Oak Sapling Finds New Home at Peekskill High School

On Friday the Peekskill City School District celebrated their first of what many hope will be a new tradition at Peekskill High School. In honor of Arbor Day, the District held a tree planting on the parade field at PHS, and a swamp white oak sapling was given a new home to flourish and grow.

The school’s first Arbor Day celebration was organized by the high school’s 4H/Gardening Club, school and district administrators, members of Peekskill‘s Parks and Recreation Board and community members. The tree planting is the first step in the District’s plan to beautify the parade field.

At the ceremony students read poems and facts about trees and sang songs as well. Councilman Joe Torres was also on hand to present the club with a Proclamation from the city of Peekskill.

“At the inception of this club one of my goals was to educate the public about the importance of and value of trees to life,” said Josephine Williams, the advisor of the PHS 4H/Gardening Club. “This event is the perfect way to bring the schools and our community together.  When the community works in partnership with the schools by supporting our children and working alongside them, we are creating a better school and producing more responsible and successful citizens.”

Peekskill’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larry Licopoli was also present at the ceremony to speak to students about the importance of trees and thank those who helped to make the District’s first Arbor Day celebration a success.

“Today I’m very proud to be a part of this commitment to the future and I am grateful to Mrs. Williams and members of the 4H Club for bringing this event forward,” Licopoli said. “I want to thank the many people who made this event possible, and in the words of J. Sterling Morton, I challenge the generation in front of me to take the earth as its trustees.”

For more photos from this event, click here.