By Edwina Harder

Southgate Elementary School Principal

Even though the weather may not reflect it yet, spring is here! Spring brings many things in our schools — year-end testing, field trips, music concerts, and other special events. Southgate Elementary School has a wonderful spring tradition called Tree Trust.

Tree Trust is a day that is celebrated by all Southgate students and staff members. On this day you will find us working outside to care for and beautify our school grounds. A committee of teachers divides the school property into sections and each class has a plot they are responsible for. Students help with weeding, removal of leaves and debris, and mulching. Planting also occurs. The Southgate PTC sponsors this annual event by purchasing supplies that are needed. This could consist of anything from plants to bulbs to landscaping materials. At the end of Tree Trust day we all enjoy a PTC-sponsored snack and classes walk around the building to see the fruits of their labor.

We also have a number of memorials that are at various spots around our building. One memorial is a group of red, white, and blue flowers in honor of our veterans. Another is a memorial for a beloved teacher. Yet another is in honor of a child who died while a student at Southgate. The 2012-2013 Southgate fifth-graders planted a flowering tree to remember that they were the last group of fifth-graders to attend our school. The walk around the school gives each class a time to stop at each memorial to learn about its significance.

Tree Trust is a day that is beloved at Southgate. Just last year, some former Southgate students who have since graduated high school were telling me about the trees their class had planted on their Tree Trust day. Stories and laughs were shared as they recounted their memories. Family members are always invited to join their children for Tree Trust, and every year we see many that carve out time to work outside with us.

On May 16, 2014, Southgate is celebrating its 20th annual Tree Trust day. We encourage you to come and take a look at the wonderful learning that occurs as we spend a day focusing on our school grounds. We are proud of this tradition, yet another example of the wonderful things going on in our schools on a daily basis.