BMPRSS students enjoy school-wide project to help their wishes come true

In the depths of winter, the courtyard at BMPRSS can look a bit dreary. The garden beds are barren, the seating is bare and often the weather is not conducive to spending time there.

The school, however, has found a creative way to infuse some color and hope to the space. Some of the trees in the courtyard are now festooned with colorful ribbons. Each one represents a wish from a student in each grade.

Teachers Kathy Aquino and Anna Fagan brainstormed as to what, if anything, they could do to fill the space with color and joy during the depths of winter. Both having Irish heritage, they recalled the Wishing Trees they had heard about from the old country.

“That would make it bright and cheerful,” Ms. Aquino said.

The two asked art teacher Betsy Murphy for her input into the project, and she was on board right from the start. Together, the three helped all 29 classes covering K-5 work on their own Wishing Tree project.

“We talked about what it is to make a wish,” Ms. Aquino said. “It makes you hopeful. We also talked about different cultures and traditions and how they make wishes.”

They shared with students how wishes for the tree were not like the kind they make when blowing candles out on their birthday, which is a personal wish. Rather, the wishes for the tree they were creating are more universal wishes, what would they hope for the world around them.

During art classes, Ms. Murphy read the book “My Wish for the World,” by Kristine Lombardi, which tells the story about how to spread kindness.

She said that students very quickly embraced the project and connected with the idea of putting out positive thoughts that they had for what they wanted their world to be.

“They were reasoning out why we do wishes,” Ms. Murphy said. “It created some good conversations.”

Students were then given a colorful ribbon; each class had its own color. They then wrote on their ribbon their wish.

In all, students created 600 wishes. The teachers, with the help from their colleague and members from the Student Council, tied the ribbons on trees in the courtyard.

Ms. Aquino wrote on the inside of one of the windows what the project was about. It states: Bluebird Wishing Trees, Our wishes spread kindness, and positive energy out into the world. They help us believe in the power of hope!

“Some of them are very emotional,” Ms. Fagan said of the wishes the students shared. She said some related to current events, like help for the victims of the California fires or concern for others, such as helping people get the food they need.

“I had older students stop in my room and tell me how much fun their art class was and how much they appreciated it,” Ms. Murphy said.

Several students asked if this is something they could do again, and the teachers are thinking of having it become an annual tradition. The timing was great, just at the start of the new year, when people begin to think about what they would like or are looking for in the year ahead.

“I thought it was really cool,” fourth grader Abigail B. said of the project. “I liked how everyone had written down their wishes.”

Abigail said she had wished for happiness for everyone.

“You got to choose what you wrote,” Lucas A., a fellow classmate said of the project. “There was no right or wrong answer.”

Lucas said his wish was to end the killing of animals.

Fellow fourth grader, Emma T., said she wished for everyone to be kind to one another.

“I think it looks like colorful leaves,” Emma said of the final project in the courtyard.

“Overall, it was a really positive experience for everyone,” Ms. Aquino said.

Second graders were also delighted with the project.

Recalling what they had done, several agreed, they enjoyed the experience and contributing to the tree.

“I thought it would be fun to make a wishing tree,” Spencer D. said. “It’s a space for all our wishes so they can come true.”

Spencer said he wished for peace around the world.

“I wished poor people would get shelter and food,” Mollie S. said of her wish, noted on a yellow ribbon.

Some of their classmates shared their wishes, which included “no more pollution,” “everyone to be kind and happy,” and “for animals to be safe.”