Williams Elementary Transitional Kindergartners have been studying nature, wild animals, and taking care of the Earth. To conclude the unit which coincided with both Earth Day and Arbor Day, the students planted a tree.
With help from WUSD Maintenance, Operations and Transportation personnel Chris Wilcox and Harold Kessler, a beautiful 10’ Bradford Flowering Pear tree was planted on the kindergarten playground. The students named their tree “Brad.”
“It was terrific watching the kids shoveling soil, breaking up dirt clods, and helping to build a berm around the tree,” said teacher Barbara Mayberry. “They all wanted to go home and ask their parents if they could plant a tree at their house.”
“Our goal is to instill in these young students an awareness of the world around them and the need to care for it,” said Mayberry. “I’m hoping they will be able to watch this tree grow for many years to come, and maybe one day their own kids will play beneath it.”