On December 6, over 70 fifth grades at Semple Elementary School helped plant a tree on campus as part of their school legacy project. Principal Christina Moore explained it is customary for graduating fifth-graders to complete a legacy project to commemorate the time they spent on campus.
Principal Moore organized the 30-minute event and reached out to the Benicia Tree Foundation to assist with the project. Steven Goetz, Benicia Tree Foundation Board member, recommended a Chinese Pistache for the project and provided the students with a brief explanation of why the tree was appropriate for the location and how to properly plant a tree. Each student participated by putting a handful of dirt around the tree.
This legacy tree planting represented the most recent project at Semple that involved the Benicia Tree Foundation. In 2013, the Benicia Tree Foundation worked with the students, faculty, parents and neighbors to plant 80 trees on the Semple campus. “Those trees are now beginning to provide shade and help soften the noise and air pollution from the freeway and East 2nd Street,” said Goetz. Principal Moore concluded the event by inviting the fifth graders to visit the campus after they graduate from high school to admire the legacy they have left.
