Upper East Side Preschoolers' Corn Project Vandalized; NYPD Investigating
An autumn harvest project undertaken by preschoolers at Mis Amiguitos, a family-run Spanish Montessori language program on the Upper East Side of New York City, was tragically cut short when their hand-planted cornstalks were mysteriously chopped down and discarded. For five years, the school has utilized a sidewalk tree bed at 84th Street and York Avenue to teach children aged three to five about nature and gardening. After successfully growing pumpkins and sunflowers in previous years, the children planted corn in April and diligently cared for the stalks for months. With the harvest just a month away, and plans to use the corn for fall art and tamales, school staff arrived to find the stalks cut at the base and placed in a nearby trash receptacle. The New York City Parks Department confirmed that cultivating crops in city tree beds is legal and encouraged, and they had no involvement in the removal. The NYPD has filed an official report and is currently investigating the incident. 
