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Boardman schoolkids get free trees
BOARDMAN
Fourth-graders in Boardman elementary schools “spoke for the trees” Friday, as members of the Boardman Lions Club taught them about Arbor Day and gave away saplings.
The Lions Club, a service organization, distributed about 370 pine saplings Friday to fourth-graders in all four of Boardman elementary schools, said club president Terry Shears.
“They’re weather-resistant to the climate, but we still told the kids they should treat the saplings like a little baby,” Shears said.
It’s the first time the Boardman Lions Club has undertaken the project, and Shears expects it to become an annual Arbor Day event. Arbor Day was created in 1872 and encourages people to plant and care for trees.
This year, Lions Clubs International pledged to plant 1 million trees and already has surpassed that goal with 2.5 million plants, including those in Boardman, Shears said.
“We told the kids to look for the biggest trees outside. And then we told them we use about four trees in an average lifetime and that we can’t cut trees without replacing them,” he said.
During a program Friday at Market Street Elementary, Lions member Andrea Snyder donned a costume mustache and asked the kids to guess her character.
“They said the Lorax and were right. I asked them what the Lorax does, and they correctly said, ‘Protect trees,’” Snyder said.
The Lorax, a character from a Dr. Seuss children’s book. speaks for the trees and cares for the environment.
Lily Essad and Chase Picino, fourth-graders at Market, were happy to receive a tree to plant after what they learned in school.
“In class, we talked about trees helping you breathe” because they produce oxygen, Lily said.
Chase said he is excited to plant a sapling, something he’s done before.
“This one looks like a pine tree. I’ll probably plant it at my grandparents’ house,” he said.
Lily is hoping for better luck this year when she plants her sapling.
“I’ve tried to grow one before, but something ate it last time,” Lily said.