Live, love, plant a tree
Mars Hill — Grade 5 students in Mrs. Kristen Graham Lagasse’s homeroom class successfully completed their Community Service Learning Project at Fort Street School in Mars Hill this summer. Their project, “Live, Love, Plant a Tree,” was to beautify their school by planting some trees and perennials.
Photos courtesy Kristen Lagasse
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Posing with one of the treeS planted in front of the school are, from left: Kristen Lagasse, student Colby Kingsbury and his mother, Duska Kingsbury. |
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| Students participating in the fundraiser and grant in front row, from left: Jessica Thomas, Michaela Pelletier, Alysha Decker, Holly O’Leary, Kassidy Levesque, Hunter Nicholson, Maranda Anthony, Caitlyn Chambers and Taia Tilley. Back row: Seth Hawksley, Dylan Giggey, Colby Kingsbury, Carter Delong, Tyler Melott, Taylor Campbell, Lane Grass and Alex Smith. |
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| Planting crew posing by the school sign and new perennial garden, front row: Colby Kingsbury. From left, back row: Sally Codrey, Sherri Averill, Duska Kingsbury, Keith Kingsbury, Kristen Lagasse and Randy Lagasse. |
The students sold over 200 Colorado spruce trees as a fundraiser to raise money for their project. The fundraiser raised a little over $1,000. Money raised also supported the Arbor Day Foundation, the Rainforest Rescue Program and the Children in Nature Program.
Mrs. Lagasse and her students also applied for the Project Canopy grant from the Maine Forest Service Department and received an additional $500 to purchase trees to be planted at school. Students had to draw their favorite tree and tell why the tree was special to them. Many students shared childhood memories and stories about trees that they have at their homes.
Special thanks to the planting crew that came out and helped plant the trees and perennials, which were purchased locally at MPG and the King’s Gardener. Mulch was also purchased locally and delivered by Ryan Cook.
