WOODBURY, Conn. — It’s a phrase you don’t hear often: “Drive your Tractor to School Day,” but each year at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, the parking lot is full of heavy farming equipment instead of cars.
“Today is Tractor Day here at Nonnewaug High School,” said Samara Thomas, a Nonnewaug High senior, “And we do this every year, it’s super fun.”
Drew Zielinski, aka "Mr. Z," is an Agricultural Mechanics teacher at Nonnewaug High. He said the tradition of “Drive your Tractor to School Day” dates back more than two decades.
“It’s one day out of the year, usually in the spring,” said Zielinski. “The students dust off their tractors and drive them to school.”
Standing alongside his 1950 “Farm L-M tractor”, Devon Zapatka, a Nonnewaug senior said, “This is pride, I love driving my tractor every year. I want to show people we that exist; we are the future farmers of America and we need more people like us.” He added, "This is tradition and this happens every year."
For Tractor Day 2024, 40 students drove their tractors to school and lined them up on the school's front lot.
“Just seeing the students take pride in what that drive, this camaraderie is great. It’s a great end to the school year,” Zielinski added.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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