NORTH CALDWELL, New Jersey, April 26, 2024 – Students at Grandview Elementary School in North Caldwell, NJ, celebrated Arbor Day by planting a tree in front of the school’s kindergarten classroom.
Over 100 students from the third grade class took part in the activity along with Grandview Elementary School Principal Francesco Bifulco, North Caldwell Mayor Joshua H. Raymond, North Caldwell Council President Anthony Floria-Callori, schoolteachers, and members of the North Caldwell Partnership for Education (NCPE) and Sponzilli Landscape Group.
The combined efforts and enthusiasm of the Grandview Elementary School, NCPE, and Sponzilli Landscape Group made the event possible.
Grandview Elementary School Principal Francesco Bifulco noted it was a great day for Grandview students. He said, “The best way to get our kids to care about the environment is to have them actually take part in shaping it by planting a tree. Our Arbor Day celebration is educational and fun for our kids and I’m glad it’s becoming an annual event at Grandview Elementary. We’re grateful that NCPE and Sponzilli helped make this possible.”
The North Caldwell Partnership for Education supports the education of students in the Gould and Grandview Schools by connecting students, teachers, administrators, and parents in the common goal of enriching students’ educations.
Sponzilli Landscape Group, based in Fairfield, NJ is proud to be a Platinum member of NCPE. They donated the sugar maple tree that is sure to bring years of enjoyment to the students, staff, and community.
Lindsay Flora Callori of NCPE said, “The NCPE partnered with Sponzilli Landscaping for our 2nd annual Arbor Day Tradition, where the third grade students enjoyed an informational session on the history and significance of Arbor Day.
The students then assisted Sponzilli Landscaping in planting a sugar maple tree in front of the school in honor of the 3rd Grade graduates.
It was a beautiful event. The children learned so much about trees and how to properly plant and take care of them. They left that day with tree saplings to plant on their own, and a wealth of new knowledge about trees and their importance to our earth.
We are very thankful to Sponzilli Landscaping for helping to bring this event to our school and look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come!”
The Arbor Day festivities started with a 30-minute presentation about the founding of Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a holiday dedicated to planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees.
On Arbor Day, people should take time to recognize the importance of trees and feel inspired to plant new trees in their communities.
Five students from the Grandview school were selected to participate in the tree planting activity. Sponzilli provided the students with safety glasses, hi-visibility vests, gloves, and special landscaping swag for the event.
The students enthusiastically assisted in the actual planting, filling in soil, and adding mulch around their school’s new sugar maple tree.
The sugar maple will reach about 20 feet tall after ten years of growth. The sugar maple’s leaves are segmented into three main lobes, with a smaller lobe on either side. In the fall, these leaves turn to beautiful striking shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Sponzilli also gave each of the 100 children in attendance a red oak sapling for them to take home and plant in their own yard.
The children were also supplied with planting instructions and information about the red oak tree.
The red oak symbolizes strength and longevity. It grows to an average of 75 feet tall and lives from between 150 to 500 years.
The Arbor Day presentation told the history of the holiday and explained why trees are so important to us all.
J. Sterling Morton and his wife Caroline were long time advocates of trees. They recognized the important role trees played by providing shade and protection from the elements for people, animals, and growing crops, as well as their use for housing.
When Morton became Secretary of the Nebraska Territory, his mission became a reality and Arbor Day was first celebrated on April 10, 1872. The people planted over one million trees in Nebraska that day!
Today, everyone values trees for their beauty, shade, and shelter they provide for all living things. Moreover, we understand their contribution to the environment, which includes their ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, absorb pollution, and store carbon.
This is the second consecutive Arbor Day celebration and tree planting ceremony at the Grandview School.
Organizers and sponsors remain dedicated to keeping this activity an annual event. Students are enthusiastic about the Arbor Day celebration and look forward to watching their new trees flourish over the coming years.
