At 40, Putnam Indian Field School is Forever Young and Better Than Ever

October 2, 2017 6:00 am At 40, Putnam Indian Field School is Forever Young and Better Than Ever

Published on October 2, 2017 in Education & Programs by PartywithMoms

Where does the time go? Many long-time Greenwich residents can remember when their 30 and even 40 year old children started school at PIFS. This September is the school’s 40^th year of existence, and there are always new developments.

The school gets greener and greener. The gardens planted by the children in the spring are full of many different kinds of tomatoes, cukes, lettuces, peppers, beans, and potatoes, as well as pumpkins and melons. These organically grown veggies and fruits find their way into the children’s snacks and healthy lunches, lovingly prepared by the school’s experienced chefs, Nolda and Alba.

Look what’s hiding under the nasturtiums

One potato, two potato…

This year’s gardens even had themes: the Pizza Garden featured tomatoes, basil, onions and parsley. A Salsa Garden was planted with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. The Snack Garden was very healthy – cherry tomatoes, snap beans and green beans. The children also planted a Salad Garden, a Melon Garden and a Pumpkin Patch.

From the Salad Garden

From the Snack Garden

Also new is the adoption of Greening the Cleaning Program, which eliminates all conventional cleaning agents and replaces them with environmentally responsible, non-toxic products, free of known hazardous ingredients. PIFS has already been awarded a Green Leaf School designation by the State of Connecticut and the cleaning change is another step in its mission to protect children and preserve the environment.

PIFS Family Tree

The children are excited about the Tree of Family Photos displayed in the front hall. They actually painted the tree on the wall before putting up their photos. They are proud to show off the Family Tree each morning as they come into the school.

Still in progress is the development of a maker space, where children can continue their interest in STEM activities. These include levers and pulleys, coding activities, and investigating motors and electrical circuits. Last year the Pre K children learned how to program a toy mouse to move through a maze and find the cheese. They also studied and built a giant robot. Who knows what they will create this year?