There’s no long-term investment like trees. Students at Wellesley Public School have planted 20 new trees on their schoolyard. It might be nice now, but the real beauty will show several decades from now, when the next generation of children can enjoy the shade and climbable branches.
The school’s Green Team has been working to improve the schoolyard with more trees and playground equipment.
The goal was to create a better space for outdoor learning and provide more shade on the playground, said teacher Sheila Dow, the Green Team leader. The trees are various species, all native to the Wellesley area.
The new trees cost $12,000 and several grants helped the school pay for them. The Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation, the Grand River Conservation Authority, the Region of Waterloo Environmental Stewardship Fund, and the school council all contributed.
Green Team is made up of 40 students and six teachers who promote recycling, composting and other environmental programs.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s clean, dirty, smelly or not, they’re keen,” said Julie Erb, a member of the Wellesley Public School parent council.
“They’re pretty excited because they know the impact of the trees.”
Local landscapers JCA Trees donated their labour to plant the saplings. The kids helped choose the trees and will shovel mulch and maintain them.
This is phase two of the school’s “outdoor greening” project. A butterfly conservatory might be the next school improvement.