School Programs
A school tree planting is a great way to increase student interest in their local environment and achieve academic goals. Each school tree planting provides Casey Trees with the opportunity to introduce school administrators, faculty and students to the field of urban forestry and provide much needed trees to schoolyards.
School tree plantings are available free of charge to all public, charter and private schools located in the District.
Process
Interested schools must first submit a completed Community Tree Planting (CTP) application. Since not all schools can accommodate the ten or more trees required for a CTP to be approved, schools are exempt from this requirement. Tree plantings of all sizes are eligible.
Accepted applications are stewarded through the planning and pre-planting process by a Casey Trees Education Coordinator. To develop a treescape plan that meets the unique needs of the school and to ensure that all necessary parties are in agreement on the actual planting and subsequent watering plan, Casey Trees will coordinate three meetings to be held on school grounds with all the involved teachers, faculty, and the school principal. The latter school official is required.
A week before the tree planting, Casey Trees can coordinate a Tree Rally for the class or group of students planting the trees. Tree Rallies introduce students to the species of trees they will be planting, shows them how to properly handle and plant the trees, and promotes discussion on the value of trees.
Tree Rallies get students excited about planting a tree and makes them better prepared to do so.
Please note that students of the applying school will be the primary tree planters. No outside volunteers are recruited or accepted to participate at school tree planting events.
Recent School Tree Plantings
- Alice Deal Middle School
- Ballou Senior High School
- Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys
- Brightwood Education Campus
- C. Melvin Sharpe Health School
- Columbia Heights Ed Campus
- Friendship school Planting
- Garfield Elementary School
- Georgetown Visitation Prep School
- Hyde School planting
- J.O. Wilson Elementary School
- JC Nalle School
- Johnson Middle School
- Leckie Elementary School
- Powell Elementary School
- St. Colleta Greater Washington
- St. Columba's Nursery School
- SEED Public Charter School
- The Farm at Walker Jones
- Two Rivers Public Charter School
See photos from recent school plantings on our Flickr page.
ROOTS
Several area schools participate in the ROOTS (Restoring Our Own Trees Through Service) program. ROOTS is an education initiative that connects educators and students to their schoolyard environment. ROOTS lessons use natural objects to teach traditional subjects.
