DENVER — A dedicated group of fourth and fifth graders at Centennial Elementary School for Expeditionary Learning is making strides toward improving the environment. The school’s student-led Green Team embarked on a project to plant nine trees around the school, showcasing ecological awareness and educational growth.
“It’s a student leadership group to hopefully take a lot better care of our Earth and make it more green,” fourth grader Harrison Failla said. “There’s a lot of pollution right now and we’re not getting a lot of oxygen.”
School principal Emily Volkert believes planting the trees helps students understand the importance of the environment, but it also gives them a well-rounded education.
“These fourth and fifth grade students are learning really important real-life skills,” Volkert said. “Kids aren’t just learning howt o read and write about a specific content area, but they’re also learning the real-life skills that they need.”
The Green Team didn’t just dig the holes, they planned the entire thing. They wrote the application to Denver Digs Trees, the organization that donated the trees, surveyed other students at the school on where the trees should be planted, and decided what type of trees to plant.
“Trees, they turn carbon dioxide, the thing we don't want in the air, into oxygen, which we do want in the air,” fifth grader Elliott Huvner said, just before helping to dig holes for the four trees that would be planted around the school on Friday, April 25.
The Green Team plans to plant more trees throughout the school year. Principal Volkert is excited that the students are so excited about the project. Education that continues outside of the classroom is a tenet of EL Education schools across the country.
“We believe that school is more than about just academics,” Volkert said. “We also believe in character development and making the world a better place. Success relies on three pillars. Academics, of course, but then also character development and high-quality work that makes an impact on local communities.”
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