Students plant trees in school’s environmental center
In honor of Arbor Day, Lehighton Area Middle School students on Tuesday planted trees literally in their own backyard.
Members of the Lehighton Shade Tree Commission teamed with middle school students to plant the trees outside in the school’s environmental center.
For students, that meant a firsthand glimpse into what various trees look like rather than just seeing them in a book or on a computer screen.
Mayor Clark Ritter read the proclamation along with selected students.
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Justin Mease, forester from Harrisburg, and Joe George, analyst from the Lehigh region, PPL Electric Utilities, instructed the students on the proper way to plant a tree and share the importance of finding the correct planting location, and to specifically avoid planting under power lines.
Each student received a seedling to take home to plant, as PPL Electric Utilities generously donates the money every year for the trees and seedlings that get handed out to all students.
At the conclusion of the event, Wes Keller, forest fire specialist supervisor at the Department of Community and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, presented the Lehighton Shade Tree Commission and borough of Lehighton with a 25-year Tree City USA certificate.
The borough is one of the few boroughs and cities within Pennsylvania that holds this 25-year distinction, said Mark Hoffman, chairman of the shade tree commission.
Joe Yescavage, seventh-grade life science teacher, said 115 students participated in this year’s event held at the school’s environmental center.
Yescavage said four different species were planted, including the Blue Princess holly, Japanese maple, Magnolia bush, and rhododendron PJM.
Hoffman said the relationship with the middle school to celebrate Arbor Day has been an ongoing event for nearly 20 years.
“It is obvious through the excitement exhibited by the students of the joy they get stepping out of their classroom and experiencing learning in the beautiful outdoor environmental center,” Hoffman said. “This lovely area that includes a stream was created by Joe and his students as a way to take the classroom outdoors.”
Hoffman said that over the years, well more than 3,500 seedlings have been handed out.
“I continue to be impressed and energized by how great the kids are that attend this program,” he said. “It reinforces the fact that there is a lot of good going on in the world and we, the Lehighton Shade Tree, are honored to be a small part of it.”