STUDENTS WANT APPLE AS STATE FRUIT; PROJECT TURNS INTO PROPOSED BILL

PERRYVILLE -- If an apple a day can keep the doctor away, it certainly sounds worthy of being Missouri's official state fruit.

Perryville's eighth graders hope to harvest such an honor for the apple.

Missouri has a whole host of state symbols, including a state flower, fossil, insect, rock and tree. But it doesn't have an official fruit.

The eighth grade social studies classes at Perryville Middle School, St. Vincent Junior/Senior High School, and Immanuel Lutheran School have joined forces to push lawmakers to pass legislation naming the apple as the state fruit.

The three schools combined have more than 200 eighth graders.

The students mailed petitions to apple growers statewide last fall and even circulated petitions at local businesses.

They ended up collecting more than 1,300 signatures from people in support of designating the apple as the state fruit.

The students convinced state Rep. Patrick Naeger, R-Perryville, to sponsor the apple bill.

"There is no political motive here on the part of these kids," Naeger said.

Six of the eighth graders, two from each school, testified in support of the bill at a hearing Monday night at the state capitol before the House Tourism and Cultural Affairs Committee.

Apple advocates included Katie Kutz, Cindy Rhyne, Nathan Rowland, Michael Hoeh, Nathan Fritsche and Britney Weibrecht.

On Thursday, the students and their social studies teachers talked about their visit to the capitol and the merits of the apple.

They hope the Legislature will pass the bill and the governor will sign it into law.

Weibrecht said it only makes sense to recognize the apple as the state fruit. "It is the leading fruit in Missouri," she said.

Missouri annually harvests 44,000 tons of apples.

Hoeh said, "The peach isn't even close to the apple."

Hoeh enjoyed visiting the capitol and testifying before the committee. "I thought it was cool," he said.

The students came armed with 36 apples, which they presented to the lawmakers at the hearing.

The store-bought apples included six that had stickers showing that they came from the state of Washington.

Fritsche said the committee members made a few comments about those six apples.

In addition to the real apples, the students gave the lawmakers wooden block apples made by the St. Vincent art department.

Rowland said he enjoyed having a part in the legislative process. Rowland attends St. Vincent school.

His father, Tom Rowland, teaches social studies to eighth graders at Perryville Middle School.

The effort to honor the apple was the brainchild of Tom Rowland.

He said the idea was triggered by one of his students who questioned why the state didn't have an official fruit.

Tom Rowland said the experience offered a way for students to learn about the legislative process.

Naeger welcomed the students' legislative efforts. "I think this is an excellent way to get kids involved in the government process," he said.

"This is one way to show them firsthand what a difference they can make," he said.

APPLE HISTORY

The apple is the most widely grown fruit in the world.

About 2 billion bushels of the fruit are grown annually.

The apple crop in the U.S. totaled about 190 million bushels in 1992, with a wholesale value of more than $1 billion.

The apple is the most frequently grown fruit in Missouri.

Apples consist of about 85 percent water.

Apples have been a favorite fruit of people since prehistoric times.

The ancient Greeks mention the apple as the cause of quarreling among the gods.

Romans cultivated the apple, and introduced varieties of the fruit to England.

Englishman John Endicott is credited with bringing the first apple seeds to America in 1628.

During the early 1800s, pioneer apple planter John Chapman distributed apple seeds and apple trees to settlers in Ohio and Indiana. He became known as Johnny Appleseed.