🌱🌎 In celebration of Earth Day, Community High School (CHS) students planted trees and shrubs to beautify the campus while helping to revitalize their school’s agriculture program.
Science classes planted a sugar maple, red maple, and magnolia tree while also lining the building with azalea bushes. The hands-on horticulture led students to cultivate a deeper connection to Community High.
“Some of these trees won’t mature for many years, but then they’ll have years of impact,” said Mr. Ernest Kuster, a retired BCS agriculture teacher who led the students through the planting process. “This project is about working together to accomplish a goal, getting your hands dirty, and taking pride in your work.”
In the last six months, the CHS agriculture program has returned to its former glory, with a tilled and planted field beside the school, lots of crop seedlings and ornamental plants in the greenhouse, and a roadside stand that will soon provide the surrounding community with fresh food.
“Growing food on our campus makes spending money less of a problem,” said Jesse, a 9th grader. “It’s also good to have tools and know how to use them properly. That’s a good working skill to have later in life. It teaches you the value of hard work, but my favorite thing is just getting to hang out with my friends.”