Waynesburg students plant trees in parks for Arbor Day
William Davison, left, of Franklin Township, helps Margaret Bell Miller Middle School students and foresters with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources plant a weeping willow in College Park in Waynesburg. Davison wanted to plant the tree in memory of his former church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was razed in 1984.
Foresters with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources demonstrate to Margaret Bell Miller Middle School students how to plant a tree in College Park in Waynesburg. The students helped DCNR and the borough plant 13 new trees in the four parks near Waynesburg University.
Foresters with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources demonstrate to Margaret Bell Miller Middle School students how to plant a tree in College Park in Waynesburg.
WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg middle school students got to spend their sunny Friday afternoon outside planting trees in the four Waynesburg parks as a celebration of Arbor Day.
The students helped the borough plant 13 trees of different varieties in the four parks near Waynesburg University. The trees were purchased through a grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
“The grant requires volunteers to put the trees in and help take care of them,” said Celine Colbert, a DCNR forester. “The middle school students fit right in because it’s part of their curriculum and it’s Arbor Day and a good way to celebrate.”
Colbert and other DCNR foresters gave a demonstration on how to place the trees into the already-dug holes in the parks. The 20 eighth-graders were then split into teams for the afternoon.
John Yates, a science teacher at Margaret Bell Miller Middle School, said the students were from a few different science classes, including his. He said the Arbor Day event was a great learning experience for them.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on environmental science right now,” he said. “I was pretty excited to get the kids outside to help in the community.”
Bill Wentzel, a retired forester in Waynesburg, also helped organize the event. He said in a news release Arbor Day has been observed in Pennsylvania since 1885 and is always celebrated the last Friday in April.
“Planting a tree provides every citizen with an opportunity to work toward the enhancement of natural beauty, the improvement of the environment and the perpetuation of our valuable forest resources,” he said in a statement. “Few acts of man are more symbolic of a spirit of hope in the future than the planting of a tree.”
One of the trees the students planted was a weeping willow, near the pond in College Park, which will be in memory of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church that was razed in 1984.
William Davison of Franklin Township was a member of the church and wanted to plant the tree and place a plaque to celebrate the memory of the church and black history in Waynesburg. He brought it before Waynesburg Council earlier this year, and they approved his plan.
Davison and some council members attended the planting day, as did state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson.