The South Branch Watershed Partnership
was awarded 24 flowering trees to plant at Springfield-Green
Spring Elementary School in Hampshire County, WV.. The
teams of students, teachers, parents and other volunteers
planted 24 trees in less than an hour, and the adult
volunteers finished the staking and deer protection before
the buses left for the day. Five flowering trees (two
dogwoods, a serviceberry, and two redbuds) were planted
inside the playground fence, with three dogwoods immediately
outside. A serviceberry was planted near the softball field
backstop, and the remaining trees were planted along the
westernmost slope of the school property to provide a
pleasant visual border for the nearby homeowner. The
combination of flowering redbuds, serviceberries, and
dogwoods will add additional color and foliage to the
already well-kept schoolyard.
The project was developed under a grant
from Project CommuniTree, which is a partnership of the West
Virginia Division of Forestry, West Virginia Conservation
Agency, Cacapon Institute, West Virginia Department of
Highways, and USDA's Urban and Community Forestry Program.
The South Branch Watershed Partnership and South Branch
Consortium proposed the project to principal Pam Slocum and
kindergarten teacher Gayle Allen, and received special help
from CTree Liaisons Alana Hartman of the West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection and Herb Peddicord of
the Division of Forestry. In addition to three school
parents, three volunteers from FNB Bank in both Fort Ashby
and Romney, three volunteers from local construction
companies, and two Consortium board members participated in
the busy afternoon with 117 very engaged students from all
six grades (K-5) and their teachers.
The South Branch Consortium leaders
hope that expanding community support for the school will
lead to funding for an outdoor classroom for the teachers
and students in the corner of the playground, providing
real-world connections for West Virginia's 21st Contents
Standards and Objectives, and 21st Century Learning Skills
and Technology Tools.
A note from the project Leader, South
Branch Watershed Coalition member Jim Egenreider:
“Student participation was the best
part of this project.”
