High Schoolers and Elementary Schoolers Plant Trees Together

On Friday, May 10th, Early College students and elementary schoolers planted trees at several PHM elementary schools together.

The primary goal of the project is to enrich what students are learning in their classes and provide them with new opportunities. Dana Latham, a kindergarten teacher at Elsie Rogers whose class participated in the project, says of the project’s benefits: “We thought it would be a good idea for our kids to know where food comes from. A lot of these kids just assume that it’s at the grocery store, and they don’t know where apples come from.”

There are benefits for the high schoolers who participated in the project, as well. One such high schooler, Class of 2019’s Maddie Dubree, says that the project is “a learning experience for the high schoolers, putting trees into our environment and helping the ecosystem, but also building relationships with future generations.”

The elementary schoolers enjoyed the opportunity to get outside and get messy. Elsie Rogers first grader, Raylee, says that her favorite part was “putting in the dirt, ’cause then I got my hands messy.”

Project lead and creator, Biology teacher John Gensic, says that he has “a vision in the future, of the day that some of the fruit is harvested and provides nutrition that…[they] may not otherwise get the opportunity to have.”

Gensic plans to continue the project in future years. For more information about the project and its future plans, please contact him at jgensic@phm.k12.in.us.