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Howell Schools Planting For A Better Tomorrow
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo Courtesy Of Aldrich Elementary School Sydnee Wurtz, Kelsey Reed and Emma Winkley from Girl Scout Troop 1329 get their hands dirty for Aldrich School's Arbor Day festivities. |
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Howell Township's schools planted for a better, cleaner future last week with a series of Arbor Day events showing kids the importance of caring for our trees and helping them grow for generations to come.
Middle School South went big this Arbor Day with the planting of 400 trees, consisting of 300 Norway spruce, 50 Kousa dogwoods and 50 Green Ash, all donated by the non-profit New Jersey Tree Foundation.
"Arbor Day was a huge success," said teacher Steve Milkowski, who helped coordinate the event with fellow teachers Mary Covert and Val McCourt.
"The students were focused, and enjoyed the fresh air," he said. "My partners were a big help."
With 350 middle school students involved in the school-wide planting initiative, Milkowski is proud of what they were able to accomplish, both in the landscape and in themselves.
"Student involvement is what Arbor Day is all about," he said. "How are students going to learn anything unless they get their hands dirty?"
 | | --Photo Courtesy Of Howell Middle School South Three of the 350 participating students of Middle School South enthusiastically partake in Arbor Day initiatives with the planting of 400 donated trees. |
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Getting the students to act outside their comfort zone and try something new was an important factor.
"For many of these kids, this was the first tree they have ever planted," said Milkowski. "This makes them take responsibility for the environment, and that feels good."
While Aldrich Elementary School has been involved in numerous Arbor Day celebrations throughout the years, this was the first year they held a collaborative effort with the students, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and three local troops from the Girl Scouts of America all chipping in together.
"The kids were so excited to dig and get their hands dirty, and put the plants and the twigs in, and then we had to water everything, so they were having so much fun filling their watering cans," said Cheryl Coyle, of the Aldrich PTO. "I think they all felt a sense of pride."
Serving as chairperson of the Aldrich PTO's Spruce Up Committee for the past four years, Cheryl Coyle was ecstatic to see the school join together to ring in the big day with planting of numerous tree saplings and shrubbery.
"They're going to be beautiful, big trees," said Coyle. "They're going to grow to be 30-foot tall trees. Over many years, they're going to grow one to two feet a year. Right now, they're little saplings and they're cute."
The turnout for the event was a pleasant surprise for the school.
"We had a ton of people there," said Coyle, estimating over 50 adults and kids all did their part to roll up their sleeves and dig their hands in the soil for a great cause.
Coyle credited fellow parent Joan Cohen with contacting the New Jersey Tree Foundation and Landex Nursery, who provided all the sapling and shrub donations. Coyle also thanked fellow parent Penny Santamauro for coming up with the idea of bringing the Girl Scout troops into the fold.
"It was a big event," Coyle said of the event which was in the planning stages for the last three months. She appreciated Mother Nature herself, lending a helping hand during last Friday's planting.
"It was beautiful, sunny and pleasant," she said. "It wasn't too cool, and it wasn't too hot. It was perfect weather for planting."
Although the rain clouds did move in the days following the plantings, however, the school view is that it was a wonderful way for nature to provide some quick and easy watering for the young trees.
Coyle first began her role on the Spruce Up Committee when a neighbor actively involved in the school alerted her of their efforts in trying to clean up the school's courtyard.
"It was an opportunity for family activities," said Coyle. "The reason I'm involved in this committee is we can do a lot of things with our kids."
Coyle was overjoyed with pride to have her two daughters- Morgan, 10, and Madison, 7- join in the school planting efforts as part of their Girl Scout troops.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to help beautify the school, as well as teach my children what it's like to give back to the community," she said. "This is something not only my children, but future generations of children will appreciate and enjoy at the school."
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