Our 2nd graders were delighted to welcome Olivia Walton, a proud CDS alumna (Class of 2009) and one of our favorite local culture and agriculture experts, for a lively and memorable classroom visit this week. As part of our Lower School Agricultural Fair learning, Ms. Olivia brought island knowledge to life by introducing students to eleven native, invasive, and introduced fruit that grow right here on St. Croix.
Through stories, discussion, and hands-on learning, students discovered how fruit are not only food, but also an important part of local history, culture, and traditional medicine. They were especially fascinated to learn about the medicinal uses of plants—like soursop leaves, which can be brewed into tea to help with headaches, fever, or even as a calming bedtime drink, and noni, often called the “painkiller plant,” valued on St. Croix for its many internal and external healing uses.
Ms. Olivia also helped students make global connections by sharing the Spanish names for several fruit, including learning that prickly pear is called “tuna” in Puerto Rico. The visit wrapped up with an energetic and interactive memory game, where students used thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs to the side to respond to clues—and then joyfully named each fruit together in unison.
The room was full of curiosity, laughter, and learning, and our students walked away with a deeper appreciation for the plants that grow all around them. Thank you, Ms. Olivia, for sharing your knowledge, passion, and love for our island with the next generation of learners!
