Bright and early on October 3, students and staff from École secondaire catholique régionale de Hawkesbury (ESCRH) organized and held a tree-planting event on school grounds. More than 70 trees were planted in partnership with Tree Canada.
As part of the FranVert committee’s initiative, the school’s environmental committee, guests were invited to partake in planting 20 varieties of trees with the goal of having a tree visible from every window of the school. The project went on as planned thanks to the contributions of local partners, including Les Fruits du Poirier for their expertise and machinery, and Santerre & Son Garage for tractor transportation.
It was further funded through a generous $6,000 grant from Tree Canada through the Community Tree Grants program and Enbridge.
The Community Tree Grants program is offered through Tree Canada to aid schools, community groups, Indigenous communities, and municipalities across Canada looking to develop green infrastructure through creative projects. Recipients receive technical support and funding to help start or upgrade their environmental goals.
The event began with a presentation of the project by a student on the organizing committee, Rosalie Lucas. Students from Grade 7 to Grade 12, totalling about 500 students, participated in the planting.
As an ambitious environmental project, students dirtied their hands to ensure the growth of the young saplings using compost made from food waste at their school. Moreover, the compost was maintained by the students of the FranVert committee and the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) classes.
In total, students and staff planted 73 trees on school grounds thanks to the passion and dedication of ESCRH science teacher Lally Durocher.
Tree Canada will also be launching applications for the 2025 year on Monday, October 7, online via treecanada.ca. Information can be found on their website regarding eligibility and the process of how to apply.
