Victoria Primary School pupils will be collecting indigenous trees to donate to families whose gardens were destroyed in fires at Stone’s Hill last month.
Victoria Primary School pupils will be collecting indigenous trees to donate to families whose gardens were destroyed in fires at Stone’s Hill last month.
Arbor Day (or week, in South Africa’s case) is an internationally recognised day that promotes the planting of indigenous trees, as well as educating the public about the importance of trees – especially in urban areas.
Traditionally VP has planted a tree on their grounds to celebrate the occasion. However, this year they have decided to reach out to the community and promote environmental sustainability all in one go.
Over the years, VP’s Arbor Day activities have been headed by Geraldene Arnold, a foundation phase teacher at VP who is passionate about educating the girls on the importance of conserving the environment.
The concept was introduced in 1872 by the journalist J Sterling Morton in the state of Nebraska in the US. He proposed a tree planting holiday because the pioneers were pining for the forests of their homelands.
It is estimated that over a million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day.
