The 2Q Tree Project at Loreto College, Swords
Our CSPE teacher, got an offer of 20 trees to plant in the school during lockdown, to replace 8 trees that had died a few years ago in a circle of 20 trees that had been planted by another class. She accepted the offer, and we got 11 Alder trees, 4 Italian Alder and 5 Oak trees. We have a little clear space on a hill near the front gate that was perfect to plant these trees. We replaced the dead trees in the circle and we made a new inner circle in which we placed the 4 Italian Alders in the centre and 3 alders behind the plot that is marked out as the space for a wild flower garden which we also want to replant later. We then have 5 oak trees behind the circle to hide the wall behind them.
We have a team of eleven volunteers (ten from 2Q and one friend interested in gardening from 2R) who are in charge of watering the plants and maintaining a suitable environment for them. On ‘Earth Day’ last week, we went out with the caretaker of the school and put stakes on each tree to protect them from any bad weather. In this team, we have a general manager, a head gardener, a photographer and a writer. Everyone on the team worked well and are enthusiastic about the environment.
Aims
- To help the planet by counteracting the depletion of plant life, especially trees.
- To increase the number of trees on the school grounds and to start a garden with some bee-friendly shrubs.
- To raise awareness by our exhibition.
Steps Taken
Step 1:
The Team
To achieve our aims, we first had to gather a Core Team to help with the watering of the trees and looking after them. 11 of us volunteered, and the rest of the class did research mainly on deforestation but also on global warming,’Earth Hour’ and pollution.
Step 2:
Exhibition
We wanted to do something that the whole school would be able to see, so 3 people on the team set up an exhibition in the hall that students would be able to see. The exhibition contained lots of information and images, including some facts on deforestation as well as global warming, nuclear power, pollution and Earth Hour.
Step 3:
Fundraising
Next, we had a meeting to decide on what we wanted to do and how we would get the funds for the project. Everybody voted on getting stakes for the tree saplings as well as shrubs to make a small garden outside the school building.
Due to Covid 19, we weren’t able to hold an event for the whole school to donate, so came up with the idea of having a collection in just our class. The fundraiser went well and we made 34 euro.
Step 4:
Planting the Shrubs and Staking the Trees
Everyone helped to stake all of the trees. Then,the Head Gardener on our team researched plants that would do well in shade and also would attract bees. In the end we could only afford a few : Ceanothus/Sarcococca /Lavender. (We also got a donation of a two Hydrangea plants from a previous gardening project that needed replanting.) There were a few students who stayed back after school to plant the shrubs which out teacher had gone out and purchased. These were planted outside the building and made a great addition to our project.
As citizens of the world, we should take responsibility to preserve resources of the world and be sustainable. Living a sustainable life helps preserve our planet for future generations.
The Team and Ms Scully would like to thank you for reading our project and we hope you enjoyed it.
Team Writer: Shonah Juliette Byrne
Teacher Contact: Deirdre Scully