Our education team at Casey Trees has had a busy season connecting students to trees in several different ways. Between our 2022-2023 classes of Nature Near Schools (NNS) and the various pop-up events that you can find us at – we’re always around teaching children and adults alike the importance of their tree canopy.
Two weeks ago, our education team had the honor of representing Casey Trees at DC Teacher’s Night hosted at the US Botanical Gardens! Our Youth Programs team met dozens of educators dedicated to outdoor learning in the DMV. Attending teachers were able to learn about our school tree planting program, Nature Near Schools, and other programs that we offer. The night was a huge success as our team met new partners for tree plantings and STEM Fairs, re-connected with longstanding partners, and ‘planted seeds’ of excitement for our upcoming Earth Day Challenge!
We also had the pleasure of running into long-time volunteer, Sheri Sharwarko! Sheri is a teacher at Jamestown Elementary School in Arlington, VA and has volunteered with Casey Trees since 2013.
Congratulations to our raffle winners-Leidy Gonzalez from DC Bilingual PCS and Maria Rosales from Cesar Chavez PCS! Both schools are great friends to our urban forest. Our Youth Programs team planted 9 trees with DC Bilingual Students in 2019, adding canopy to their school garden area. Cesar Chavez PCS has also been a partner in service with us. They’ve raised money for Casey Trees, and their students often participate in our community tree plantings.
But the news doesn’t end there for our education team! Last week we honored Black Lives Matter Week of Action, as we visited several schools to teach our Democracy Day lesson where students meet elected officials and brainstorm community action projects. Thanks to the help of Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, ANC Commissioner Ra Amin (ANC 5B04), and Representative Robert Henderson (Ward 5 DC State Board of Education).
During our Democracy Day lesson, students learn about their branches of government starting from a federal level – all the way to learning about our local ANC commissioners and representatives. Students then go on to decide and vote on an action project for their school – this could be something like planting more trees, adding bird boxes, or hosting a schoolwide clean-up! Once students decide on their projects, they reach out to their local representatives in hopes of obtaining support to carry it out.
This is a fun and educational experience for students to not only get a better understanding of the roles in local government but also make a lasting impact on their campus for years to come.
And last but certainly not least, our education team has been working to create our inaugural youth Earth Day Challenge! Schools are invited to showcase trees on their campus and how their school can make a difference to the urban forest. Casey Trees will highlight the best in each category in our Leaflet newsletter.
Participating schools are entered into consideration for a Junior Urban Forester Field Trip with our Education staff! Other prizes include Casey Trees swag, a future tree planting, and more. Each school will be considered for one prize.
Stay tuned for Earth Month and to learn more about our upcoming challenge!
