Mrs. Bonomo’s first grade class at the Primary Elementary School welcomed some very special guests on Halloween.
Three members of the Utica College Field Hockey team dropped by for “Pumpkin Science & Math!” 
Players Josie Sgarlata and Jenny Robbins, along with Assistant Coach Rylee Meelan, read a book with the class about various ways to estimate how many seeds are in a pumpkin. Josie, Jenny and Rylee then worked with students at different stations so students could put their newfound knowledge to the test. In addition to observing the color and lines, groups of students measured the height and circumference of their own pumpkin, even determining if it would sink or float. After all the observations and experiments, each group estimated how many seeds were in their pumpkin and then cut it open to find out.
“Students quickly found out that grouping the seeds in tens is the most efficient counting strategy,” Mrs. Bonomo said. “It’s a fun way to do math on Halloween – a crazy, busy day.”
Members of the Utica College Field Hockey team are returning to Mrs. Bonomo’s class in the spring to be “reading buddies.”