Write a Message to a Tree
On the Peregrine School campus, colorful cloth streamers blow in the wind and encircle trees. On them are messages from our students giving thanks for all the things trees do for us and our world. The messages thank trees for oxygen, fruit, homes for animals, wood to make pencils and paper, and more. Our kindergarteners took an hour to write these messages, and they express the sincere connection our children feel for their place. The effect, added to the feathery new green leaves and spring blooms on dozens of trees, is magical. One kindergartener stated: “I think we really helped our trees.”
As part of our Earth and Arbor Day celebrations, our streamers remind us that our campus has become an arboretum, flaunting the many kinds of trees students have planted over the past six years. Students took a survey, and the results were impressive. We have planted at least 45 fruit trees, 11 native trees, 12 shade trees, 2 clumps of bamboo and a Japanese maple on the south campus alone! That is 71 trees, all planted and tended by children, all growing and beautifying our campus. These trees add to the numerous mature trees on our campuses, providing the shade and beauty that have enabled us to work and play outside in most kinds of weather in defiance of covid-19. Indeed, we owe thanks to our trees and to our community, that planted and tends them.
Many of us have been fascinated by the world of trees recently with revelations about how they communicate and distribute nutrients using mycelial networks and the urgency of protecting and restoring threatened forests all over the world. It can be easy to forget the trees in our backyards and parks when we think in global terms. And yet, these trees that stand with us through our daily lives in cities, towns and neighborhoods are also part of the incredible system of arboreal being that creates our quality of life.
Consider thanking some trees you know with a message. If they are in your backyard, you can decorate them with letters on ribbons, like the kids at Peregrine School. If your favorite tree is in a public park or street, whisper your message to it the next time you walk by or sit under its shade. Tell us what you notice about your trees!