Goshen fifth graders to visit Ashokan

GOSHEN-When budget cuts threatened an annual field trip, Goshen Intermediate School's Parent/Teacher Organization stepped in and raised enough money to ensure the fifth grade's two-and-a-half-day trip to Ashokan, an outdoor/environmental education center owned and operated by the State University of New York at New Paltz. The Ashokan trip costs around $38,000, but funds had been cut to about $17,000. So beginning in August, the PTO and the community worked to raise money through raffle tickets and donations. "I wish I could have taped the kid's response when it was announced that they would be going to Ashokan this year," said fifth-grade teacher Patty Cully. "The clapping and cheering warmed my soul. I have been on the Ashokan trip several times. It is a trip that creates memories that will last a lifetime (for the kids and the teachers!). I'm really looking forward to spending this special time with my class." Ashokan offers activities such as tinsmithing, broom making, maple sugaring, candle making, hiking, and outdoor survival. Student Carissa Cuccia was looking forward to trying blacksmithing, while Danielle Toohey was eager for the broom making and hiking. Kyle Somers planned to learn about tinsmithing and blacksmithing. Sammy McGuinness said, "Since I was in third grade I wanted to go to Ashokan. I don't have a bigger sister or brother to tell me about it. But when I saw the fifth graders coming back so happy, I wanted to go, too. It looks like so much fun. I madly want to go! You don't know how happy I was when we heard we were going to Ashokan."