On October 19th, 2012, South
Jefferson Elementary School planted 150 native trees on their campus
as part of WV Project CommuniTree’s Fall 2012 planting season. The
planting day was a cool and overcast but dry day. The plans were to
involve the entire student body of over 500 students in 40 minute
blocks of time to plant all of the trees in the school day from 9:00
AM- 3:30 PM. The day started with our oldest students in grade 5 and
continued through all grades to end the day with our Kindergarten
students. The class groups were accompanied by teachers -Chris
Atkins, Pam Shearer, Principal - Rick Jenkins and Head Teacher Keri
Mahoney. Several parents also assisted during the day. Each group
was taught a brief lesson on trees and answered questions about
trees and the environment. This was followed by all students being
able to plant the trees. It was a very rewarding day for everyone
and many positive comments came from parents of the impact it had on
their child.
Planting locations on the property included a
drainage ditch in front of the school, a fence line on the
playground, and a nature walking trail behind the school. Several
places on the playground will benefit from the added shade for the
students and line of sight breaks along the fences. The majority of
the bare root stock, which included evergreens and hardwoods, were
planted in the area of the school’s new nature trail. This trail is
approximately a half mile long in the wooded area surrounding the
school.
A note from the project leader, Principal Rick
Jenkins:
“I think what WV Project CommuniTree is doing
is very good and that young people need to learn to respect our
natural habitats and be good stewards of our streams and land. The
cooperation and helpful nature of the staff at WV Project
CommuniTree was a huge asset.”