Edgewood's Orchard

Edgewood School opened its doors 100 years ago in an apple orchard on the Cudner-Weed estate pictured above.

How fortunate for the teachers. An endless supply of apples! But according to Edgewood's first principal Mary Piedalue, the kids may have enjoyed life in an orchard the most. She once recalled that "When the apples fell into the children's hands, they made wonderful ammunition."

Carl Schorske, one of Edgewood’s first students, also remembered those apples. When he visited Edgewood in 2008, he told us that students gorged themselves on these Russet apples, also known as "rusty coats," for its skin texture and brownish color.

By the late 20th century these apples were gone from the Edgewood campus. But a few years ago, we started a comeback. A team of Edgewood historians and environmentalists, made up of staff and students, gathered in front of our school and planted a tree. An apple tree.

- Paul Tomizawa

The Walking School Bus Walks Again

Edgewood's Walking School Bus has begun its first rounds of the year. This bus is not fueled by gas, but by students and parents looking to get some fresh air and exercise on their way in to Edgewood School. The bus uses the typical routes. As people join at their stops, the routes look like a parade, with friends and family marching towards school. Edgewood first introduced the Walking School Bus in 2008. Below is the write-up and interviews from an Edgewood Historical Society feature introducing the Walking School Bus that year (pardon the quality of the video):

An Edgewood Historical Society Time Machine Takes Us to 2008

Mrs. Anders welcomes the Walking School Buses in 2008.

"The Edgewood School community replaced their morning buses with the Walking School Bus. Students, family members, and teachers joined in the walk to school along the usual bus routes in a unified gesture to “Go Green.”About 250 students walked to school along the Clarence/Sprague, Drake/Forest, Potter Road, and Popham/Taunton bus routes. Owen, a 4t grader was one of the many students who made the walk. He spoke to a few others on the way to school and edited this audio story, which features interviews with Gabriella/5th grade, Mason/2nd grade, Xavier/4th grade, and Dr. Houseknecht."

(This video was first published on May 30, 2008)

                                                                                                                                       - Paul Tomizawa