written by Scott Alsleben, Lower Adolescent guide
Great River School has become a Learning with Trees School thanks to a grant received from Tree Trust.
On Wednesday May, 11th, GRS students planted 79 trees and shrubs around campus (click to see a map of the planting). The trees and shrubs are MN natives and mostly deciduous trees - we planted fruit trees and many edible shrubs. Tree name tags have been placed on all trees, including their indigenous name. We also installed 8 outdoor benches to support the outdoor classroom experience.
The planting day was a great success thanks to our amazing students, staff, and the amazing people at Tree Trust. Everyone brought great work and positive energy. The Land Acknowledgement for Great River School is attached - we read this before planting.
We have some commitments to make. Not only for all these young shrubs and trees but also to our students, ourselves, our community and planet earth. I tell my forestry students, “trees are like humans, as we are both century beings and have a unique connection with each other, we need each other. No matter where you are, if you can find a tree, you can find a friend, a friend you can build a relationship with.”
I encourage you to think about conservation, stewardship and care. Please do water the trees and shrubs. Visit the trees and shrubs you planted, in fact, visit all of the trees on campus.