COVID-19 may have put a damper on the festivities, but that didn’t stop Terrigal Public School (TPS) from going green on Schools Tree Day.
Held right around Australia on July 31, Schools Tree Day is an offshoot of National Tree Day that encourages teachers, staff and students to put the spotlight on the environment by rolling up their sleeves to plant trees, shrubs and flowering plants around the grounds of their schools.
Aside from beautifying the grounds, the day also acts as an important lesson in sustainability for students and for many it’s often their first experience of environmental activism, as they take on the job of caring for their environment and safeguarding it for future generations.
According to TPS Principal, Michael Burgess, the school has been keenly involved in Schools Tree Day for several years, with special precautions put in place this year to ensure planting and associated activities could still go ahead.
“At TPS we are very passionate about helping protect our environment.
“Due to the pandemic we decided to space out our activities from just the one day to a week to comply with physical distancing among the student body,” Burgess explained.
All up, 36 trees and shrubs were planted, including a real Gallipoli Pine sapling from Turkey, which now takes pride of place near the school’s entryway.
Along with the planting, students across all year groups also enjoyed a handful of lessons focused on sustainability and the significant role trees play in Earth’s environment, completed a general tidy up of the grounds and gave existing plants and trees some TLC.
Burgess said the weeks’ worth of activities resonated with TPS’s commitment to be an environmentally conscious institution.
“We run a number of programs that promote sustainability to our students, particularly recycling.
“We send all of our green waste off to be turned into compost and we also have a dedicated plastic recycling program to teach students the importance of resource management when it comes to their environment,” he said.
And recently students were given a look at how their hard work had paid off, with the school unveiling some new playground furniture made exclusively from recycled plastics.
Burgess said the tables and chairs would serve as a tangible reminder to students about what can be achieved when it comes to recycling.
But perhaps the most vivid reminder for students are the plants and trees themselves, many of which have grown up alongside them since their very first Tree Day as Kindergarteners.
“All the kids have a great time on Tree Day, they love participating and watching the trees they planted grow.
“We have one section of trees on the playground that has become quite established.
“They were planted around five years ago and I’m sure some of our older students remember planting those saplings,” Burgess said.
Dilon Luke