On November, 8th 2013 the
St. Joseph’s Knights of Columbus worked with students and
staff at St. Joseph’s School to plant 12 trees – a mix of
shade and flowering trees – throughout the school property
and along John Street in Martinsburg, WV.
8 volunteers from the Knights of
Columbus, as well as Shawn Walker with Trees 101, were in
attendance at the tree planting to help teach, as well as
the Director of Public Works, joined in to help plant the
trees. Before planting the trees with the students, Cacapon
Institute staff, Herb Peddicord, and Shawn Walker taught the
students in the classroom about the benefits of trees, the
different parts of trees, and other projects that could
reduce stormwater runoff pollution on campus.
The Project Leader, Knights of Columbus
member Herb Peddicord, said “certainly the school planting
was the most rewarding part. While we talked to the 5th
grade classes, they certainly exhibited a very good grasp of
the importance of trees and what we were trying to
accomplish. To follow that up with an actual planting
reinforced our presentation. Getting the kids outside and
involved in something like a tree planting, will have
lasting effects on the school environment and long-term
visual impacts.”