Pumpkin patch comes to Hathaway Elementary School

Hathaway Elementary School students enjoyed a custom-made pumpkin patch on the school’s playground on Oct. 22.

“Visiting the BZ Farms pumpkin patch is the traditional fall field trip for our kindergarten students at Hathaway,” said Hathaway principal Wendy Morrill. “But due to challenges around the pandemic, we decided to bring the field trip experience to them.”

Nearly 90 students took part in the “at-school pumpkin patch.” Hathaway Boosters club members and other parent volunteers staffed stations that provided a variety of activities, including pin-the-tail-on-the-cow, egg balancing, stick-horse racing and apple tossing. 

But the highlight for the students was the opportunity to pick their very own pumpkin from dozens spread out in a corner of the playground.

“And thanks to a donation from the city of Washougal of surplus pumpkins from their recent Pumpkin Harvest Festival event, our first- and second-grade students were able to take a free pumpkin home as well,” Morrill said. 

City officials also dropped off a container of pumpkins for students at Cape Horn-Skye Elementary School.

“This was a great success and I appreciate all the volunteers who helped,” Morrill said. “We were not going to let the pandemic stop us from providing this fun experience for our youngest students. They loved it. Their smiles say it all.”