Kindergarteners From The Albany Academies To Participate In Leprechaun Trap Project

Students to attempt to catch leprechauns as part of St. Patrick's Day project

ALBANY, NY (03/12/2008)(readMedia)-- Kindergarteners from The Albany Academies, led by Faculty Member Kristy Mahar, will participate in a leprechaun trap project as part of St Patrick’s Day on Friday, March 14.

The students will attempt to catch leprechauns as part of the project on the Academies’ West Campus building – located at 135 Academy Road in Albany. The leprechaun traps are a project that students work on at home with the help of their parents.

Ms. Mahar’s students will be in the classroom from 8-8:55 a.m., 10-11 a.m. and 1:30-3 p.m. on March 14.

The project has been a tradition for Kindergarteners at the Academies for years; students spend the first few weeks of March learning about St. Patrick’s Day, leprechauns and a variety of Irish traditions.

On the day that the projects are due, Ms. Mahar will invite all Lower School students at the Academies to her classroom. Her Kindergarteners will then present their projects to the other students.

Throughout the day, the Kindergarten class will attempt to catch a leprechaun. When the students leave the room for a special activity, Ms. Mahar will proceed to tip over chairs, throw papers and place a small footprint stamp on the tables and some of the projects; she will also set off the traps. When the students arrive back in the classroom, they are in disbelief.

The Albany Academies is home to the two campuses of The Albany Academy (West Campus) and Albany Academy for Girls (East Campus), which share a nearly 200-year-old tradition of outstanding single-gender independent school education. Both campuses bring with them deeply treasured values of community, tradition, and purpose to the newly formed school known as The Albany Academies.

The Albany Academies is committed to developing the potential of the whole individual by building a community that fosters scholarship, leadership, character, service and creativity.

-30-