Skip To Main Content

Classes of 2038 and 2032 Leave a Living Legacy

A young boy in the foreground shovels dirt into a large bin, while other children stand in the grassy background.

On May 1, the New York Mills kindergarten class, the graduating Class of 2038, celebrated Arbor Day with its annual tree planting ceremony. This year, the Class of 2032 joined the celebration to complete the tradition they missed as kindergartners due to COVID-19. This long-standing tradition is made possible by a grant established in 2001 through the Donna and George E. Herthum Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc.

The annual interest from this fund allows our students to leave a “living legacy” on our campus. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Herthum family for 25 years of generosity as well as to our incredible teachers for their dedication. Their combined support not only beautifies our school grounds but also provides a vital hands-on foundation for our science curriculum.

A blue and white plaque in the foreground identifies a newly planted tree, while the background shows dry, disturbed soil with sparse green shoots.
Two boys in the foreground are holding shovels with dirt, while a group of students stands behind them in front of a brick building.
Children and adults stand on a grassy lawn clapping in front of a brick building.
Two young girls in the foreground carry shovels full of dirt, while a group of students and an adult stand in the background near a brick building.
A group of children and an adult stand around a newly planted tree in front of a brick school building.
A group of children stand in front of a newly planted tree with a brick school building in the background.
A young boy in a blue hoodie reads from a paper in the foreground, while a woman and two boys stand behind him in front of a brick building.
A group of students stand in front of a brick building with a small tree in the foreground.
A young boy in jeans and a grey shirt shovels dirt into a raised garden bed, while an adult in red pants and a floral shirt stands behind him in a grassy area with yellow flowers.
Several young children are gathered in a grassy area with a building in the background.
A young boy in the foreground shovels dirt into a large bin, while other children stand in the grassy background.
A young boy in a black t-shirt with a skull graphic shovels dirt from a wheelbarrow, while other children and adults watch in the background on a sunny day.
A young girl in a blue hoodie digs in a raised garden bed with a shovel, while other children stand behind her on a grassy lawn.