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 24th, 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.”