Martinsburg High School was awarded 24 flowering trees through WV Project CommuniTree to plant on their campus in Berkeley County, WV. FFA teacher Adam Cook was the Project Leader responsible for the planting. On the day of the planting, April 24^th, 2013, approximately 60 students volunteered to assist with the planting over a three hour period, with various skill levels and backgrounds. Two adult volunteers and the project leader also assisted with the planting. The student base in the classes consists of various socioeconomic backgrounds from poverty to upper middle class and the average age of the students was 16 years old. The three classes participating were two sections of Agriculture 1, the foundations of agriculture, and one section of Agricultural Mechanics 1.

The trees were planted along our borders with South Middle School and the cemetery, as well as throughout the front parking lot. The weather was cool yet sunny on planting day. All the trees were planted in about three hours with our volunteers and excellent instructions from CTree Liaison Tanner Haid, Urban Forestry Coordinator for Cacapon Institute. The trees will be maintained throughout the summer by Adam Cook and custodial staff at the school.

A note from the Project Leader, FFA Teacher Adam Cook:

“The student volunteers learned a great deal from the tree planting experience, from grant writing, to environmental stewardship, to community building and volunteering.”