tu B’Shvat seder, and concluded with a dance party between the trees. At the end of the day, the students reflected on their experiences and enjoyed a video montage of the excitement from the morning. THA is eager to continue our partnership with Felicia’s Farm through more field trips and composting.
This past November 4th grade teacher Mollie Ramos encouraged her students to enter the Kartchner Caverns Writing Contest. After reading the contest rules, Mrs. Ramos decided that if her students were going to write stories set in Kartchner Caverns, a requirement for the contest, a visit would be the ideal way to provide the necessary background information. The students were also learning about rocks and various formations, so a trip to the Caverns would also be a great culmination to their geology unit.
And the field trip paid off! After writing stories and submitting them, Mrs. Ramos was excited to hear that both Doron Metz and Laila Travis’s stories had been chosen as winners in the short story category. According to Doron, their stories had been chosen out of a pool of 75 entries. As a prize, winners received three tickets towards a future visit. Both entries can be found on the Kartchner Cavern website. The stories will also be on display for visitors to read while visiting the Caverns throughout the year.
Congratulations, Doron and Laila, we’re very proud of you!
