On Monday, Academies @ GBDS celebrated Tu B’Shevat. The early childhood and elementary students created and enjoyed edible tree snacks. The middle school students viewed an authentic limited color copy of a Tu B’Shevat edition of Itonenu newspaper published in February 1948, before the rebirth of Israel by JNF. The precious document is the second edition of the newspaper and is one of only a few copies available.

After lunch, all students participated in a Tu B’Shevat STEM Fair, where they dissected flowers, sorted fruits and vegetables, and learned about different kinds of fruits. The sixth grade students shared their Living Garden beautification project that was initiated during their Teva retreat in October 2019. During the fair today, the students in kindergarten through eighth grades planted seeds into containers and the project will continue in the spring with the Living Garden being permanently placed on the back fence of the school.

The afternoon concluded with a seder to celebrate Tu B’Shevat with eighth grade students leading the seder. They took an active role explaining the four cups of wine that represent the different seasons in Israel and the four plates that represent different kinds of fruits. The students, teachers and parents enjoyed eating delicious fruits and singing songs about Tu B’Shevat.