Three new trees for Arbor Day at DeMello School

Apr 26, 2023

Students at DeMello School went home on April 26 prepared for Arbor Day with saplings and a growing appreciation for trees while the school received three.

Eversource Power, in conjunction with the town Tree Committee, donated three young trees to be planted at the school. Fourth and fifth-grade students received saplings to plant around Dartmouth.

Student council members presented to their peers the history of Arbor Day and the background of the three trees their school received.

Students’ jaws dropped when they found out White Oaks can live 200-300 years.

Once outside to see the three trees, students had no problem guessing which was the Redbud. Its thin branches were covered in small pink flowers. The Black Gumtree was harder to differentiate from the oak.

Students enjoyed the time under the sun, as Kyle Barry, an arborist at Eversource gave the basics on how to plant and grow trees at home.

“Just as long as the roots are wet they will be okay, that is the most important part,” he said.

Students already knew why trees are important, but learned more about how long they take to grow and how to care for them during the activity.

“The trees are healthy for the environment, and they’re beautiful, and they give us oxygen,” said Mackenzie Sylvia, a fourth-grade student. Her classmate, Isabella Ferreira, added that the trees are “cool and pretty.”

Representatives from the Dartmouth Tree Committee said they hope to continue fostering events at the schools and in the community to promote the importance of threes.

Their “mission is to promote the protection, planting and care of trees and forests, as well as to raise awareness of the many benefits that trees have for our community.”