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Trees for Schools | ______________________________________________________________________________ |
Our newest program, Trees for Schools, aims to get more tree infrastructure into schools alongside teaching staff and students on the importance of trees and tree care. It goes beyond simply planting the tree--the maintenance and care of the tree that follows is critical to the success of the tree. We are determined to educate schools on this by having the students, staff, and maintenance crews be an integral part of not only the planting itself, but also the education that informs them on how to care for their new trees in the long term. We are happy to collaborate with school districts within the Valley to get more trees into schools! Please note that we prioritize schools that are Title I schools and are located in high priority areas (red) in a Tree Prioritization Map created generously by Maricopa County Public Health office of Epidemiology and Data Services! This program is on a funded project-by-project basis and, therefore, school plantings happen throughout the year. We are currently creating a development plan and looking for long term funding opportunities, so we can meet the large demand for this program. We welcome partnerships and collaboration from parent teacher associations, other nonprofits, businesses, and municipalities. A huge thank you MCPH for creating a map for our program using poverty rate, number of heat deaths, heat illness, cardiovascular disease hospitalizations and a layer for schools. Click HERE for more details on the map. |
Trees for School Map
The map below shows schools where Trees Matter has planted trees through our Trees for Schools program.
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Our Program in Action
Fall 2022 Tree Plantings M.C. Cash Elementary School  Trees Matter planted 40 trees at M.C. Cash Elementary and 25 trees in the surrounding neighborhood in December! Thank you to Shining Light Foundation, Councilwoman Ansari, Sub Umbra Floreo, our amazing volunteers, TM staff & interns, our arborist leads, and the staff and maintenance team at M.C. Cash Elementary for making this planting possible! To view photos from the plantings, click here! | Fall 2022 Tree Plantings Justine Spitalny School
Trees Matter planted 20 food-bearing trees at Justice Spitalny School in November! These trees were planted with the help of Trees Matter and the school's staff, volunteers, and--of course--the students! To view photos from the plantings, click here! | Spring 2022 Tree Plantings Borman Elementary
Trees Matter planted 75 trees at Borman Elementary in May! These trees were planted with the help of Trees Matter staff, The Nature Conservancy, Eighty Eight Acres, Watershed Management Group, the Cartwright School District, and 60 volunteers, many of whom were teachers and families from the school! To view photos from the plantings, click here! |
Spring 2022 Tree Plantings Westwood Elementary
Trees Matter planted 33 trees at Westwood Elementary School in April. This was the biggest planting involving students since before the pandemic! These trees were planted with the help of Trees Matter staff and board members, Westwood Elementary staff, SRP, and the amazing students! To view photos from the plantings, click here! | Spring 2022 Tree Plantings Augustus Shaw Montessori School
Trees Matter planted 12 trees at Augustus Shaw Montessori School in April. These trees were planted with the help of Trees Matter staff, AZ Dept. of Forestry & Fire Management, APS, SRP, and of course the students! To view photos from the plantings, click here! | Spring 2022 Tree Plantings Longview Elementary
Trees Matter planted 40 trees at Longview Elementary at the end of March! Many of the trees were planted by the sidewalk and the school play-ground. These trees were planted with the help of Trees Matter staff, Longview Elementary staff, and APS. To view photos from the plantings, click here! |
Spring 2022 Tree Plantings Augustus Shaw Montessori School
Trees Matter planted 10 trees at Augustus Shaw Montessori School in March. The planting was finished thanks to help from Trees Matter and APS! To view photos from the plantings, click here! | Fall 2021 Tree Plantings V.H. Lassen Elementary
Trees Matter planted trees at V.H. Lassen Elementary in November. For the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, students were directly involved in the plantings! To view photos from the plantings, click here! | Spring 2021 Tree Plantings Paideia Academy & Coronado Elementary
Trees Matter planted 9 trees at Paideia Academy & 6 trees at Coronado Elementary in April! The trees were planted with the help of arborists and APS. Because of Covid-19 safety concerns, students were not able to participate. To view photos from the plantings, click here! |
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Fall 2018 Tree Plantings
Trees Matter planted 23 trees between these two schools in the Alhambra School District. Over 800 students were involved in the planting process. | Spring 2018 Tree Planting
Trees Matter planted 13 trees, with the help of 500 students who actively participated in the planting process. The school staff and maintenance crew, PTA members, and our Trees Matter team & board members were involved. | Fall 2017 Tree Plantings Washington Elementary, Mesa Public Schools & David Crockett Elementary, Balsz School District
Trees Matter led a planting of three trees at each school and taught students how to plant and care for the trees. Afterwards, we distributed our 'My Tree Activity Book' for use in future classroom activities. |
Fall 2016 Tree Plantings
Trees Matter provided 35 trees and trained over 50 staff members within the Roosevelt School District who planted the trees with the assistance of a certified arborist. | My Tree Activity Book
An activity guide we developed that corresponds with 3rd grade level science standards. A fun activity that can be done with family and friends! |
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