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MCS students celebrate Arbor Month
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Posted on Oct 20 1999
Last Saturday, Mount Carmel School students celebrated Arbor Month by planting trees in Capital Hill along side the road leading up to the Governor’s Office.
The tree planting was inspired by Kristine Zepeda, National Junior Honor Society member, who organized the project to earn the community service hours required of NJHS members.
When asked why she choose this project she said: “Two years ago I won an art contest on island. The prize was four flame tree seedlings, which I planted along side the road leading up to Capital Hill. After seeing how much they have grown in two years I thought it would be nice to plant more in the same area.
Twenty seedlings were donated to Zepeda by the Division of Agriculture and Forestry. After a formal written request for the seedlings, Zepeda was delighted to find a variety of flame, plumeria, and java plumb trees.
Though the project was primarily NJHS sponsored, thanks to Zepeda; it also fit well with her 8th grade science project. Studying air pollution for a quarter project, Zepeda recruited her group members, Kanae Ishibashi and Merilou Pedroza, to help with the tree planting.
Ishibashi said “trees help prevent air pollution because they produce oxygen and help keep air clean.”
Mount Carmel School 7th and 8th grade science teacher Tessa Drake said of the project, “It’s great to see them out here making an effort to improve the place they live in.”
Seedlings not planted on Capital Hill have been added to the landscape at Mount Carmel School.
