(06/09/2021) One scoop at a time, every student and staff member helped plant five young trees outside Eisenhower Elementary School. It was a celebration marking the end of a school year filled with unique challenges and obstacles.

The staff climate committee at Eisenhower suggested the tree planting and found support from the school’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), which donated all five trees. Each student, as well as their parents, were invited to write messages on biodegradable paper. Each slip of paper contained a challenge from the past school year and a hope for the future. The students then dropped their messages at the base of each tree and scooped a cupful of dirt on top. 

“The idea is to bury our challenges from this past year, but use our strengths to nourish the tree and grow our hopes,” said Lillian DeRung, principal of Eisenhower Elementary.

Each class had the opportunity to help plant a tree, and at the end of the day the Eisenhower staff gathered to plant their own tree filled with messages of hope and growth.