Students, Warwick in Bloom give Town Hall a holiday look

WARWICK-The Town Hall's foyer has a special look to it this holiday season. Six Christmas trees adorn the hallway, each one unique and special, decorated by children from each of the four public elementary schools here in Warwick, St. Stephen's-St. Edward's School, and the Bellvale Bruderhof school. It was the idea of Alicia Frosini, owner with her husband Gene of GF Greenhouses and a committee member of Warwick in Bloom. Frosini thought having the children participate would be a good way to get them involved with Warwick in Bloom, a community beautification group that took first place in the America in Bloom contest last year. The theme for the tree decorating was garden woodland. Any natural products could be used to decorate, said Frosini. "It was really incredible," said Frosini, who helped out with the Kings tree. "The student senate went out and collected the materials when cleaning up the garden from the outdoor learning center. They were so enthusiastic." The result—a tree chock full of what is found in nature — pine cones, leaves, acorns, flowers. The Bruderhof tree also used the natural materials seen everyday. The garland is beautifully made with wood and acorns. The tree top is unique — a sunburst shape of leaves, twigs, seeds, and flowers. The theme of the Sanfordville tree was potpourri. It not only looked beautiful and colorful, it smelled especially fragrant. St. Stephen's-St. Edward's School used soft, colorful art supplies—pompoms and pipe cleaners—to make flowers, which adorned its tree. Pine Island, too, put its artists to work, making snowmen and other winter figures. It gives the tree a festive, fun look. Park Avenue went the traditional route. A long string of popcorn and cranberries gracefully drape its way around the tree, from top to bottom. Frosini was inspired by Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. "It sparked a thought," Frosini said. "I thought ‘Let's do something with the Warwick school kids.'" And the idea took off. Frosini has been a part of Warwick in Bloom for about a year and a half. She was part of the group when it won the national prize in 2003. There are about 20 people on the committee, which participates in many beautification projects throughout the village and town. "It has been very rewarding," she said. "This is a very nice group of people and we've taken on some wonderful projects." The school kids who participated in decorating the trees would probably agree. Each received a coupon for a free ice cream at Caffe ala Mode, a partnership between the Warwick in Bloom committee and the Oakland Avenue ice cream and coffee shop. "We had 180 coupons turned in so far," Frosini said. Might this be an annual event? Frosini hopes so. "All said the kids loved doing this," she said. "They got a great response. We hope to continue it each year."