STRUM, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) — A Principal in northwestern Wisconsin has been holding onto a gift from a student for quite some time. This year he was surprised to see the gift had more to offer than he thought.

In the village of Strum Wisconsin, you’ll find beautiful views and a brand new school. But it’s what lies within this school is a plant that’s found a new home to flourish in. It’s a banana tree.

“I got this tree 13 years ago from a student that was moving away from Osseo-Fairchild where I was teaching at that time. She wanted to give me something that she would remember me by,” Eleva-Strum Elementary School Principal, Marty Kempf said.

Marty Kempf is the principal at Eleva-Strum Elementary school and he is well known around the school for the tree he has been growing for quite some time.

He is growing a banana tree in the state of Wisconsin, which some may say is pretty unusual, however, Kempf says it was a gift and he loves it.

He loves it so much that he has been watching it grow for the past 13 years without a single banana on it.

“I continued to water it and it grew,” Kempf said.

It has been 13 years since a student handed off this plant and this year it finally is bearing some bananas.

“Early summer it started to get this pod on it and you could actually feel the bananas within this pod and I was pretty excited about it,” Kempf said.

It’s been 13 years and taken a whole lot of love, sunshine, and water from an animal cracker jar that has finally allowed this tree to do what it’s made for. Kempf says he has gotten in touch with the student who gave him this banana tree 13 years ago. She is now 23 years old and says she is excited to see this growth.

Meanwhile, students and teachers throughout the school are extremely excited to see some bananas that are finally on the tree.

“That fruit is a representation of what we are striving for between our teachers and students,” Eleva-Strum Middle and High School Principal, Joshua Skoug said.

Skoug says the whole school has been rallying behind this tree. He also says that he has put his name in the running to get first dibs on one of these fabulous fruits once they are ripe enough to eat.

“I get to eat one that’s all I know. I don’t know who gets a banana but I know I get one,” Skoug said.

The school says they are proud of these bunch of bananas that have been creating a whole bunch of fun for everyone involved. They believe it truly is shining a spotlight on the bond between a teacher and a student.

Kempf says they are still waiting for the bananas to ripen before they get to eat them. He also says he plans on moving the tree into a bigger pot very soon.