Homewood students plant trees for Arbor Day
May 17, 2012 12:08PM
Fourth-graders at Churchill School in Homewood, IL, recently planted tree saplings in honor of Arbor Day. | Supplied Photo
Updated: June 28, 2012 12:50PM
More than 180 fourth-grade students at Churchill School in Homewood rolled up their sleeves recently to plant a tree in celebration of Arbor Day.
Students each received a tree to take home and plant as part of the Fourth Grade Foresters USA project, which aims to revitalize the observation of Arbor Day in America’s schools.
Fourth Grade Foresters USA was created to provide a simple and inexpensive way for any individual, business or organization to send home with local fourth-grade students an evergreen sapling of their own to plant and care for, organizers said.
Ron Williams, a State Farm Insurance agent in Homewood, sponsored the tree donation at Churchill School.
“About 50 years ago, I was involved in a Boy Scout project involving tree planting,” Williams said. “One afternoon a group of us scouts helped plant a rural hillside with evergreens in order to help fight erosion.
“Many years later, that hillside is covered by beautiful, fully grown trees. It’s always a pleasure to drive by and see the results of a day well spent. I would like to share that enjoyment with the students.”
“This project is made possible because community business people like Ron Williams covered the cost of each of the individually packaged evergreen trees, so that there is no cost to the students, the teachers, the school or the taxpayer,” said Debra Ersch, co-founder of the Fourth Grade Foresters Project. “It’s a wonderful way to show support for the community, education and the environment.”
Churchill School principal Cece Coffey agreed.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students,” she said. “Planting trees beautifully complements what we teach here at Churchill about ecosystems and the environment in general.”
Provided to the
SouthtownStar
